13th February 2009, 1 min read

What I have learned about life from war games

Like most dads who have professional careers, I have little time for games. Nevertheless, I spend some time playing war games. Here are some I like:

• Civilization: Call to Power was one of my favorites.
• I still play to Master of Orion II even though the game is nearly 15 years old.
• The Age of Wonders series is great too.
• Wesnoth is not a bad game, and it is free.

All these games have taught me some basic principles:

• Retreat instead of losing a battle. When life gets difficult, cut your losses and withdraw at once. This is the most important lesson of all. The best way to win is to avoid battles that you will lose. (In life, don’t fight when the odds are against you. Come back another day.)
• Focus on one or two fronts. Never multitask widly even if you have far superior numbers. You can actually lose the war because you won too many small battles! With exhausted troops all over the map, you can become vulnerable to a focused offensive. (In life, do not fight all battles at once. Try to get one or two solid victories instead.)