I’ve been spending a LOT of time playing “Splatoon” on the Wii U!
“Splatoon” is a game where you play as a squid kid, splatting different colored ink throughout various locations. This most commonly takes place during the online gameplay experience known as “turf war.”
The goal is to get as much of your color of ink splattered over an area as quickly as possible without getting splat by the opposing team.
After spending several hours playing the game a couple of life lessons came to mind.
Teamwork
When you first start the turf war, you find that you can’t really fully communicate with your teammates in the game. But, you can signal them with clicking a button to yell “booyah” or “c’mon.” Doing this signals your other teammates to come and support and to back one another up.
None of us really know each other.
- We only know that we are inklings trying to win a turf war.
- We understand our mission and we have fun doing it.
And sometimes that’s all you need. And if you need help or backup, communication is key, and “Splatoon” is no different.
As I played in the turf wars, I learned that you can’t be timid about going all in. You have to go all in and be prepared to either splat or get splat. And you have to be okay with that. I found that when I went all in and pushed ahead with my giant rolling brush, not only did I help others push ahead and take more of the area with our ink, but I got into enemy territory and was able to help make room for my teammates to take the turf. Yeah, I got splat several times, but, I didn’t quit. I just kept going and tried to focus on helping my teammates.
As believers in Christ, we should press on and we should also support and pray for one another as we go forward on the mission field! Yeah, we are imperfect and at times we get splat, but, while we still have the limited time we have on earth, we should go forward, spreading the Gospel in as many places as possible no matter how intense the resistance.
Identity
While playing in the turf wars, I began to notice other players. They had level rankings way higher than mine. Here I was, playing as a level 8 along with others who are level 23, 32, 48 and more.
I also noticed the various weapons each of the characters had.
They had different styles of clothing that attributed to the extra skills and tools to help them battle more efficiently.
But, I couldn’t let that bother me. I had to conclude that the more I played and the more experience I had playing the higher my level would climb and the more I would make in order to buy supplies and clothing that would make me a better teammate.
And I had to be comfortable with doing it in the pace I was doing it.
We get so wrapped up with what everyone else has and what everyone else is doing, but, we were created specifically and uniquely for more than anything the world could offer us. God loves us as we are and where we are and loves us way too much to keep us in the same place or same condition.
If we go forward and focus on the race we are to run for the Lord, we will level up over time, in due time.
Stay humble, look to Jesus, and keep going forward!
Eric Dye says
Excellent, man!
Kendall Lyons says
Thanks for the kind words!!!