About NewGame+

Gamers probably know the principle: New Game Plus. And even noobies will understand the meaning if they think of the start screen of any video game. 'New Game' starts a new game, 'New Game Plus' therefore starts a new game plus. An extra game, a game bigger than the actual game.

In reality New Game Plus is in many cases simply the option to play the original game again, only in a different way. Sometimes you can take your unlocked skills and equipment with you, sometimes you can change the game parameters. But basically we experience the same game again. Based on this, I wondered whether it wouldn't be an exciting idea to have a New Game Plus option not in the game, but in real life. Kind of like a reset reincarnation.

My reasoning was that I had imagined reliving my school days, but with the knowledge I had today. Although, that's not quite true. In fact, this crappy, 14-year-old commercial for the glasses company Fielmann keeps popping up in my head, with the question that is far too philosophical for such a trivial product: "If you could live your life over again, would you do everything exactly the same?", to which the wise old man replies: "Not quite - I'd buy my glasses from Fielmann from the start." 1:0 for the advertising agency.

Back to the scenario. I guess that I'd be a much better teenager today than I was back then. More successful? Maybe. More popular? Not necessarily. Knowledge alone doesn't change the circumstances, it just changes the way you deal with them. And then comes the question of what I would do differently: Where would I take a different turn? Where would I make different decisions? Basically, I wouldn't relive my life, but another one.

The next problem would be the constant comparing. Because one of the biggest lessons I've learned in my past 31 years is that comparing yourself to others never leads to anything. Of course, you can always keep in mind how much better off you are compared to a Chinese forced laborer, for example. But this perspective is so far removed from my own perception that I could just as easily compare myself to a life form on another planet.

In my opinion, the only meaningful comparison is the comparison with oneself - with one's past self and answering the question: am I better today, am I someone better today, a better person than I was? The view should therefore be retrospective per se, because we don't know the future. In my second life, on the other hand, I would probably constantly think about what I did differently in my first 'playthrough'. I would certainly make wiser decisions more often, but this constant feeling of déjà vu, the constant questioning of how I did it the first time, would certainly be grueling in the long run.

Besides, I probably wouldn't be able to enjoy my childhood as much as I did the first time. Because on the one hand, I already know what I can look forward to - and on the other, how far away it is. What an ordeal it was when I was underage, squinting at the 18-rated titles on the video game shelf and wishing I was finally of age. And then again, there wouldn't be any surprise left since I know what the games are like and how much better they will be in the future. Or the dreadful animations on TV ... I would probably have to give up gaming and media in general as a hobby. Conversely, I would propably escape a young lovers first heartbreak.

The more I think about it, the more absurd I find the idea. Admittedly, the thought of a 'second' chance is tempting, as you learn how precious your own time is with every year you gain. Because I have also learned that there is nothing more tragic than the realization of one's own mortality. All of a sudden, every moment gains importance, value. A moment 'well' lived makes you happy, and every 'waste' feeds the fear for the inevitable. In such seconds, the prospect of a New Game Plus, or a New Life Plus feels almost reassuring. Does that explain why religions still exist today? Certainly somehow. But for me life remains a one-off experience. Will I get to 100% completion? We'll see.