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Video Games and the (Male) Meaning of Life

andersonnnunes

Disciple
Messages
326
Here is a blog post about males going hikikomori and how video game are or not involved in that.

Not sure why, but the comment section there is very lively.

The author says he is a candidate for President of the United States in 2020. I think I read his name somewhere, but can't remember what it was about.

Seems like he wants the slaves back at the plantation.
 

Arnox

Master
Staff member
Founder
Messages
5,285
The world didn't get any harder. There's just more huge fucking distractions than ever before. Man or woman, doesn't matter too much.

The pull of unreality is a seductive and tempting one, but as James Halliday put it,

As terrifying and painful as reality can be, it's also the only place that you can get a decent meal.
 

Houseman

Zealot
Sanctuary legend
Messages
1,068
I've been starting to scale back from video games, in favor of things that actually benefit me, like exercise or learning a language, or making music. Sure, everybody needs recreation, but plopping yourself down in front of the computer for 5 hours a day is beyond that.

The world didn't get any harder.
It can be argued that it "used to be better", economy wise. Gone are the days where a basic job at a factory can get you a car, and a house, and can support a wife and a child. That's how I've heard it used to be in America. Someone working in fast food today is living in poverty, by comparison
 

andersonnnunes

Disciple
Messages
326
The world didn't get any harder. There's just more huge fucking distractions than ever before. Man or woman, doesn't matter too much.

The pull of unreality is a seductive and tempting one, but as James Halliday put it,
Hmm... when I click "reply", the auto-inserted quote does not include the quote inside your post. Not sure if a feature or a bug.

Decent meals?

A Jap can live a month with this much of rice, you better do it with half of it. -Military
My dad died because of food poisoning. -Civilian
I got hemorrhoids after I had to evacuate so hard because of a meal upset my body. -Civilian

The Grand Collapse can't come soon enough.

in front of the computer for 5 hours a day is beyond that.
:eek:

Rookie's number. Git gud. :D
 
Messages
45
It can be argued that it "used to be better", economy wise. Gone are the days where a basic job at a factory can get you a car, and a house, and can support a wife and a child. That's how I've heard it used to be in America. Someone working in fast food today is living in poverty, by comparison
Right but thats a brief snapshot which barely lasted half a century. In the big picture the standard is very much squalor.

Honestly, we forget how things were before the post-WW2 boom very quickly. Technological advancement doesn't guarantee they won't become so again, unfortunately.
 

bluegate

Disciple
Sanctuary legend
Messages
292
About time forced military service were a thing again, kick some manners, skills and sense of duty into these youngsters.

Escaping into a world of fantasy just because you don't like the prospect of working a job isn't really a healthy or sustainable way of living, now is it?
 

Vendor-Lazarus

Arch Disciple
Sanctuary legend
Messages
936
I would say that the reason we have come as far as we have, is because of the fact that people try to escape everyday life.
Those have become the explorers and conquerors, the thinkers and the philosophers, etc.

Granted, gaming (or similar book/video/escapism) doesn't exactly further in and of itself, though it does advance the technological level.
Our current way of life, in this era, doesn't grant as much freedom as there used to be.
When the space era starts we will again be able to move forward.
 

bluegate

Disciple
Sanctuary legend
Messages
292
I would say that the reason we have come as far as we have, is because of the fact that people try to escape everyday life.
Those have become the explorers and conquerors, the thinkers and the philosophers, etc.
Yeah, but those people set out to actually do something with their desire to escape everyday life, actually do the exploring and conquering.

The modern slouches described in that article are usually just that, slouches that mainly live to passively consume media, no progress will come from that.
Granted, gaming (or similar book/video/escapism) doesn't exactly further in and of itself, though it does advance the technological level.
Who are the ones advancing the technological level though, the people sitting in their chairs or on their couches, or the engineers actually working the jobs.
Our current way of life, in this era, doesn't grant as much freedom as there used to be.
When the space era starts we will again be able to move forward.
What freedom are you talking about exactly, because I would argue that it doesn't get much freer than right now?
 

andersonnnunes

Disciple
Messages
326
Curiously, in the book "The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Gold Edition", one of the developers said he did no even play games, he liked to program them, not to play them and was rather fascinated with body building and would exercise daily.
 
Last edited:

Arnox

Master
Staff member
Founder
Messages
5,285
Hmm... when I click "reply", the auto-inserted quote does not include the quote inside your post. Not sure if a feature or a bug.

Decent meals?

