“School is for Leveling Up in an RPG” — The True Nature of Experience Points and the Full Skill Tree for Growth. Build Your Own Character in the Field of School. [Column] Science of Thought (No. 57)

🌈 “School is for Leveling Up in an RPG” Science of Thought: No. 57

— The true nature of experience points and the full skill tree for growth. Build your own character in the field of school.

🔍 3 Key Points of This Column

• 1️⃣ 🎮 School is a real-life RPG field where you can explore maps and unlock skills.
  Classrooms, events, club activities... each one is an experience point spot.

• 2️⃣ 🧬 If you design a “build” that matches your intelligence (job type), your growth route will become clear.
  Let’s optimize your skill allocation and combat style using MI theory.

• 3️⃣ 🛡️ If you team up with allies, you can open “treasure chests that can’t be opened solo.”
  Cooperative events might just be the “hidden dungeons” of life.

🌱 Prologue | “Why do we even go to school?”

Have you ever felt this way?

……I totally understand that feeling.
But, why not try looking at it from a “different perspective” for a moment?🎮

🔍 1. Change your perspective, and the scenery changes too

If school were a place where you, the player, go to “level up”…?
Daily classes, conversations with friends, and even your failures and confusion all become Experience Points (EXP).

• Grades ≠ Stats

• Evaluation ≠ The Goal

• Increasing what you can do = Skill Unlocking✨

…When you think of it that way, doesn’t school look a bit more like a “stage worth conquering”?

🧠 2. There are actually more than 8 “forms of intelligence”

The subjects you thought you were “bad at,” and the things you thought you were “good at,”
might actually just be
a difference in your “job type” of intelligence.

• People who are good with words🗣️

• People who are good at thinking with mathematical formulas🔢

• People who are sensitive to sound and rhythm🎵

• People who learn through their hands or body🏃‍♀️

• People who think deeply on their own🧘

• People who are good at interacting with others🤝

• People who can instantly visualize things in diagrams🗺️

• People who can connect with nature and animals🌿

These are concepts known as the "Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI Theory)", proposed by educational psychologist Howard Gardner.
And this theory makes perfect sense when you think about it through an
RPG-like worldview.

*👆 This is an English Wiki, but it has a wealth of information and content.
Please try reading it using Google Translate or an AI.

✨ 3. Traveling together in this column

In this "Science of Thought" column, we will think about
how you can "level up" in your own way, while treating the stage of school as an RPG field
.

• 🗺️ Field = Mapping out the school system

• ✨ Experience Points = What kind of actions lead to "growth"

• 🧬 Build = How to design your intelligence

• 🎁 Party = Compatibility with companions and skill combinations

• 🐉 Boss Battle = How to face entrance exams and anxiety

• 📘 Summary = How to advance through life as "your own character"?

Come on, why not make school from today onwards
just a little bit of the beginning of an adventure?🌈
There is not just one correct answer for maps, builds, or even how to choose your job.
Your "skill tree" will continue to grow from here on out🌱🎮

🗺️Chapter 1 | The Field Map of the Game Called School

What kind of "map" are you walking on right now? 👣

If the school you attend every day were a role-playing game adventure field—
classrooms, hallways, and even the staff room might all start to look like "areas you can conquer."

🎮 1. What if you interpret the structure of the school map in a "game-like" way?

• 🏠 Classroom = Home base. A save point and a place to check your basic stats.

• 📚 Library = Knowledge shop. Where you find information, spells (theses), and skill enhancement materials.

• 🛌 Infirmary = HP/MP recovery spot. An important place that sometimes serves as a refuge.

• 💬 Staff Room = Location for dialogue events with NPCs (teachers). Hints for important quests can be found here.

• 🏃‍♀️ Gymnasium and Schoolyard = Physical skill enhancement zone. Perfect for training reflexes and physical attributes.

Just by having the perspective of "re-imagining" these "everyday places" by their function,
you will start to see "how you move" and "where you excel."

🔑 2. When your "field of vision" expands, your options increase

At first, you probably could only see your own classroom.
But as you move up in grade—

• Interacting with other grades🧑‍🤝‍🧑

• Committees and club activities⚽

• Organizing school festivals and open campuses🎪

and so on, the number of "places you can go" and "people you can talk to" keeps increasing = expansion of your field of vision.

In RPG terms, this is a feeling close to "unlocking new areas" or "expanding the world map"🗺️✨

🧠 3. Considering the compatibility between intelligence types and maps

If you think of MI Theory (Multiple Intelligences) as game "jobs"—
you will realize that each intelligence type has a map (field) where it excels.

