Written by Bryce Christiansen
The movie Wreck–It Ralph is about Ralph a ‘bad guy’ and his journey of self–discovery who is in search of happiness. Here are some Wreck–It Ralph’s inspirational tips to restart the game of life.
Mistakes are a part of the game
The character Vanellope happens to be a ‘glitch’ in her game. As such, she’s treated poorly by the other characters. They break her belongings, shun her from competing, and leave her homeless. She understandably feels like her whole life is one big mistake. But after every mistake comes the lesson. And Vanellope sure delivers on that promise as the movie develops. Mistakes are just as common in our game of life. But the question is, do you learn and improve from them, or do you get frustrated and rage quit?
The game jump
In the Wreck–It Ralph world, characters don’t move from one game to another. It’s unheard of and only ‘evil’ has come from anyone who has jumped games in the past. But sometimes it takes a change in pace or environment to discover your passions and what you really want from life. We game jump by changing out with different sets of friends. The transition isn’t always smooth, but you almost always come away feeling good about your decision. The game jump may look scary, but the rewards can be priceless.
Every role is important
In the game world, villains are taken for granted. The ‘good guys’ are celebrated, appreciated, and held on a pedestal, while the villains slunk off to their shabby homes every night. But it’s funny how quickly the perspective changes once you take the villain out of the game. The children show up to play and now there’s nothing for them ‘to fix’ actually was, and they’ll do anything to get him back. You might not feel your role in life is important … neither did George Bailey. Even small impacts leave large ripples. You never know who is depending on you despite the lack of appreciation and support.
Don’t chase shiny medals
Ralph wanted respect and appreciation from his peers. He thought maybe other people would treat him as an equal if he had a medal like Felix. So he goes off looking for one. Do you think getting a medal solves his problems? Not really. But we do the same thing. We think if only I get that raise, promotion, or new job … then life will be better. We hang onto the hope of a new future for ourselves, only realising once we arrive there, we still have the same problems. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs makes it pretty clear. Shiny medals don’t get you the needs at the top of your pyramid; things like friends, family, your full potential. Those things come from character, your heart, your personality. Shiny medals will make you feel special for a moment, but the kind of person you are will make you feel special for a lifetime.
You are more than a job
The characters in the movie have a hard time recognising they’re more than two dimensional programming. Ralph has several opportunities to make a difference, but he constantly remarks, “All I’m good at doing is wrecking stuff.” What do you expect when all people tell him is , “You’re just bad guy who wrecks the building?” He eventually finds that’s not the case, but we often do the same things. We introduce ourselves to new people by our careers. “I’m a carpenter, a banker, a receptionist.” Like that’s what makes us who we are. But unlike the characters in the movie, we are three dimensional. We have talents, personalities and dozens of other traits that make us unique and remarkable. Resetting the game of life might mean new career path or lifestyle, but it doesn’t change who you are. Like Zangief says, “Ralph you may be a bad guy … but that doesn’t make you a bad guy.”
