GAMING ADVICE WITH PROFESSOR KNOW-IT-ALL: A HEALTHY MIND AND BODY EQUALS A MORE PRODUCTIVE GAME MAKER

Well, it looks like it’s that time of year again…where the grass suddenly turns an ugly reddish brown; there’s nothing on television other than all those boring political shows that you can’t stand with a burning passion with a political party that you didn’t even vote for, not to mention even like; you’re constantly sweating because of the constant heat, yet you’re supposedly inside an air conditioned house that you payed over fifty bucks to make it work; and everybody and their dog is constantly walking by in a tank-top and a muscle shirt while throwing all their plastic garbage on the middle of your lawn making you having to get up off from the couch and pick it up later. With all this “constant excitement” going on, you now know that the summertime is finally here! And I guess that means that you don’t have to technically listen to me because school’s technically out for the summer.

Well, don’t worry about that; you won’t be listening to me that much for this lesson, I’m afraid, as I’ve come prepared and brought along a special guest speaker to talk to you all today. Yeah – how do you like them apples?

Class, I want to introduce to you today’s special guest: You may or may not recognize her from some of the games that’s she’s recently started in, but give it up for the Wii Fit Trainer!



Wii Fit Trainer: Hi, everyone! It’s me, your favorite video game character in the whole wide world: The Wii Fit Trainer! How are you all doin’ today? Did you remember to take your supplement pills before coming to class today?

Professor Know-It-All: Wait a minute…you don’t look like the Wii Fit Trainer – what the hell is this? I payed good money to bring her here into class today and promises were made!

Wii Fit Trainer: But I am the real Wii Fit Trainer - don’t you recognize me? Or have you ever played any of my games?

Professor Know-It-All: …Whatever, close enough… Just teach these delinquents how to get in shape, or something…

Wii Fit Trainer: Awesome!

Professor Know-It-All: …

Wii Fit Trainer: Anyways… *slaps hands together* Yes, I am the real Wii Fit Trainer - and yes, I am here to get you all in nicely toned shape for not just the rest of the summer but for the rest of your lives in general. For you see, I look out at all of you in the crowd and I guarantee that almost eighty percent of you haven’t done a single squat press since you were in highschool. And the rest of you probably eat so poorly that your whole internal system is all out of whack. I can also predict that most of your next meals are mostly likely to involve something that was made that was shipped over from a factory in a box… And you wonder why this country is so fat?

…Anyways, you may be wondering to yourself that what does this have to do with making games? I mean, you’re not really doing anything other than sitting on a chair, or on one of those workout balls – which I really recommend you should use instead of using a chair – and just clicking a mouse while typing something down on a computer. I mean, it’s not like you have to get in shape for something like this, right?



Even though it may not seem like it, but beneficial exercise and healthy eating habits can go a long way in making you a better, more productive game maker. For that you see, although you may be sitting down and not expending a lot of physical energy doing what you’re doing, you’re also using up a lot of mental energy as well, especially during long periods of time. And those long periods can slowly lead into mental fatigue over time…even quicker if you also have a poor diet. I’m sure that you’ve all had moments where you work on something and you’re immediately drawn to whatever you’re doing but after around an hour or so you end up feeling very tired and often having to take a break. Well, that might be all fine and dandy and normal, but for some individuals that mental exhaustion can stay with them long after that…maybe even possibly until the end of day. We don’t want that.

And what about the possible effects of physical exhaustion? Sure, you’re not running a marathon, but constantly having to move the mouse or your hand over to draw something down can hurt your wrist after a while. And if you hurt your wrist, then you won’t be able to make anything for a while, and that would be a shame…

See? Having a healthy lifestyle and better eating habits can go a long way in determining your overall, long winding success when it comes to making games. Your main problem why you’re not as productive as you believe that you should may just come down to your overall health. And if you happen to improve that overall health even just by a bit, then maybe you might finish a couple of extra games or two.

So we’re going to look at a couple of suggestions on how to improve your overall mind and body so you can become a better game maker. A lot of these suggestions below are going to be pretty drastic for some of you depending on your current overall situation, but if you can start slow, and maybe consult your local physician first before attempting any of these changes, then it will all work out in the end.

#1 - Eat More Fruits, Vegetables And Nuts

One of the simplest and easier ways to start maintaining healthy eating habits is by simply cutting out any salty, refined snacky foods and replacing them with healthy, nutritious fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Most likely while you’re working on your games, you’re probably eating something in the meantime right next to you while you’re working on it…possibly some chips or something like a carbonated drink. That alone is probably one of the main reasons why your brain starts to turn into mush after around thirty minutes or so; you’re not getting the proper nutrients in your system. With fruit, such as apples, bananas, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapes, kiwis, pears, raspberries and strawberries you’re getting those essential nutrients that your body needs to make it through the day. You’ll feel way more refreshed after eating a piece of fruit verses eating a bag of chips. Same with vegetables, like eating raw carrots or celery, they’ll provide you with that nice crunch that’s like eating a chip but provides your body with fiber and can lowers cholesterol levels. Nuts too, like cashews, pistachios, almonds and walnuts are also good to eat and provide you with the necessary proteins that your body needs.

