Angry Birds provides life lessons and comfort to the author. Some lessons include: practicing skills pays off but random things work too in life; can't be too aggressive or complacent in achieving goals; and focusing on your own problems rather than competing with others. The game's patterns remind the author that both good and bad will happen in life, so you don't get as angry. This wisdom leads the author to conclude that being an "adulescent" - neither adult nor adolescent - is best so they don't feel guilty about their game addiction.

1. Angry Birds make me happy
I returned to blogging after a long hiatus – and it turns out that not writing for so
long has made me want to write about everything now - as you can see from the
topic of this post…Angry Birds are the current inspiration.
And inspirational they are – can’t be fooled by cutesy AB shaped candy, cakes
and t-shirts catering to kids (and apparently 30,000 other licensed goodies) – the
birds are a hit with adulescents (I’m showing off a new phrase I recently learnt.
It’s what they’re using to indicate you and me now – to shame us homies for
getting older but wanting to remain younger).
As a mature adulescent, I’m taking matters in my own hands and unboxing
deeper reasons for my affinity (addiction) for the game. As an adolescent, I
could’ve just gotten away with being addicted to it…
Anywho, without trailing off…these red projectile birds make wonderful things
happen. Here are a few reasons why I enjoy Angry Birds exclusively and no other
game measures up:
It reminds me of real life and the small lessons that make living it easier:
a. Sometimes, a very practiced shot works – making practice and focus, the
most repeatable ways to succeed.
b. Sometimes, random shit works – this is probably truer for my life. This is not
repeatable, but always welcome. And basically, life-long association of chance
and hard-work transcends life and games.
c. Can’t get too aggressive or the shot skips the target altogether. Can’t get too
complacent or you fall short – don’t try too hard/ don’t be complacent…you
get the picture.
And, I like that Angry Birds don’t play against other birds, they play against their
own enemy – the pig. That’s how life should be – not fighting with pigs
(sometimes that too), but fighting our own battles instead of winning a race. FB
can make you forget that, but AB can remind you of this. Score for AB.
These rules work for me. True for the game, true for life. Only, humans can’t hurl
themselves at their problems (although, if you’ve read news lately, that’s not far
from being the new normal). But we can Play Angry Birds. Treat it like virtual
SpeedBall. Smashing into a pig with a disgruntled expression is oddly comforting
And be reminded of the patterns of life. Patterns make everything simpler; they
teach you to expect good stuff and the bad stuff. And when you learn to expect
both, you don’t get that angry anymore.
Adults are not supposed to have time for computer games. Therefore, all this
wisdom from a game makes me conclude that adulescence is better than being
an adult or an adolescent. I don’t need to be guilty for this addiction now. Long
live adulescence.
Je refuse d’etre adulte.