Katamari Ball of Friendship

In case you’ve never played it, Katamari Damacy is a video game with a simple premise. You start with a small ball that can magically “pick up” objects smaller than itself. As you pick up objects, the mass of the katamari ball increases, and you can pick up even larger objects. Eventually, your katamari ball can pick up trees, buildings and mountains. The goal of the game is to accumulate enough material to recreate the moon and stars.

The katamari ball is a good metaphor for social networking (in real life and online). When I first moved to Dallas, I found it very hard to make friends. I didn’t know anyone who could introduce me to anyone else. My katamari ball was too small. But once I started to make friends, I found it easier to make even more friends. I had clout in the community, and my friends’ friends soon became my friends too. And it wasn’t just friends that I accumulated. I also made more professional connections through networking events and social media. Today my social katamari ball is a pretty good size, though I still have a long way to go.

The katamari analogy works for other aspects of life as well: most notably money. That’s what makes Katamari Damacy so alluring. It’s a simple and fun simulation of personal growth. Like so many things in life, it’s a great metaphor for starting small and working your way up to big success.