Work, Play, and the Pause Between

What Mindful Gaming Can Teach Us About Surviving the Workday

It’s often said that work and play belong to separate worlds. The boundary is clear: work is an obligation, while gaming is an escape. One depletes; the other restores. That’s the story I grew up believing…well into adulthood.

But if I’m honest with myself and my own habits, the divide isn’t as black and white as I once thought. Consider the focus you bring to a challenging boss fight or the patience you practice in a cozy simulation. Those very skills can shape how you perform at work. When approached mindfully, gaming has a great deal to teach us about the workplace.

“The line’s only as real as we make it.”

The Same Skills in Different Worlds

At their core, both games and work are systems of challenge and response. We face objectives, limited resources, and unexpected roadblocks that often require coordination with others. The difference is that in games, challenges are usually welcomed. At work, they’re more often avoided.

Mindfulness..the practice of being present and noticing without immediately reacting, creates a bridge between the two worlds. In gaming, this might mean pausing to breathe after a tough loss. At work, it could mean acknowledging tension in my chest before walking into a difficult meeting. In both cases, awareness changes the way I show up.

Strategies from the Field

Here’s a few places I’ve noticed gaming practices start to trickle into my work life:

1. Animal Crossing and the Rhythm of the Day

When I first got into Animal Crossing, I remember kid me being frustrated that I couldn’t “finish” everything in one go. Trees take time to grow. Shops close way too early(just like real life haha!). Certain events only happen on certain days. At first it felt(and was…) limiting. But ya know? My stubborn $&& realized it was actually a reminder: not everything has to be rushed.

At work, I have that same impulse to cram everything into a single day, to sprint through tasks until I’m drained to look good to the bosses. Remembering the slower rhythm of Animal Crossing helps to see breaks not as weakness, but as part of the bigger picture. Sustainability(callback 😆) is a skill…and it starts with pacing.

“…woof”

2. It Takes Two: Co-op or Bust

Playing It Takes Two was one of the most obvious lessons in teamwork I’ve ever had. It was made for collaboration. You can’t do anything without a partner. More importantly, success is not contingent on one person carrying the other. It’s about listening, timing, and working in sync.

At work, I’ve noticed how often I fall into a trap of trying to “just get it done myself.” I am a one man department so it’s incredibly easy to think it’s all on me. In many ways it is. However…

In reality, most projects are closer to an It Takes Two collab than a solo run. Progress depends on leaning into interdependence, trusting others, and actually communicating. When I try to remember that, meetings feel less like chores and more like co-op strategy sessions.

Progress really starts when start playing together

3. The Boss Fight Mentality - w/Elden Ring

On my first play-through of Elden Ring, I like most of us died..a LOT. Each attempt felt demoralizing and brutal. But over time, you learn. You start noticing the patterns, adjusting your gear, summoning(yes I summoned 🤣) help when needed. The eventual win didn’t often come from brute force. Instead it came from patience, persistence, and a willingness to learn. Knowing that I outsmarted some dumbass boss brought a sense of satisfaction to the caveman brain in me.

Work has its own Malenias, Radahns, or whatever boss gave you grief. They take the form of deadlines, high-stakes presentations and negotiations. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I like to back to those boss fights as silly as it sounds. I remind myself that one failure isn’t the end. It’s just part of learning the strategy; “downloading the DLC” as they say.

It may take two dozen tries..but I will learn!

4. Grinding vs. Flow

I’ve willingly lost many nights grinding for XP in games, and I’ve also lost my share of grinding on busywork either at my desk or inside my head working out a self perceived future. The two..feel eerily similar. The difference is that in gaming, I know when I’m grinding. At work, I will trick myself into believing it’s me being all professional and productive.

Mindfulness is a checkpoint I’ve sorely needed. It’s not foolproof yet but my therapist has encouraged me to stop and ask: “Am I grinding, or am I feelin the flow?” That answer can completely change how I spend my time.

How I Try to Apply This at Work

I’m not interested in gamifying my calendar or turning my to-do list into a quest log. What I aminterested in is carrying over the things I already know from games into the way I work. Here are a few small practices I’ve tried:

• Set your own checkpoints. After finishing a task, pause like you’ve hit a save point. Acknowledge the progress(like saving your game 🤓) before truckin ahead.

• Notice the tilt. Frustration compounds with mistakes. Notice it, name it and step away.

• Celebrate progress. As gamers, we don’t wait until the end to cheer. We celebrate along the way. I’m trying to learn to do that at work too.

“Every desk can be a save point if you choose to pause.”

When Work Becomes the Game

The point isn’t to trivialize work or reduce it to a gimmick. It’s to shift how we relate to it. If games teach us anything, it’s that challenge can be meaningful..maybe even enjoyable when approached with presence.

Today, I decided to log into my workday the way I would into a game I love: curious about the quests that might appear, ready to collaborate, and open to learning from the inevitable setbacks. Instead of grinding mindlessly, I opted to treat awareness itself as the XP bar.

I enjoyed this shift so much that I’m posting much later than intended today 🫣.

Maybe after the holiday next week (if you’re in the U.S., anyway), when you sit down at your desk, you won’t just think, “Here we go again.” Try a different perspective: it’s a new day, a new run.

Let’s see what happens today 😁

👉 Question Time: What’s one lesson you’ve learned from gaming that’s changed how you approach your job?

Image Credits - Unsplash and Substack