- High Score. Nearly all digital games have traditionally offered a way to objectively score progression and overall success. The Digital Gaming Generation expects this implied objectivity to universally apply to personal and professional matters.
- Lives. Most early and many current games give the main protagonists some form of multiple lives. This most clearly relates to the concept of second chances. My generation doesn't view failure in the same way that previous age-groups did - it's a badge of honor that allows us to quickly get up, dust off, and try again by applying the lessons-learned from failure.
- Reset. This concept is similar to Lives but is more absolute. A video game allows players to restart and relive - this option for a new beginning applies to personal relationships and careers.
- Pause/Save. Video games allow players to grab a snack, go for a walk, or play another game by having a Pause or Save option - essentially freezing the game while ensuring that the player will be able to start from the same point. This is most relevant for career decisions, since sabbaticals, vacations, and other forms of free time become more highly valued. Employer-flexibility and less-stringent intellectual property rules also become more relevant.
- Upgrade. Gaming technology has consistently improved by offering better graphics, richer sounds, more complex concepts, etc. This means that there is an underlying expectation for consistent improvement, new experiences, new endeavors, and new challenges.
Although I'm positive that there are more core principles, these five represent the basis for a completely unique perspective on life and the world that we live in.
