The game of "life"
We played this most excellent game during the recent Church Camp which I attended.
It’s basically a simulation of life and its available choices. Each person starts with a small sum of cash & a "lifesheet" which contains all you need to know about the different things you may do (Education, jobs, pleasures, stock market, gambling, buy a house, go to church). It also keeps a record of all the things you have done & accumulated in “life”, which lasts for a total of 15 rounds, 8mins each.
The playing field is a big hall with the different stations (School, job market, pleasure market, stock market, gambling den, house dealer, church) situated in various locations within it. Also, hanging from the ceiling, is a large projector screen which shows the round time & displays the news in “life”, such as the stock market prices & various happenings.
We had some time before the first round began and so I carefully studied the “lifesheet” and meticulously drew out a detailed, minute by minute plan to the fastest & most efficient route to get a kick ass high paying job – which was to become a movie star.
My aim was to get that job in as quick a time as possible so that I could be rich & enjoy the rest of “life”, like marry a pretty wife, buy a sports car & go on a long holiday. So as the seconds ticked down for the preliminary round, I stood, along with all the 70 other campers in eager anticipation for the starting whistle, ready for an all out chiong.
Round 1
Never have I seen so many people so enthusiastic to rush to school! Well no surprise actually, considering there are only 30 slots available and without an education you can’t qualify for almost all jobs. Well, thank goodness I made it, or else my master plan would have been foiled from the start. Speaking about the master plan, I felt quite bad today, this poor girl came up to me and asked for a donation, said something about her house being struck by a tsunami or something like that. Unfortunately for her, the master plan requires me to utilize every single cent I have in order to progress lightning fast and so I had to turn her request down, but I promised her I would make it up to her once I became a Super Star.
9 tiring rounds later…
Round 2 - 9
I am so excited! I’ve almost fulfilled all the requirements needed to get my dream job! But I tell you It’s been no easy task. The master plan required me to squeeze every second out of each round and for the past 9 rounds I’ve been running non stop from school to work, from work to the church to get married, from the church to the house dealer to buy my condo, from there to the plastic surgeon I need to go to in order to change from looking like an armpit to Brad Pitt. In fact I’ve been so focused that I’ve not had time to enjoy any of the other aspects of “life” nor read the news displayed on that big screen.
If only I had seen what was being said in the news, then I might just have noticed the warning signs of a diabolical threat that about to turn my world upside down...
Round 10
I had finally achieved all that I wanted to in “life”! I filmed my first movie, bought a Ferrari F430, married a pretty stock broker, and treated that poor little girl from Round 1 to a holiday in Langkawi, she was so happy! And so am I! Can’t wait to film the sequel to my film in the next round. My wifes shares are expected to rocket next round too! Whoo hoo!
Round 11
Spirits were sky high as we waited for the signal to start the 11th round. And then everything went black. The lights in the hall went off and only 2 big words appeared on the big screen.
JUDGMENT DAY
A deep voice was heard over the microphone as the gamemaster spoke through it
“Christians on my right, the rest on my left”
OH SHUCKS! What a sneaky game! I was so caught up in all the rushing about I did not even realize that Christianity existed in this “life”. Stupid me, this is church camp after all.
As I see a small group of people gather on the gamemasters right, I also notice the much larger group of people sitting on my side – the side that’s going to downtown hell. Sitting next to me was my idol in this “life” who was this multibillionaire investor who had women flocking to him as though he was some Zara sale as he was giving away sports cars to them like free.
After the game came to a close & having shared a few laughs with my ‘idol in life’ over our pointless successes, a thought struck me. There I was, sitting on top of all the wealth I accumulated in the 10 Rounds of “life” but in the end eventually taking my seat on the wrong side of grace. If in this life, I really had the power to plan my life to “success” so well & choing after it with all my heart & strength, would I choose to do that and end up forgetting all about my relationship with God? This game made me remember that if I do solely go after all the pleasures that this world has to offer, I am going to end up falling from grace, and driving my F430 straight to downtown hell.
