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A few decades ago the masses believed video games were a waste of time for lackadaisical youths to pacify themselves while ignoring their responsibilities as both kids and young adults. As more and more people started understanding the benefits of gaming so too did the perception of what a video game is and, most importantly, the benefits gaming can bestow on a person’s life changed.

Hi, my name is James Bullock and I am a gamer who has spent the better part of his existence testing the laws of physics, exploring the vastness of a world ruined, and been a champion inside various arenas courtesy of digitized worlds both driven by reality and created through pure unbelievable ingenuity unlike anything seen by human eyes. And as a gamer I’ve discovered something else video games provide: life lessons. Today I examine the prime examples of reaching excellence no matter the age from “Metal Gear Solid 3” & “MSG 4”.

 

Success Can Come at Any Age

People of advanced age get a bad rap almost everywhere but the medium of entertainment. Through various movies, TV shows and even musical albums, individuals who have lived longer than we could only hope to are championed; given a platform to show just how their lack of life left only adds a layer of depth one doesn’t usually encounter amongst their peers. Video games are no different as some of the most impressive heroes and villains are those who should be eating dinner before sunset and love putting plastic over their furniture. Instead, they try to conquer the world or save it – look no further than Solid Snake for an example of the latter.

The actions, triumphs and tragedies of Solid Snake have been heralded, celebrated and almost envied by many a gamer since the days of “Metal Gear”. But the face of “Metal Gear Solid” changed dramatically upon the announcement of the series’ fourth iteration. How? Solid Snake got really, really old. The once digital epitome of youthful masculinity (that didn’t involve doing cartwheels down a sewer while completely naked) had turned into a crusty geezer whose smoking habits made him sound like he needed a respirator every time he was in the heat of battle.

But Solid “Old” Snake didn’t age gracefully or even naturally. Nine years after the events of “Metal Gear Solid 2”, and suffering from the obvious effects of Werner Syndrome (a disease that gives off the appearance of premature aging) caused by the FOXDIE virus injected in him by his trusted doctor Naomi Hunter (though Hunter claimed he was aging naturally for a clone). The old man’s physical limitations didn’t stop him from being anything short of the Snake players knew and loved.
Throughout his final mission, Snake thrived and even destroyed a Metal Gear weapon piloted by his fellow fighting octogenarian Liquid Ocelot all the while managing his stress levels (players tempered Snake’s “psyche” by reading porn and smoking) and remote controlling a small robot that could stun enemies & provide reconnaissance information. If someone ever needed any proof that close quarters combat training, crawling through snow-covered fields, and dodging bullets to prevent a time paradox from occurring can improve a person’s health leading into your golden years, look no further than “Old” Snake and his glorious mustache.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from the same franchise was one-fifth of the Cobra Unit from “Metal Gear Solid 3” that featured a character who had seen over a century’s worth of battles play out; with some including him honing his craft as an expert sniper. Codenamed “The End”, this wheelchair-bound adversary of Naked Snake was almost in a vegetative state just patiently waiting for that one person who could urge him to pull out that sniper rifle one last time at the start of “MSG 3”.

A beautifully designed jungle that featured two screens worth of content (including hiding places) became the battlefield for “The Ancient Sniper” and his believed worthy foe he’d been waiting to potentially put him down. The cat & mouse war that plays out for the gamer is one of the greatest boss battles in gaming history and features a man so old he’s barely mobile outside of his favorite realm of existence. Characters like Solid Snake & The End are shining examples that age is just a number and even as a geriatric a person can save the world or overcome its intended savior.

 

Have you learned any major life lessons from playing the “Metal Gear Solid” franchise or any video game for that matter? Leave them in the comments below and, as always, thanks for reading.