Treat the World Like a Video Game
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.
Hey, look — a rock.
This morning I’m thinking about the idea of treating the world like a video game. Remember Zelda? You’d lift boulders, explore hidden caves, collect rupees, and ride across vast terrain in Hyrule. There was always something to discover — some mystery, some quest.
That’s how I see life. That’s how I see street photography.
Our camera is like our sword, slicing through chaos, giving us the power to explore and engage with the unknown. Every alley, every stranger, every fleeting shadow becomes part of this open-world adventure we call life.
Voluntary Play vs. Involuntary Play
As kids, we wake up with curiosity — eager to catch the sunrise, to pick up rocks, to explore. But as adults, something changes. We start taking life too seriously. We begin to force ourselves to do things, turning what should be play into work.
To me, that’s involuntary play. It’s when the joy is gone and we’re just going through the motions.
But voluntary play — that’s where life happens.
That’s when you wake up each morning with enthusiasm, not because you have to, but because you want to.
When I pick up my camera, I’m not forcing it. I’m playing.
I love life. I love photography. I love carrying a camera everywhere — because it lets me create upon the world that is my playground.
Find the Glitch. Play Your Own Way.
In video games, there’s no single script. You can always find your own path. Maybe you find a glitch in Skyrim and sneak under Whiterun to loot the chests. Maybe you invent your own way to level up faster.
In the same way, I find my own “glitches” in photography — like baking high-contrast JPEGs in-camera so I can stay in a constant state of creative flow.
You don’t have to follow the traditional route.
You don’t have to put yourself in a box.
Play the game your own way.
The Spirit of Play
When you start seeing the world as a playground — where people, places, and light all become part of your game — life becomes joyful again. You rediscover that childlike curiosity.
So I say this:
Voluntarily play. Don’t involuntarily play.
Stop treating what you do as work.
Start treating what you do as play.
Because the world is your playground — and you’re the big kid with a camera, free to explore it endlessly.