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by Xian Magnaye (6th)

If life is a game, is it pay to win or not?

We’ve all heard of the saying “Life is a game,” but is it pay to win? Do we continue to buy things to keep on living – because if we buy enough stuff and live long enough, that’s winning, right? But what type of game is life? Is it blackjack – calculated and strategic, or is it roulette – random and lucky? Is it rigged? How much do people wager in life? Is it worth the risk? Will you reach your main goals?I don’t know about that last one, but it’s up to you.

We all know life is a game. Problems on problems, we’ve all gone through a crisis. Midlife to existential, no matter how small or big, it’s always painful, but sometimes we persevere.

That's what life is: getting hurt and feeling pain — pain we sometimes can’t handle. But in the dark there is always a shroud of light to guide us. 

Some buy things to drown misery, but they’re never enough. We buy things to hide our pain. Our emotions sit on an empty throne. Never to exist. Never seen.

In all my 12 years of life I’ve concluded life is like roulette. “Fortune favors the brave,” they say. I've been brave my whole life, and yet no fortune. Everytime there’s a zig there’s a zag. Life is rigged for the purpose of pleasing lucky people.People wager their hopes and dreams. It’s a 50/50 chance whether you win or not in life. We keep playing the game of life whether we like it or not.

We have the drive and determination of a gambler; we just don’t stop until we win. It’s either we go down or others go down with us.  

However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Succeed or fail: it doesn’t matter. People fall and they get back up; it's what makes us people. Our ability to keep trying and succeeding,our drive to advance among the ranks is what makes us inevitable. We don't stop at stalemate. We roll the dice and put it all on red.