Life Lessons from Agar.io

My son and daughter started playing this game called Agar.io. It was a game that they discovered while watching some YouTube videos. It caught my attention when I heard both of them yelling while trying to get away from these huge circles and I got interested. So what is this game?

From the information I got online, it was a game developed by Matheus Valadares in April 2015 and the name originated from the word agar, which is a substance that is used to culture bacteria. The game is really very simple if you think about it. You start out as a small cell (circle) in a map (petri dish) and your goal is to swallow as many smaller cells (circles) as you can. While doing that, you have to avoid getting swallowed by bigger cells as well. Sounds simple, right? Think again. The map is full of humongous cell swallowing masses and sometimes you get eaten in seconds. And even if you get bigger, there are viruses around that can pop you into bits and other huge cells can feast on you

The MAP (Petri Dish) in Agar.io

True that this is just a game but the more I played, the more I realized how much life lessons you can get from this and here are mine;

• You (always) start small. No matter which path you take or whatever you do, you always start small and build up from there. 
• Take your time. Sure there are a lot of big people (cells) out there, but take your time. Do not be in a rush. Feed on as many pellets as you can, the same way you feed yourself with as much knowledge and experience for you to hone your craft.
• You may be small but know your skills and use them to your advantage. Small cells are the fastest. So you can swerve and get away from those big bullies quickly. Plus you can hide under the viruses because you can't be popped into itty bitty pieces.  
• There will always be bigger people than you. There are so many times when I thought I was big enough and then I run into someone who would just eat me whole in the game. Always be in the lookout and prepare to escape. 
• Work with someone. When I was building my mass, there was this one little cell that I decided not to eat. This little cell would eat more pellets in order to grow and would split in half so I could eat half of his mass. I also feed him in return. This cycle continued for sometime...until some huge cell ate both of us. 
• Even if you are number one in the leader board, do not be complacent. There are viruses around you that can pop you any time. This is also true in real life. If you are on top, it doesn't mean you stop working hard. You will eventually fall behind if you do. 
• When someone knocks you down, get back up. Don't dwell. Just move on. 
• Ultimately, you control your fate. You decide where to go, who to target and who you work with. It's not anyone's decision but yours. 

Have you tried playing this game?