I remember the day before I became the most powerful combat mercenary in Ancient Greece like it was yesterday. It was March 28 to be exact. On this day, I decided to download “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” for $15 on my Xbox One after seeing my friend Sam do the same. I figured that $15 was a safe investment given the potential benefits the game had to offer. 

One of the most enticing benefits was that the game provided a new world to explore and get lost in during these unprecedented times. To escape from reality and begin an epic journey far from the bounds of the everyday monotony of quarantine seemed like an easy decision to make for me. 

What started as a simple boredom killer soon began to consume my free time, and ultimately it began to consume me, as I found myself deeply engrossed in the intricate story of the Peloponnesian War. As I logged countless hours into the game, I started to think about it beyond the scope of a video game. With my new obsession, I began to think about the game in terms of life itself. In fact, I did manage to identify some parallels between “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” and some aspects of life as a whole. 

The first thing I learned about life in my odyssey playing as the main character Alexios was that decisions matter. In high school, I had a particularly memorable economics teacher and one of his classic sayings was that “you live and die with the decisions you make in life.” I found this to be profoundly true in the game, and it accurately reflects back to life as well. 

Typically, when it comes to video games, you don’t have as much freedom as you think. Sure, there are customizations and different items you can acquire, but “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” takes freedom to the next level. Not only can you decide what your character does at any given situation, but these decisions actually matter, as in, they have a lasting effect. Whether it’s deciding to kill your rogue Spartan father, selecting which horse to ride or even whether or not to stop the spread of a deadly disease that has plagued an island, your decisions do matter as they alter the course of the entire game. 

The beauty of  in-game decision making lies in the fact that every player will have a unique experience as their decisions provide a distinct combination of different outcomes. That’s also the beauty of decisions in life. Every decision we make, no matter how small or large defines who we are as an individual. We are constantly making decisions on the macro and micro level every single second of our lives, and these decisions guide our life into the direction that they are headed. 

If my life lesson about decisions has not successfully placed you on the path to enlightenment, perhaps my perspective on side quests within the game will help you reach nirvana. Side quests are objectives or missions within the game that you can complete that are not part of the main quests or story. In other words, these quests are often arbitrary tasks like fetching an ingredient for a doctor or rescuing a villager from a pack of wolves. These side quests tend to be quite mundane and can often feel like a drag. However, these side quests are needed to be completed as they help you level up to ensure you are fit and ready to tackle the main quests with success. 

Initially, I despised the side quests and would cringe at the fact that I was really spending part of my life virtually collecting rocks for a villager as part of a side quest. However, as the main story progressed, my perspective changed and grew more fond of the side quests. Instead of seeing these side quests as a chore, I saw them as an opportunity to try something new. 

These side quests often involve discovering an unknown region and meeting new characters within the game. I like to think of side quests as our hobbies and everyday distractions in life. Whether it’s school or a job, it is easy to get caught up in your work and put all of your attention towards it. However, it’s important to make time for other things like family, exercise, and entertainment. These areas of life may not directly align with work and our career goals, but they are absolutely necessary to maintain a healthy life and to stay on track.

Just like side quests, activities outside of school and work are opportunities to try new things and explore our passions. In fact, more often than not life’s “side quests” truly fulfill us as opposed to our careers. If anything can be learned from this video game, it’s that it is important to take your time and truly experience everything that the game has to offer. I think the same can be said about life.

At the end of the day, “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey” is just a game and I’m sure the creators did not intend it to be some sort of life analogy. Nevertheless, if you want to explore Ancient Greece and maybe even learn a thing or two about life, consider purchasing the $15 game (limited-time discount) and embarking on your own odyssey to see what adventure awaits you.