RPG Growth Systems and a View of the Future

Some time ago I spent a lot of time thinking about what makes a person attractive and what my own future should look like. As a way to look at the future more objectively, I once tried borrowing the growth systems used in RPGs. It may be an extreme analogy, but I felt it gave me a different angle for analysis.

The basic idea is to think about your future self the same way you would think about raising a character in an RPG. First I will touch on RPG growth systems, and then I will write about using that idea for self-reflection. What I am saying is actually very ordinary.

RPG growth systems

Many RPGs have a system where, when you level up, you receive a certain number of points and allocate them to whichever parameters you want to grow. The initial values differ depending on the class or starting character you choose, but the total number of points gained from leveling is the same, and the player decides how to distribute them.

The individuality of a character is determined largely by two elements.

Initial abilities (class and similar factors) and their growth tendencies + how you distribute points

This type of growth system is very common in online games. So what kinds of characters were actually valued?

1. Extreme specialization

This type puts all points into a single strength. For example, if the character is a mage, all points go into magic power and MP. Everything outside that specialty turns into junk, but the character is surprisingly valuable because they inspire overwhelming trust in that one area. This style is generally for advanced players, because the user has to compensate for the weaknesses with skill.

2. A hill-shaped build centered on strengths

This type allocates most points around the main strengths while still putting some into other necessary parameters. It focuses and concentrates on the main strengths while covering weaknesses to some extent, resulting in a character that is easy to use. In RPGs, this is probably the style most players aim for.

3. A balanced build

This type spreads points evenly across the board, or uses them to flatten out weaknesses and make all abilities roughly even. At first glance it looks versatile, but in reality it often becomes a mediocre character who cannot do anything especially well. In RPGs this is the kind of build beginners often make, and it is usually the worst possible way to build a character.

Replacing this with human life

The key is the following formula.

Initial abilities (class and similar factors) and their growth tendencies + how you distribute points

Initial abilities and corresponding growth tendencies

If you map this to human beings, I think initial abilities, meaning your basic type as a person, are probably set by the late teens to early twenties. By that stage, personality, strengths, and weaknesses are already fairly established. After that point, it is very difficult to become a completely different type of person. It may not be impossible, but it takes enormous effort. It is like a job change or class change. In that sense, the Dragon Quest III class-change system, where you return to level 1 after changing jobs, feels surprisingly well designed.

What I really want to say is that by the time you decide to change yourself, your initial abilities are already in place, so the only way to change your direction of growth is by changing how you allocate your points.

How to allocate your time when thinking about your future

Time is finite. The more categories you allocate it to, the broader and shallower you become. The fewer categories you choose, the narrower and deeper you go. There is no universally correct way to distribute it, but everyone probably has some image of the future they want.

If, when you imagine your future, you want to develop abilities that truly stand out, then you need to prioritize, allocate your time accordingly, and cultivate those abilities to achieve that goal. In the worst case, that also means being willing to abandon other categories.

Which growth style am I using right now?

Above, I listed the common RPG growth styles and how useful they are. But if the goal is to live well in human society, I think style 3 is actually the best. Even so, I am currently aiming for pattern 2. Last year I was acting entirely according to pattern 2, but lately I have started to think that something closer to a 2 leaning toward 3 may be better, so I am adjusting course.