In the voice of Eric Kim

I remember the first time I booted up Roller Coaster Tycoon on my old PC. Even as a kid, I felt the rush: you start with a blank plot of land, infinite possibilities, and a single question—what do you want to build? Life is eerily similar. The difference is: in the game you can always restart, but in real life, you’ve got one shot. So, what do you do?

First, embrace the blank canvas. In Roller Coaster Tycoon, your greatest asset is that empty, open space. You lay down paths, set the entrance fee, and experiment with new roller coaster designs. No one hands you a blueprint; you prototype on the fly. Translated to life, this means forging your own path. We’re often paralyzed by other people’s instructions or by a fear of the unknown. But the game shows you that the only way to learn is by rolling up your sleeves, risking failure, and doing. Always be building.

Second, embrace the ups and downs. Roller coasters are iconic for their peaks and troughs. Life, too, is a never-ending set of ascents and sudden drops. But ironically, those exhilarating drops make the ride thrilling; that tension is what keeps you going. Don’t aim for a perfectly smooth ride—it’s the unpredictability, the sudden turns, and the risks that push you to grow. The feeling in your stomach when you’re plummeting is the same feeling that can wake you up to your own vitality.

Third, attend to the details while keeping the big picture in mind. In the game, you watch park guests navigate: Are they bored? Are they nauseated? Are they going to buy souvenirs? If you ignore these details—trash bins, bench placement, scenic decorations—you end up with unhappy visitors who leave. Same for life. The small gestures, the casual thank-yous, the daily tasks: these details eventually shape the broader arc of your life. But never lose sight of your main goal—what’s the overarching vision? Because you can get stuck micro-managing details and lose track of why you started building in the first place.

Lastly, never forget that your park is your personal creation. Sometimes, you’ll see another park with insane loop-de-loops or record-breaking rides. You might be tempted to copy. But in Roller Coaster Tycoon, the best outcomes happen when you double down on your original style—your unique arrangement of rides, your signature color schemes, your creative flourishes. In life, too, your best path is the one that resonates with your gut. Stay honest and authentic to your own design.

In the end, Roller Coaster Tycoon reminds us that life is not about preventing the ups and downs; it’s about thriving in them. Build fearlessly, own your vision, and trust that the scariest parts of the ride often yield the greatest rewards. And always remember: the best rides aren’t necessarily the biggest or the fastest—they’re the ones that leave you with the widest grin at the end.