• Linguistic type (Wizard type) → Skills skyrocket in the library or language classes📚🪄

• Bodily-kinesthetic type (Fighter type) → The gymnasium and practical fields are your main battlegrounds🏃‍♂️🔥

• Musical Type (Bard Class) → Conveying emotions in the music room or at concerts 🎼🎤

• Interpersonal Intelligence (Leader Class) → Shining in class activities, committees, and group work 🧩🤝

• Introspective Type (Solo Player Class) → The library, your notebook, and alone time after school are treasure troves 🧘‍♀️🌅

In other words, that intuition of "I feel comfortable in this place" or "I might not be good at that place" reveals the genre where your intelligence excels.

🚪 4. There is no "correct answer" to conquering the map

• In places your vision hasn't reached yet, new skill materials and experience points might be lying dormant.

• Conversely, for "places you are really bad at," it is also a "strategy" to intentionally avoid them.

• What is important is to be aware of "where you are on the map now and where your base is".

🗝️ 5. Summary: First, let's re-examine the "place you are in now" as a target to conquer

Now, where are you heading today? ✨
A new map is surely waiting for you 🎮🌈

✨Chapter 2 | Where are experience points dropped?

What kind of "experience points" did you get today? 💠

Did you defeat an enemy?
……No, no, you don't have to get a perfect score on a test.
The key to growth is noticing "where experience points are dropped."

🎮 1. Experience points (EXP) are dropped in places you can't see

In games, you get experience points when you defeat enemies, but
in real school life, these situations also become valuable EXP 👇

• A presentation where you failed and felt embarrassed 💦

• That moment you gathered the courage to speak to someone 👋

• A casual conversation after school 🗣️

• The frustration of being called on when you had prepared 😳

• The frustration of not being able to express myself well 😔

Even though they are all "experience points," we surprisingly don't keep a log of them.
But it's okay. If you (the player) give them "meaning," they all become material for leveling up.

📐 2. Perhaps growth can be expressed with a formula like this?

• Action: The fact that you tried. Even taking a small step forward is OK 🙆‍♀️

• Consistency: Don't let it end with just one time. The power to turn "trying it out" into a "habit" 💪

• Meaning: A perspective where you interpret it in your own way and can say, "I'm glad that happened" 🔍

With the multiplication of these three, your "invisible stats" will gradually increase.
In particular, the final "meaning" is the most important term in this formula.

🧠 3. Depending on your intelligence type, the "drop point" for experience points is different

If you use MI Theory (Multiple Intelligences Theory),
you will see that "where you are likely to gain EXP" is completely different for each person👇

• 🎤 Linguistic: Easier to gain EXP from speeches, book reviews, and diaries

• 📐 Logical-Mathematical: Experience points accumulate just by thinking about the "why" and "how"

• 🎵 Musical: Encounters with sound and rhythm create "inspiration"

• 🏃‍♂️ Bodily-Kinesthetic: Thinking and understanding deepen while moving the body

• 🤝 Interpersonal: Learning grows explosively through conversation and cooperation

• 🧘‍♀️ Intrapersonal: Reflecting on your time alone becomes the key to leveling up

• 🧭 Spatial Type: Discoveries are best made through diagrams, structures, and spatial relationships

• 🌿 Naturalist Type: Interaction with and observation of nature act as triggers for learning

In other words, "where others gain experience points" is not necessarily the "right answer" for you.🌀

🔍 4. Let's map out your "experience point map"

Try checking the following:📝

• What was the most memorable event today?

• When did you feel like you "did well"?

• When did you feel a sense of unease for some reason?

These are all "drop points" for experience points.
Whether you pick them up or pass them by is up to you.👣

✨ 5. Summary: The key to leveling up lies in "assigning meaning"

So, it's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to be different from others.
Once you find your own EXP spots, that is the beginning of your "leveling-up journey."🌱✨

🧬 Chapter 3 | The journey to find your own unique build

What awaits after leveling up is—
a time for choices: "How should I grow?".

Yes, this is where the real thrill of an RPG begins.🎮✨
Choosing weapons, allocating skills, considering party balance...
This "build design" is a strategy that only you, the player, can execute..

🧠 1. What is a "build"?

In an RPG, a "build" means deciding how your character fights through
the allocation of skills and stats.

• 🔥 The brute-force type that puts everything into attack power

• 💡 The strategist type that conquers with intellect and magic

• 💖 The healer type that supports allies with recovery and assistance

• 👁️ A trickster type specialized in surprise attacks and disruption

……and so on. All of these are valid. All of them are correct answers.

🎮 2. So, what is a "school life build"?