Sure, those chips on the counter may look good on the outside of the box and may taste good on the inside, but you’ll be surprised just how great you’ll feel after eating a part of nature’s candy.

#2 - Drink More Water

Of course, just like with switching out snacky foods for more healthier alternatives, the other healthier alternative would be to drink cool, refreshing water instead of beverage like soda or energy drinks. Not only do they rot your teeth, but they can be also terribly addicting and really pack on the pounds rather quick. And of course, with all those extra pounds on you, game making is going to get a lot more tougher for you to do.

The good news is that there’s a cheaper, healthier alternative that’s just literally just an arm’s length from you and that is…water. Good old, reliable water.

Now depending on where you live, you’ll probably need a filtering system since some places in the world drinking ordinary tap water isn’t the best idea in the world because it’s full of dangerous materials that could do more harm than it can be good. With a filtering system that you can buy pretty much anywhere, you’ll have no problems when it comes to drinking water from a tap. It might be a little expensive at first, but imagine all the money you’re going to be saving in the long run by not having to buy all those fizzy drinks, so in the end it’s pretty worth it. Of course, you could always buy just bottled water if you prefer that to a filter. Just make sure you have plenty in the fridge for when the time is needed. And make sure that you stock up on bottled water the moment that you start to run low.

#3 - Go For A Walk

Walking is one of the best and seemingly easiest exercises in the world to do. Not only can everybody do it, regards of age and shape, but it’s also is a nice, adjustable starting exercise for those looking to slowly get into it. It also gives you some much needed sun which improves your overall skin complexion but it also clears your thinking due to the fresh air and gets you away from all the clutter at home.

You may think that something like walking might not assist you in the game making process, but, trust me, it can be a great benefactor on so many different levels: For starters, if you’re stuck on a particular part and you just can’t figure out what to do next, then that’s where walking comes in. By walking for a little while, you’ll generally focus your mind on something entirely different which will give you better clarity and allow you to focus a bit more on possibly how to solve your problem. It’s really quite something when inspiration suddenly hits you after getting some nice clean, fresh air. And since you’ve been away for a while from your computer screen, you’ll suddenly come back to it with a renewed sense of energy, ready to work for another hour or two.

Another great benefit for going for a walk is if you have an MP3 player with you or something that plays music to listen to while you’re walking. If you’re in the middle of music testing, or testing the sound frequency of your files, or even just trying to find any particular songs that might work alongside your game if you don’t have a custom musician at hand, then walking will definitely help. It will give you some much needed time to yourself to listen to some music before you come back. And by walking and having a clearer head about things, you could probably even decide on the fly what a particular song might be more suited to be used for. Of course, I know that you can just listen to music while you’re working on your games at home – but wouldn’t you rather get some much needed exercise in the meantime as well while taking a small break?

#4 - Take A Short Nap

Another great way to recharge your mind and body - and it even helps you lose a bit of weight in the process – is by taking a necessary 1 to 2 hour power nap sometime during the middle of the day. Not only does this help your brain functionality recharge itself and it deeply relaxes you, it can also help prevent you from constant snacking as a nap will take your mind off eating anything for a while until you wake up. This is also great for people who have been working on their projects like a dog for the last couple of hours or is currently undertaking a very frustrating issue that requires deep concentration that the nap helps them relax and wake up fresh ready to tackle seemingly any problem that they’ll encounter, so it works two folds - and who knows!? Maybe your short nap might lead you to dream about something that you can possibly use in your current game or a future project idea, so it’s a major win-win.

#5 - Do Some Quick, Short 15 Minute Exercises

When you’ve worked on your project or whatever you have to do in the meantime and you need to take a short break to keep off mind off everything that you’re currently doing, instead of eating a big bowl of potato chips, or something of that accord – why do a couple of quick, fifteen minute exercises instead? You can start by doing some light stretches, such as working on your shoulders, your neck and your hips. Don’t strain yourself too much, as you just want to do it for just around a minute or so each exercise before moving on to the next. After you finish stretching – why not lift some small weights? If you don’t have any small weights available at your place, you should just find something heavy to lift in the house that should also suffice, as long as you can pick it up. You should try to do some bicep curls, shoulder presses and some lateral raises with the weights. You don’t have to overdo it, but if you can try to do as many as you can within the fifteen minutes, then you’re pretty much set for the entire day. If you can manage to do this in multiple interludes throughout the day, then that’s an added bonus.

You may think that this is all silly and won’t amount to anything, but working on those shoulders and arms will strengthen your wrist area and the stretching will really help your back and help out your posture. You’ll be surprised just how much of a difference it will make in your ability to make games for a longer period the more that you keep up with it - and who knows!? Maybe you’ll get some much needed muscle and tone in those shaggy shoulders and arms of yours if you keep at it long enough.

#6 - Play A Sport

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of going outside in the nice, summer weather and kicking the ball around an a open field and getting a nice sweat in. Playing a sport, either by yourself, or with a group of buddies or even joining a recreational league can do wonders for your mind, body and your overall self-esteem. It has so many benefits that I highly recommend that you all should do something if given the chance to do it. Even if you’re not really good at said sport, then there’s nothing wrong with trying and practicing to be even better at it! Don’t worry if you think that you might look foolish and people are staring at you or you miss a shot quite badly in front of everybody – the purpose here is to have fun and get fit! So don’t worry about those people - they don’t know what they’re missing!

If you’re by yourself, some of the best and cheapest ways to go outside and play are things like soccer, basketball, and even swimming if you can find an outdoor pool or you have one of your own. Soccer is fantastic, because there are literally fields almost seemingly everywhere! You can practice taking shots at the net, work on your dribbling skills, or even run up and down the field and see long you can last before you can get tired and need to stop for a break. If you have a friend along, you can even take turns taking penalty kicks and switch positions every five shots and see who the winner is. It’s fantastic!

Basketball is another great individual sport to play by yourself, too. All you really need is just a ball and bring along a towel and some water to dehydrate yourself in case you get thirsty. You can practice your dribbling skills or work on your shooting techniques to get better at it. And again, don’t worry so much about how you look or how you play if other people are walking by and watching you; just have fun and remember that you’re doing this to get fit! And, of course, if other people wanna join in and take shots with you, then the more the merrier.

Swimming is also great, because your weight and age really doesn’t play that much of a factor into your performance at doing it as anybody can swim and perform rather freely. You can just swim around by yourself and muck around, or you can even do laps or dive off the diving boards if they’re some there for you to do. If you can manage to swim around for around an hour or two, you can definitely feel it in your shoulders the next day. Just remember not to overdo it too much with too activity and give yourself ample time to rest and recover. But if you’re quite active enough, it will help keep your mind focused on other things besides game making that will lead you to work on your projects even harder and longer when you decide to return to work on them.

#7 - Play Some Exercise Related / Puzzle Games

Well, if you’re not the most physically active person or you have a medical condition or something else that’s getting in the way of any major exercise routine, perhaps you can engage in yourself in some active video games instead? Games like Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolution are great ways to still feel like you’re playing a video game at the same time but you’re actually moving around and getting some much needed movement in! These games are fun while the exercises aren’t too rigorous and are perfect for seemingly anybody. You can also challenge your mind and give it a break by playing some more puzzle games, like Brain Age, Tetris and even Dr. Mario! These games require you to think and think fast on your feet, as it’s perfect for your reflexes and gives you enough of a break off working on your own games. I highly recommend that you all have at least one of these types of games that you frequently visit every once and a while to keep yourself sharp.

#8 - Do Some Housework

Not the most practical, I know, but doing housework around the house, like cutting the lawn, sweeping the sidewalk, vacuuming, dusting the house, cleaning the windows, doing laundry / etc. can also help in being a determinant in losing weight and giving your game making brain a much needed break. It can also give you some extra brownie points with your roommate / significant other / parents and it makes you feel like you really accomplished something in the day. You may not get the biggest sweat out of doing all this, but depending on the type of chore can provide you with some much needed exercise that can definitely be beneficial, especially if it involves doing anything like outside yard work, as all that bending down and getting up constantly can really work out a sweat.

So class…I know that all of you guys are just truly gamers at heart and believe that all of this nonsense about trying to get into shape for the summer business is just a bunch of hoo-ha and really doesn’t mean that much to you at all, but you can be surprised with what a little healthy eating and some minor adjustments to your lifestyle can do for you in the long run. Not only will you look a lot better, but you’ll also feel a lot better too, and that effect will trickle down into your game making drive as well. You have to remember that although game making may not involve a lot of physicality to what you’re doing, it can be major a mental drain to you over the long haul. You always want to be at the top of your game, both physically and mentally, so if you can manage to work on your health a little bit more it can definitely give you the edge when it comes to pumping out amazing, top quality work. In some ways, game making and sports do actually go hand-in-hand in a lot of sense, just like everything else in life. If you work hard at something both physically and mentally, you can achieve a lot more than the average person can. All it takes is just one step out the front door and the rest will follow suite – right, Professor?

Professor Know-It-All: *in the middle of peeling an orange* W-Wha? Oh yeah, yeah, right, whatever, eat right and exercise regularly, got it…

Wii Fit Trainer: Are you eating an orange? *slaps hands* Oh, I’m so proud of you! An orange is one of the healthy fruits to eat and it’s so full of delicious vitamin C.

Professor Know-It-All: Actually…this is the Dean’s orange. My lunch got stolen by the gym teacher in the lunchroom when I first came in today, so…yeah.

Wii Fit Trainer: Oh… Well, at least you’re eating healthy, I guess...

Professor Know-It-All: …

Wii Fit Trainer: ...Anyways, class – I am outta here! Remember what I told you and remember to keep being fit! I wish you all the success in both your health and your individual game making careers. Maybe one day you’ll help the design the next Wii Fit game? Ha, ha, ha… Bye now! *waves and leaves*

Professor Know-It-All: Yeah…bye! Thanks for showing up and helping me out…

Professor Know-It-All: …