Risk Is A Part Of Life

I come from a family that had a keen interest in board games. Not every family does- but growing up my parents always had a stack of games in the closet at the end of the hall that would get pulled out on rainy summer days, school cancellations, Friday nights or Sunday afternoons.

One of those games has actually taught me something about life. Parker Brothers board game Risk is a turn-based strategy game whose objective is to occupy the entire world and eliminate all of your opponents. The board is composed of a map of the world sprawled across it, with major continents highlighted and each of those subdivided into territories. The play pieces vary depending on what year you bought the game, but the guys that have been playing for awhile will certainly recall the colored triangular pieces, some 200 of them in each of six colors- one to a player. Newer versions include tiny little soldiers, horsemen and cannons- but the underlying game is exactly the same.

I started playing Risk around 12 or 13 years of age and I remember my first game as vividly – as if it were yesterday. We played at my grandparent’s home on a Sunday afternoon, and my opponents were my older uncles (who were teaching me) with a couple of their friends. One contributor to success in Risk is luck with the dice. That day, I was sitting on Lady Luck’s lap. At first, I was the uncontested newbie who was more observing the game than participating. The dice were on my side however, and as each opponent fell, my uncles helped me steer my armies through continent after continent- until the last army fell and I won the very first game of Risk I ever played.

Now to those of you who are saying ‘Yeah, he was playing his uncles- they gave the kid a break’, then you don’t know my family. Exercising mercy at board games is not one of their strong suits. Moreover, losing is something that none of the members of my family are very good at, despite the occasional opportunity to practice it. I was not given that game- I won that game. Yes, the dice may have lucked me into it and the mentoring by my uncles was required for success- but I won it. Perhaps that is why I ended up playing Risk regularly from then on and still have opportunity to square up against a worthy opponent now and then to hone my conquest skills- or work on my argumentative, accusatory insult-throwing skills.

Having said all of this, there are a few parallels to life that Parker Brothers have, knowingly or not, tapped into with this fine game that has stood the test of time.

- Luck plays a role, but strategy wins the game.
You may be good with dice, but if your plan of attack isn’t clear and well thought out, not even the best numbers can help you. Think of your strategy- but only let luck help you along when it is so inclined.

- If you don’t watch the big picture you can end up somewhere you don’t want to be.
You only have to ‘attack yourself into a corner’ in Risk once to know what ‘attacking yourself into a corner’ means. If your attacking army is nowhere near the enemy and you are surrounded by only your own familiarity- not even the biggest army will help. Keep your attacking army at the forefront- and learn to get away from your comfort zone.

- The other guy’s weakness can sometimes be your opportunity for success.
I have won games that I shouldn’t have only because I recognized the other guy’s weakness and honed in on it. There was nothing superior about my strategy- only the fact that I recognized the flaws in his.

- Sometimes your objective requires you wait patiently for awhile.
Occasionally you’ll have a plan for your game that takes time to amass an army, position the pieces and wait for all the stars to align. That time can be precarious as you watch your opponents play out their turns while you wonder if they will do something that will change everything. But, if everything comes together- the elation felt is what makes the game so fun.

- Losing gracefully is an art. It loses you the game, but it wins you respect.
While I’d like to same I have a perfect win ratio- I can’t. I’ve played a lot and lost a lot. What I have found, however, is that once I am out of the game- helping the remaining players to try and win makes me feel better. If they win, then in some small way, so do I. It isn’t the same sweetness as victory, but the affect it has on your integrity can last a lifetime.

- There are decisions in life that require guts- decisions that require you take a leap without the assurance of success.
Sometimes you have to plan your attack without knowing if it will win you the game. Sometimes you may even know that if your plan fails you could lose everything. When your mettle is tested, step up to it. Win or lose, you show your courage to put it all on the line.

- Just when you are about to give up hope- everything can change and victory can surprise you.
I once played a game where I only had two or three territories left and only my stubborn unwillingness to concede kept me rolling dice. In a never-again repeated succession of flawless rolls- the table watched as I came back from those few territories and won the game- against all logic. Never give up- you just don’t know when the tides will turn.

- Plastic game pieces are much like buckshot when thrown with enough vigor.
Okay, I didn’t really learn this, but I sure as hell thought about it a few times.

I love what Risk has taught me about life- and once in a while I learn something else from the game experience. Like many of you, I’ve been presented with some tough decisions in life and have had some sleepless nights struggling with what to do. But risk is a part of life- at least a part of a healthy one. I can’t imagine where I would be today if I hadn’t taken some risks and took a few leaps of faith.

“Sometimes the greatest risk in life is not taking any.” – Unknown



 
 
 

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Tags: Dedication, Risk