GG
posted by yado
It’s basically a simulation of life and its available choices. Each person starts with a small sum of cash & a "lifesheet" which contains all you need to know about the different things you may do (Education, jobs, pleasures, stock market, gambling, buy a house, go to church). It also keeps a record of all the things you have done & accumulated in “life”, which lasts for a total of 15 rounds, 8mins each.
The playing field is a big hall with the different stations (School, job market, pleasure market, stock market, gambling den, house dealer, church) situated in various locations within it. Also, hanging from the ceiling, is a large projector screen which shows the round time & displays the news in “life”, such as the stock market prices & various happenings.
We had some time before the first round began and so I carefully studied the “lifesheet” and meticulously drew out a detailed, minute by minute plan to the fastest & most efficient route to get a kick ass high paying job – which was to become a movie star.
My aim was to get that job in as quick a time as possible so that I could be rich & enjoy the rest of “life”, like marry a pretty wife, buy a sports car & go on a long holiday. So as the seconds ticked down for the preliminary round, I stood, along with all the 70 other campers in eager anticipation for the starting whistle, ready for an all out chiong.
Round 1
Never have I seen so many people so enthusiastic to rush to school! Well no surprise actually, considering there are only 30 slots available and without an education you can’t qualify for almost all jobs. Well, thank goodness I made it, or else my master plan would have been foiled from the start. Speaking about the master plan, I felt quite bad today, this poor girl came up to me and asked for a donation, said something about her house being struck by a tsunami or something like that. Unfortunately for her, the master plan requires me to utilize every single cent I have in order to progress lightning fast and so I had to turn her request down, but I promised her I would make it up to her once I became a Super Star.
9 tiring rounds later…
Round 2 - 9
I am so excited! I’ve almost fulfilled all the requirements needed to get my dream job! But I tell you It’s been no easy task. The master plan required me to squeeze every second out of each round and for the past 9 rounds I’ve been running non stop from school to work, from work to the church to get married, from the church to the house dealer to buy my condo, from there to the plastic surgeon I need to go to in order to change from looking like an armpit to Brad Pitt. In fact I’ve been so focused that I’ve not had time to enjoy any of the other aspects of “life” nor read the news displayed on that big screen.
If only I had seen what was being said in the news, then I might just have noticed the warning signs of a diabolical threat that about to turn my world upside down...
Round 10
I had finally achieved all that I wanted to in “life”! I filmed my first movie, bought a Ferrari F430, married a pretty stock broker, and treated that poor little girl from Round 1 to a holiday in Langkawi, she was so happy! And so am I! Can’t wait to film the sequel to my film in the next round. My wifes shares are expected to rocket next round too! Whoo hoo!
Round 11
Spirits were sky high as we waited for the signal to start the 11th round. And then everything went black. The lights in the hall went off and only 2 big words appeared on the big screen.
JUDGMENT DAY
A deep voice was heard over the microphone as the gamemaster spoke through it
“Christians on my right, the rest on my left”
OH SHUCKS! What a sneaky game! I was so caught up in all the rushing about I did not even realize that Christianity existed in this “life”. Stupid me, this is church camp after all.
As I see a small group of people gather on the gamemasters right, I also notice the much larger group of people sitting on my side – the side that’s going to downtown hell. Sitting next to me was my idol in this “life” who was this multibillionaire investor who had women flocking to him as though he was some Zara sale as he was giving away sports cars to them like free.
After the game came to a close & having shared a few laughs with my ‘idol in life’ over our pointless successes, a thought struck me. There I was, sitting on top of all the wealth I accumulated in the 10 Rounds of “life” but in the end eventually taking my seat on the wrong side of grace. If in this life, I really had the power to plan my life to “success” so well & choing after it with all my heart & strength, would I choose to do that and end up forgetting all about my relationship with God? This game made me remember that if I do solely go after all the pleasures that this world has to offer, I am going to end up falling from grace, and driving my F430 straight to downtown hell.
GG
