Find Your Quest! How Gamer Psychology Can Level Up Your Creativity

As music producers, we often face internal resistance. We face self-doubt and have to listen to the dreaded imposter syndrome.

Who invited him anyway?

This type of hesitation is something we will constantly face as creatives, we have to develop the skills and work ethic to overcome these types of problems.

+1 Creative Confidence!

I don’t know about you, but I’m somewhat of a gamer myself. I know Super Mario World like the back of my hand, and can definitely destroy you in Smash Bros.

Hadoken!

Gotta say it… I’m kind of a nerd. Though, I think I’ve struck a healthy balance.

I’d like to explore the mental framework of the “gamer” attitude and how it can level up your creative confidence within music production.

Researcher and game designer Jane McGonigal coined the term “Urgent Optimism”. Described as: extreme self-motivation, the desire to act immediately to tackle an obstacle. Coupled with the belief that we have reasonable hope for success.

“A game is an opportunity to focus our energy, with relentless optimism, at something we’re good at (or getting better at) and enjoy. In other words, gameplay is the direct emotional opposite of depression — Jane McGonigal”

How can you employ this concept of gameplay into your music production workflow?

Respawn Your Creativity

One of the most common mental hurdles for artists is perfectionism. We demonize mistakes, wallow in self-judgment and fear the confrontation of our limitations.

The aftermath of these internal battles is that we lose motivation. The truth is, you won’t always be motivated to make music.

You have to learn to accept the fact that you will make mistakes, create imperfections and fail. You’ll hit walls (hopefully not literally). Over and over again. It’s part of the creative process, and ultimately, being human. The silver lining is that there’s NOTHING WRONG with that, everybody experiences it.

What truly matters is your attitude and mindset around so-called “failure”.

A great example of harnessing this skill in video games is in the Dark Souls series. You might not have heard of it, but it’s a relatively modern game series known for its EXTREME difficulty.

I’m not kidding… I must of died thousands of times per installment.

In the face of its unforgiving difficulty, players are encouraged by the game to proceed with a strategy, caution, learn from past mistakes, or find alternative areas to explore.

The game forces you to accept that you will constantly FAIL. It trains you to embrace failure. It’s partly what made the franchise so popular.

Somehow, I managed to play through and complete every installment (maybe I’m just a Lil crazy). Talk about brutal perseverance.

In Dark Souls, you start out as a specific “class” or character type. You receive a head start in certain skills, and it’s the place to start your quest. This could parallel your current skill level, and the genres of music you are most familiar with.

Don’t worry if you’re just getting started in music production. There’s a “no class” option that starts you out naked with no weapon, skills or armor.

YES! The analogy still works! Haha, onwards.

As you progress through the games relentless resistance and constant challenges, you begin to think to yourself; what the @#$% am I doing? this game sucks. it’s too hard, it’s not fair!

Sound familiar? I know I’ve had all these thoughts while making music.

The silver lining in Dark Souls is that if you stay consistent in your attempts (and don’t throw your controller through the screen) you slowly start to progress further.

You start to understand the combat mechanics, the enemy patterns, you develop some strategy, and discover new areas in the game.

The beautiful thing, as with all RPGs, is that as you progress through the game and level up your character, you can decide what skills you want to strengthen. As you become more skillful you unlock new abilities, develop preferences and a unique fighting style.

This echoes the same transformative power of art. All the hard work you put into developing your craft and your skills will start to reveal your artistic character.

This becomes a feedback loop of growth. As you begin to discover the mechanics (creative flow) you jive with, and the weapons (tools) you prefer, you gain insight as to what new skills you need to refine.

In adopting new skill sets, you push your tools and creative workflow to higher levels. Which then leads to discovering new tools and more advanced techniques.

It’s in the process of solving problems that you grow, develop and learn. A full circle, destined for mastery.

Final Boss

In the real world, especially within creative endeavors, when we face challenges, puzzles and obstacles we often feel stressed and overwhelmed.

Funny how those problems, simply just don’t exist in the context of games.

In the gaming world, typically when we confront roadblock or opposition, we are eager to solve them! Whenever you fight a boss, you’re pumped to slap them silly.

It should be the same with creative adversaries!

Picture yourself as an RPG character. Regardless of where your current skills are, the more EXP you gain, the sharper your skills will become. The more you engage, the more you level up.

The key is that you play regularly.

The same goes for music production. It requires solutions that are completely dependent on your artistic opinion and creativity. These types of problems can make us anxious, depressed, frustrated and cynical. But, if you consistently show up you’ll sharpen your creative chops and inevitably level up.

What is it about games that remove our internal filters and let us think that we can achieve anything? Here are some insights from the virtual world of gaming:

You 2.0

“When you strip away the genre differences and the technological complexities, all games share four defining traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation. — Jane McGonigal”

1. Urgent optimism

The idea that you face a constant challenge but are excited and ambitious to try again. Sounds like this could be useful in the making of-ze-music, non?

You have to embody the child-like headspace in playing a game. Re-discover the joy of solving creative problems and the upbeat attitude to try again even if you lose a round.

2. Blissful Productivity

Multiple studies have shown that we are magnitudes happier when we’re engaged in purposeful work as opposed to having free time and relaxing.

You know you’ve felt ecstatic serenity in creating music, that’s probably why you’re here.

If you adopt the right mindset and workflow, you’ll always be fiending for the next creative session.

3. Epic Story

Superpowered, hopeful characters arise out of the gamer culture. How do we transform that and embody it in the real-world versus virtual ones?

How can you emerge as the hero of your own quest? Well, first and foremost, you need a quest.

In video games, there’s always a mission.

The narrative always has an immediate GOAL for you to complete, intelligently matched to your skill level. Even if it’s a side quest with the pure purpose of experimentation and play.

Along with consistent collaborative support from computer or online players, you're placed in a problem-solving environment. In this type of space, motivation is rarely an issue.

You must define a clear vision, a purpose behind your actions. You need to create a compelling narrative that immerses you into your craft.

This is the underlying “Why?” behind your music efforts.

4. Positive Feedback

How do video games keep players engaged? How can someone stay motivated for thousands of hours in one area of focus?

One of the greatest motivators in the world of video games is that it incorporates consistent positive feedback.

You’re constantly receiving cues that reinforce your accomplishments.

“+ 1UP, Level Complete, +913 EXP, New skill Unlocked!”

You need to establish a system that rewards your positive actions and reinforces good habits; A game plan that suits your goals and skill level.

Finally, I can’t overstate the power of a supportive community. Surrounding yourself with others who are on the same mission as you will accelerate your progress.

Kindred spirits that can share their knowledge and experience is invaluable.

Interested in learning more? Click here to download your Mindset Map and discover your next steps in your musical journey.

My name is Alexandre Joyal. I help music creators achieve success with their music by teaching them how to produce themselves and adopt a creative mindset.