Try thinking about it this way👇

• Which subjects or activities are you putting most of your "skill points" into?📘🎨⚽

• What kind of things raise your "motivation gauge"?🎯

• Does your behavioral pattern have a "preferred type"?

In other words, the journey of exploring "what kind of player you are" is the
self-design phase of this real-life RPG that is school life.

🧭 3. MI Theory serves as a "blueprint for your build"

The MI Theory (Multiple Intelligences Theory) proposed by Gardner is a clue to knowing the "types of intelligence = materials" you possess.

For example...

• 🧠 Logical-Mathematical type → A build that breaks through with puzzles and strategy

• 🗣️ Linguistic type → A build that cuts through with storytelling and the magic of conversation

• 🎵 Musical type → A buffer type that sets the mood with rhythm and harmony

• 🤝 Interpersonal type → A leader type with all points in cooperation skills

• 🧘‍♂️ Intrapersonal type → A solo-specialized self-training build that grows quietly

• 🧭 Spatial type → A spatial manipulation type with a sense for shapes and structures

📝 By knowing these "tendencies of strength,"
your leveling strategy and weapon selection become clear.

🔍 4. Use others' builds as a reference, but copying them directly is a no-go

• Someone else's "strategy" might not suit you.

• The methods of high achievers are not a universal correct answer.

• True growth comes from customizing your character once you know your own stats.

The strongest characters in games are often those "eccentric builds" that deviate from the standard templates, right? 😏
It's the same with you; a one-of-a-kind combination is your own unique "fighting style." After all, everyone's intelligence (i.e., type) is different, so
there is no way you should have the same build or strategy as someone else.

Besides, wouldn't it be boring if everyone solved things the same way?

✨ 5. Summary: There is no such thing as a "useless skill" in your build

So, the moment you think, "This isn't for me" or
"I'm different from others"—
your own rare skills might just be starting to shine. 💫

Now, next is Chapter 4 | Skills and Parties: The Treasure Chest of Life 🏰
Let's go explore
new possibilities for synergy and growth created by "your skills" × "compatibility with others" together. 🎁😊

🎁 Chapter 4 | Skills and Parties: The Treasure Chest of Life

What kind of "skills" have you learned lately? 💫
And have you ever tried using them in "co-op play" with someone else? 🤝

In RPGs, skills are unlocked as you level up, right?
But it doesn't end there.
There are "synergy skills" that only activate when you have teammates. 🎮✨

🔓 1. Skills come in "Solo" and "Co-op" types

• 🔹 Solo Skills: Skills you can polish on your own, such as concentration, memory, and presentation skills.

• 🔸 Co-op Skills: Skills that are only demonstrated through interaction with others, such as planning, negotiation, emotional care, and follow-up... ✨

💡 Try to remember these 👇

• Team practice for club activities 🏀

• Summarizing opinions in a committee 🗣️

• Class projects for the school festival 🎪

• Part adjustments for the choir competition 🎼

• Cheerleading squads and relay strategies for sports day 🔥

• Creating materials & giving presentations in the student council📄

• Making guidebooks for school trips and group activities🧳

These kinds of "real-life co-op" settings becomeskill-unlocking points for life!

🧠 2. MI Theory also affects the compatibility of "cooperation"

Gardner'sMI Theorysuggests that people have various "intelligences they excel at." And these two are the keys to cooperation skills👇

• 🤝 Interpersonal Intelligence: A type that excels at conversation, creating an atmosphere, and reading the room

• 🧘 Intrapersonal Intelligence: A mastermind type that calmly surveys the situation, reflects, and makes proposals

✅ The point is "who you are with" and "in what situation" your skills are activated.
Just like "party composition" in an RPG, compatibility and roles are the key.

🎮 3. Tips for party design (School event edition)

Your "school party" also has various roles, right?👇

• 🔥 The type that steps forward and leads (Cheer squad leader, captain)

• 🛡️ The type that supports everyone (Vice leader, facilitator)

• 🎯 The type that finishes things precisely (Materials coordinator, progress manager)

• 🩹 The type that eases the mood (Mood maker, lubricant)

• 🌀 The type that designs the structure behind the scenes (Decoration staff, scheduler)

When the characteristics and roles of each intelligence overlap, the team's "combo move" is activated✨

🗝️ 4. Treasure chests are more fun to open with someone else than alone

• "I've clashed with others in a team"

• "I've been exhausted by human relationships"

• "Honestly, I've thought it's easier to be alone"

……Even so, there must have been a “world you could only see because you were with someone else”🌈

It’s like those common RPG scenarios👇

It’s something like that. Treasure chests that cannot be opened alone can be opened
by being with someone else🎁✨

✨5. Summary: Cooperative events might be “hidden dungeons of life”

School events might not just be ordinary functions, but
chances to unlock synergy skills.

• Who will you try moving with today?

• Who will you try talking to?

• What kind of “formation” will you try out?

That might be the key to unlocking your next “growth route”🔑

The next chapter is finally 🐉Chapter 5 | Boss Battle = Entrance Exam? Or perhaps...💥
After the adventure with your companions comes the battle with yourself.
An encounter with the “true boss” awaits—😊🎮

🐉Chapter 5 | Boss Battle = Entrance Exam? Or perhaps...

Beyond the journey of leveling up, a “boss battle” always awaits.
In game terms, that would be a one-on-one duel with a powerful enemy—but in reality, it might be a little different.

🎓 1. The “Visible Bosses” Known as Entrance Exams and Job Hunting

It is true that entrance exams and job hunting are major milestones.
Skill checks, ability assessments, public records... it really has the atmosphere of a boss battle💥

• Test = Combat scene📝

• Interview = Dialogue event🗣️

• Document screening = Scrutiny of your backstory📖

It is also the stage where the leveling up you have done so far is “quantified.”
But—

👤 2. There are even tougher "invisible bosses"

• The shadow of self-denial that says, "Maybe I can't do this."

• The trap of comparison that says, "Compared to that person, I..."

• The loss of purpose that says, "What am I working so hard for again?"

These are "final bosses of the heart," true bosses that are stronger than entrance exams or job hunting.
None of them can be countered by mere levels, and they slowly drain your mental MP (spiritual energy)...⚠️

🧘‍♀️ 3. "Internal parameters" are your true strength

In terms of MI theory, "strength" cannot be measured by logic or language alone.
True ability also includes elements like these👇

• 🧘‍♂️ Intrapersonal intelligence: The "self-counseling power" to dialogue with anxiety and impatience

• 💖 Interpersonal intelligence: The "empathy buff" that recovers by connecting with someone

• 🎵 Musical intelligence: The "mental reboot" that allows you to gain energy from sound and rhythm

Even if your visible parameters are low, people who possess "mental recovery skills" are surprisingly strong💫

💡 4. When you're feeling this way, recover your "mental HP/MP"

• When things get tough, the key is having a recovery method that suits you.

• For example👇

  • Write your honest feelings in a notebook📓 (Introspective type)

  • Immerse yourself in music🎧 (Music type)

  • Talk to someone you trust☕ (Interpersonal type)

  • Connect with nature🌳 (Nature type)

  • Try challenging yourself in an area of strength🎯 (Confidence recovery type)

• All of these become "mental respawn points."

✨ 5. Summary: "Strength" is the product of Skills × MP × Recovery Power

So, it is okay to feel "anxious" right now.
There is no need to be ashamed of "feeling weak."
How you handle that is what lies "beyond" the level🌱

Now, next is finally 🎯Summary Chapter | Don't Forget You Are the Protagonist of Your Own RPG.

The journey of your character continues—
as if your "main story" begins here. Let's continue.😊🌈

📘 Summary | Don't Forget You Are the Protagonist of Your Own RPG

To you, who has traveled with me this far.
Has the field map of this "leveling-up adventure" started to come into view?🗺️✨

🧠 1. What is the true purpose of the RPG called school?

• Experience points were not just in tests, but scattered throughout every moment of daily life.

• A build shines brightest when you find your own style rather than imitating someone else's.

• Skills unleash power like a treasure chest when coordinated with your allies.

• Boss battles were tougher than entrance exams or job hunting, specifically “believing in yourself.” were the hardest part.

And above all—
the fact that you are here right now is already proof of your adventure📜

🎮 2. Tips for living your “Personal RPG” (A secret summary)

• 📍 Where you are now is the stage for your current adventure. Even if you get stuck, there is surely another map ahead.

• 🧬 Intelligence types number more than eight according to MI theory. Discover your own “special skills.”

• 📈 Growth records are made not just of scores, but of a “history of challenges and recovery.”

• 🧘‍♀️ “Inner parameters” (MP, willpower, curiosity) should not be underestimated. These might be your most important stats.

• 💫 You are the protagonist. The ending and the route of this game are up to you.

🔥 3. One last thing I want to tell you

If this column contributes even a little to your leveling up—
that is the greatest reward for completing this journey.🎖️🌱

Next is finally ✍️ Afterword | “Life is the main story that continues” to 📖
Leaving the stage of the adventure, I will speak to you secretly as the author.
If you'd like, please continue reading.😊🎮

✍️ Afterword | “Life is the main story that continues”

Leveling up is honestly a hassle, isn't it?
It's plain, steady work, and the results aren't always visible.
But when you look back,
the moment you can think, “I am who I am today because of that time,” will surely come.🌱

Before I knew it, my own children have become adults, and my age has passed the half-century mark.

