Power-ups, lifelines, and failures: Ankur Warikoo explains why life is like a video game

What if the chaos of adulting, career pivots, and unexpected setbacks could be understood the same way you once decoded a video game? That’s the striking analogy Ankur Warikoo recently shared on social media. Drawing from the familiar thrill of navigating new levels, he reframed uncertainty not as something to fear, but as something to explore. His message taps straight into the gamer mindset many grew up with, and turns it into a life lesson.

According to Ankur Warikoo, anyone who has ever picked up a new video game knows the feeling of stepping into the unknown. There is no ready-made roadmap. You don’t start with complete clarity about what lies ahead. Instead, you experiment. You take cover when needed. You test strategies. You lose lives. You try again. Slowly, you begin to understand the terrain.

He pointed out that in games, progress comes from discovering patterns. You learn where growth happens. You identify power-ups. You recognise the spots that could wipe you out. You figure out where a lifeline might appear. Each level reveals something new, but only if you are willing to move forward and explore.


Warikoo then shifted the lens to real life. Just like a game, there is no master blueprint handed to you. No one has a complete map. Every year unfolds like a fresh level, unfamiliar and unpredictable. You cannot skip ahead. You have to navigate it yourself.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ankur Warikoo (@ankurwarikoo)

Courage, he suggested, becomes the equivalent of pressing start on a new stage. It pushes you to step into spaces you have never explored before. You stumble in some areas. You grow in others. You occasionally hit dead ends. But through it all, you gather information about yourself and the world around you.


He also addressed the common belief that life offers fewer second chances than a game. It may feel like there are no extra lives waiting. Yet, in his view, losing once does not mean the end. Opportunities resurface. Situations evolve. Doors reopen in different forms.

By encouraging people to think of life through a gaming lens, Ankur Warikoo reframed setbacks as temporary and exploration as essential. Instead of waiting for certainty, he suggested embracing the unknown, much like a player stepping into a new level with nothing but instinct and the willingness to try.