Nick van Breda went from being a gaming addict to becoming a change maker. As a TEDxYouth@BSN speaker he will show our audience how they can make an impact with the qualities of a true gamer.
Growing up in a digital world, many young people feel less and less understood by their parents and older generations who did not have the same upbringing. This leaves them feeling depressed and disconnected from those who love them most. Nick wants to bridge the gap between youth and adults with something he knows quite well: gaming. Everyone is a gamer, according to Nick, and age does not matter once we can all understand the similarities between the ‘why’ of videogames and the ‘why’ of life. He will also draw on the downfalls of gaming, and show how you can learn from that as well.
We asked Nick how this idea came to him: “5 years after quitting online games, I realised that how I was making an impact was learned through the 10 years of my game addiction, and putting that into action in the real world. This new perspective has lead me to places I would have never imagined.”
When asked how to summarise his idea worth spreading, Nick said: “It doesn’t matter if you don’t know where you want to be in the future. A good reflection of who you are and what makes you curious can take you further than you can imagine. You have to choose to make an impact and choose the life you want to live. Have the guts to try new things every day.”
Nick’s biggest hope for our Big Bold World? That we are able to connect and communicate with each other no matter our age, where we live or what status we are given. That through gaming, we are able to solve world problems and become closer to one another.
For a bit more inspiration before 9 November, be sure to check out one of the many TED video’s that Nick calls a favourite:
