At the edge of my map

What to do when you hit the invisible wall of understanding

Ortelius's 1570 Theatrum Orbis Terrarum map

Hey y’all,

My friend is going through some big life changes. Changes I don’t fully understand. So I am doing what I think a good friend does: Listening. Asking some questions. But mostly listening.

Towards the end of our phone call this weekend I said to this friend, “I have to be honest with you: I have reached the edge of my map.” I said I wasn’t scared or upset or anything like that. I just know I’m at the edge of my map.

Terra incognita. Uncharted territory. “Here be dragons.”

The invisible wall in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild

I then tried to explain to my friend the idea of the “invisible wall” in video games. The invisible wall is a boundary that restricts the player’s character from going any further in the video game’s world. In some open world games, when you hit the edge of the map, your character will just walk in place. Facing the expanse, moving towards it, but not getting anywhere.