Looking back on my student days, there are many failures and regrets.

My high school senior year during exam season was, in work terms, like living in a
super exploitative company with no breaks or sleep.
I never want to experience that again (laughs).

Even so, what I learned desperately back then,
even the elementary school summer homework I finished while crying on August 31st,
looking back, has become important experience points that shape who I am today.

🎮 Why I wrote this column

The theme this time was "School is a place for 'leveling up' in a role-playing game."

Why did I think of it that way? Because
this column series, "The Science of Thought," is themed around the idea that "a slight shift in perspective can change how you see the world."

• 🧠 The joy of "thinking = scientizing curiosity"

• 🎯 Rediscovering daily learning and experiences as a journey of contemplation

• 🌈 The freedom to recreate the meaning of your own story yourself

It is with that thought in mind that I continue this series.

🧭 The person to compare yourself to is not others, but your "past self"

School tends to become a place where you are "compared to others." But if you look at it like an RPG, you'll understand👇

• The skills someone else has and the skills you have are completely different things.

• And true growth is being able to feel that you are "a little stronger than you were yesterday."

That is why I want to recommend that you
live through school as the "protagonist of your own story."📖🌟

🧠 MI Theory and the similarity between school life's "jobs and skills"

What you learn at school is actually very RPG-like.

• 📚 Japanese = Linguistic Intelligence, 🔢 Math = Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

• 🎨 Art = Spatial Intelligence, 🎵 Music = Musical Intelligence

• ⚽ P.E. = Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence, 🤝 Class Activities = Interpersonal Intelligence

• 🧘 Self-study and writing = Intrapersonal Intelligence, 🌳 Science observation = Naturalist Intelligence

In other words, in any situation, you can choose jobs and skills to cultivate your own intelligence.

🔍 Just by changing your perspective a little, the world changes

I previously wrote an article on the theme of "The Study of Perspectives, Views, and Focus Points" in the following column.

• Even in the same reality, the meaning changes depending on where you look

• Subjects you thought you were bad at might be treasure chests of "growth opportunities"

• Stress in human relationships might also be a battle event to cultivate cooperative skills

Just by thinking that way, your daily life becomes a little more "adventurous"🧭✨

🧩Things that seem useless at first glance will "pay off later"

"Won't I never use things like factorization in the future?"
I hear that often (laughs).

But in reality, that kind of knowledge will
reappear later as "tools for thinking" or "problem-solving skills."

Life is surprisingly a "foreshadowing-recovery-style RPG", isn't it?🎲

📘School is the prologue, the main story is yet to come

School (elementary, middle, high school, and university) is,
in RPG terms, the tutorial and early stages from Chapter 1 to Chapter 3.

The main story lies ahead.
Work, dreams, relationships, and life itself.

But that is exactly why—
even the choices you make in this very moment
are all "important prologues to that story"🎮🌟

🎬Ending Credits (End Roll Style)

• 🎮 Planning & Composition: Your Intellectual Curiosity

• 🧠 Thought Design: The Science of Thought Studio

• ✍️ Record: EXP named Experience

• 🗝️ Producer: You Yourself

And the story is not over yet.
"To Be Continued..."──

Thank you so much for reading until the end🌱
If you enjoyed this, I would be very happy if you could support me with a like or a follow.
I look forward to seeing you again in the next chapter😊📖💫

Profile | Kazuomi Matsunaga

🧭Thinking Navigator

Biography:Graduated from a national university engineering department in Kyushu (Materials Engineering) => Engineer at a metal materials manufacturer in the Chukyo region (Production Technology) => Advertising sales for a local free paper in Nagasaki Prefecture => University staff member (← Currently here). A person in their 50s living in Nagasaki Prefecture. Both children have left home for university, and I am currently living with my wife.
I am a writer who enjoys playing with thoughts daily at the intersection of "questions" and "curiosity." Recently, I have been focusing on my serialized column series, "The Science of Thought," writing about my unique perspectives on themes such as education, storytelling, psychology, AI, and design. I am exploring "free knowledge design" that goes beyond existing frameworks. My motto is "Imagination opens up the world."
In my professional life, while working in university and education-related fields, I value carefully observing the moments when "people start to like something" and the scenes where "questions begin to sprout."
🧭 I would be happy if I could deliver articles that leave you with a "new perspective" after reading them.
📮 Impressions and messages of support are always welcome!