If you haven’t yet felt the true potential of blockchain gaming, this article is for you.

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I have to be honest. I completely stopped playing video games for many years while I was trying to learn how to be an adult. The attempt failed, as adulthood still eludes me now well into my thirties. Steem has brought me back to gaming, and holy crap, the potential of the whole thing has me really excited.

My Life in Games

Video Games

I played a lot of video games when I was a kid. I could conquer Contra in a single life, I was a master of Tetris, and (to my parents’ dismay) I could make a quarter last for hours on an Off Road arcade console. I constantly forked over hard-earned allowance money for the newest SNES games, the Mario-Karts, the Star Foxes, the Donkey Kong Countries.

Why did I stop? I guess I was finally convinced that what I was getting out of video games was no longer worth what I was putting in. As a little guy, I was always afraid that one of my parents would interrupt my gaming to tell me I was wasting my time. My favorite, and the most embedded in my memory is “Why don’t you do something constructive?” They never explained what exactly made an activity constructive. I still don’t really know.

In college I had big plans. I was going to be a professional working actor. It’s a ridiculous goal, so I had to study hard, rehearse much, and many read. I felt like there was just no time for video games, and that was that. Then, something I really should have seen coming…

Video Games Left Me Behind

What’s that? Turn the music down, you little whipper-snappers! Them’s too many buttons on that joystick! What? It’s not called a joystick anymore?! It’s time for my nap!

Joking aside, they lost me at Playstation. It got too complicated and felt like too much of a commitment. That was that. I needed a way back in, and that would have to wait for Steem, and the enticing promise of a new form of gaming.

Board Games

For my whole life, I’ve had a great love for board games. Growing up, I played mostly with my brothers, but my wonderful wife @CarrieAllen loves games almost as much as I do. Our collection is impressive, and even though we live tucked away in the mountains, sometimes old friends travel great distances to play board games with us.

This is our game shelf.
I’ve learned a lot about how games work, what makes a good game, and why we enjoy games. Competition is hard-wired into all of us. There is an innate desire to be better, to out-perform and to win that none of us can deny. If we can learn how to embrace this competitive nature and make it one with enjoyment, the world is opened up to us.

When you play for joy, losing is just as gratifying as winning, and losing correctly is one of the most difficult skills to learn in life.

I have invented plenty of games, but only on paper. With Steem, I finally see the potential to make some of my visions into realities, so you’ll probably hear more from me about board games. I’m just an idea guy; I’m gonna need some help from people with real skills.

Sports

I played ‘em. Pretty much every sport that you can think of, I tried it. What can I say? I was completely obsessed with games. I was always partial to the sports that offered personal glory. In high school, I ran in Cross Country and Track, and I was good. It was beyond satisfying to defeat more than a hundred other runners to win a race. Sure, I’ve got occasional aches and pains that may last the rest of my days, but I learned some valuable lessons about competition.

The kids where I live don’t have enough access to team sports. This is a pity, because team sports are how I learned to be part of a team. I’m fortunate enough to currently be a member of the @SteemMonsters team, and a team in DAPP development is scarcely different than any sports team. Each member must contribute their own special skills to create a superior product. The Steem Monsters team has been expertly assembled from active members of the Steem community, and I only hope I can always pull my part of the load.

Gambling

I have always been fond of gambling, for better or worse. In fact, my first introduction to cryptocurrency took the form of multiplying my BTC playing provably fair dice games. I love the term provably fair; you’ll never see those words in a Vegas casino.

My mentor always said that you spend so many years paying your dues to gambling, but eventually you earn your PHD in losing. This imaginary degree is incredibly valuable; As a doctor of losing, you have earned the wisdom to henceforth only make wise gambling decisions. Finally, you can stop losing, maybe even earn a little something occasionally. I’ve lost enough, I may finally have my PHD in losing.

Even with all that losing, I have no regrets about gambling. This was just more games within the game of life. If I had some of the wisdom I now possess when I was younger, maybe now I would have a savings account, or a yacht, or a pet tiger. Who cares? I am where I am, and I know what I know. This ain’t a Bob Seger song.

Capitalism: Success is a Game

I’ve been playing this game for years, and I haven’t really found success yet. Multi-level-marketing, direct sales, selling donuts on the corner… I’ve tried a lot of things, and I’ve learned that the one thing I’m really good at is failure. This is not a bummer or a discouragement; failure is one of the hardest things to be good at.

Entrepreneurial success is the American dream for many people. I’m one of them, although for me the American dream is much much more. I long for a life of freedom from financial worry. I don’t want excess of anything and I don’t consider myself greedy, but like many of us, I fantasize about having the money I need for the things that I want.

Anyone who has found their way to Steem is here to earn, to grow, to cooperate, to create and to inspire. These are some of the values at the heart of Capitalism. This embracing of the competitive spirit we all possess leads to human beings accomplishing incredible things together.

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I’m thrilled after practicing failure for so many years, to see some signs of success in my money-making endeavors, thanks to Steem.

Residual Income

Many experts say that success in business comes when the majority of your money is working for you, rather than you working for the money. The fact is that money makes money. This is a foundation of Capitalism, and my favorite thing about the Steem blockchain. We are rewarded for having the discipline to put our money away. We are rewarded for believing in something that we all know has the potential to change the world for the better. Most importantly, we are rewarded for our own creativity and for our support of the creativity of others.

Steem offers us many ways to begin creating a residual income in our lives. Through investing our financial resources into promising new projects, we fuel the machine while generating small bits of passive income for ourselves. Through the promotion of affiliate links, we can earn money directly through the purchases of referrals.

In the Affiliate Game, You Cannot Lose.

Life is a Game

It’s true. The more you play, the more you win. More importantly…

The more you play, the more you play.

Trust me. That’s what life is all about. Now sign up for the awesome Steem games below if you haven’t yet!

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Play STEEM MONSTERS!

Play DRUG WARS!

Play MOONSTEEM!

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Steem Monsters Team

@aggroed, @yabapmatt, @crystalhuman, @isaria, @clove71, @jayplayco, @zipporah, @harrisonmir, @travelgirl, @nateaguila, @reseller, @wilhb81, @candycal, @carrieallen, @chrisroberts