A Jap can live a month with this much of rice, you better do it with half of it. -Military
My dad died because of food poisoning. -Civilian
I got hemorrhoids after I had to evacuate so hard because of a meal upset my body. -Civilian

The Grand Collapse can't come soon enough.
Sorry, forgot to reply. Yeah though, if things are really that bad then I would recommend switching countries ASAP. The quote though means that we can't always run away from reality so we should deal with it and, if possible, learn to enjoy it.

About time forced military service were a thing again, kick some manners, skills and sense of duty into these youngsters.
So what you're saying is, you want the government to re-institute the draft and force young kids into a possibly hellish environment to fight a possibly very unjustified war? Not even mentioning the fact that volunteer soldiers make overall much better soldiers than conscripted ones?
 

Vendor-Lazarus

Arch Disciple
Sanctuary legend
Messages
936
Yeah, but those people set out to actually do something with their desire to escape everyday life, actually do the exploring and conquering.

The modern slouches described in that article are usually just that, slouches that mainly live to passively consume media, no progress will come from that.
The only difference between them could be a matter of opportunity.

Everything today is already explored, and conquering is frowned upon. ,)
Thinking and philosophizing requires either a hellishly advanced degree and/or more funds to simply exist than there used to be.

Who are the ones advancing the technological level though, the people sitting in their chairs or on their couches, or the engineers actually working the jobs.
The demand for, and monetary incentive of, delivering ever more complex and aesthetically pleasing games drive a certain percentage of the advance in computer technology.

What freedom are you talking about exactly, because I would argue that it doesn't get much freer than right now?
We may have a more level playing field, live longer, and enjoy more liberties than ever previously, but that isn't the be all and end all of freedom.
The kind of freedom there used to be was to be independent and be beholden to no one.
Live, survive and try,or fail and die by your own wits and strengths.
Though there are obvious drawbacks to that, no such substitute exists today.
 

bluegate

Disciple
Sanctuary legend
Messages
292
So what you're saying is, you want the government to re-institute the draft and force young kids into a possibly hellish environment to fight a possibly very unjustified war? Not even mentioning the fact that volunteer soldiers make overall much better soldiers than conscripted ones?
No, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying put every kid after they graduate high school through a year of basic training, drill some skills, manners and a sense of duty into them before letting them go back into society. Let people who want to then permanently join the military join it as volunteer soldiers do now, let people who want to go and study go do that, let people who want to go learn a trade do that.
 

gaijinkaiju

Lord Inquisitor
Sanctuary legend
Sanctuary contributor
Messages
612
No, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying put every kid after they graduate high school through a year of basic training, drill some skills, manners and a sense of duty into them before letting them go back into society. Let people who want to then permanently join the military join it as volunteer soldiers do now, let people who want to go and study go do that, let people who want to go learn a trade do that.
Isn't that what South korea does? I know they have mandatory military service for everyone once they reach a certain age, albeit not a permanent service but i think about a year or so, or something like that
 

Arnox

Master
Staff member
Founder
Messages
5,285
No, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying put every kid after they graduate high school through a year of basic training, drill some skills, manners and a sense of duty into them before letting them go back into society. Let people who want to then permanently join the military join it as volunteer soldiers do now, let people who want to go and study go do that, let people who want to go learn a trade do that.
The government shouldn't be responsible for making sure people aren't acting like 10-year-olds though. That's the parents' job. Also, it sets a dangerous precedent.
 

Monoochrom

Disciple
Sanctuary legend
Messages
275
No, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying put every kid after they graduate high school through a year of basic training, drill some skills, manners and a sense of duty into them before letting them go back into society. Let people who want to then permanently join the military join it as volunteer soldiers do now, let people who want to go and study go do that, let people who want to go learn a trade do that.
Nah, that sounds really stupid, let's not do that.
 

Vendor-Lazarus

Arch Disciple
Sanctuary legend
Messages
936
No, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying put every kid after they graduate high school through a year of basic training, drill some skills, manners and a sense of duty into them before letting them go back into society. Let people who want to then permanently join the military join it as volunteer soldiers do now, let people who want to go and study go do that, let people who want to go learn a trade do that.

The draft is basically breaking people down so that they can be brainwashed and built up into how the government wants them.
A very fascist and authoritarian way of assuring loyalties.

Though we all recognize the need for schooling, the same could be applied there, except for the breaking them down.
A good government would teach critical thinking, self-worth, your strengths and weaknesses and basic social skills and everyday needs.
A bad government see the power this affords them to brainwash young impressionable minds.
Leaving the teaching to corporations would be equally bad, and leaving it to parents would require the parents to first be taught somehow.
Government schools are the "best"/least bad way to ensure a fair go for the maximum amount of people. The price is again to be ever vigilant.
 
Messages
45
No, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying put every kid after they graduate high school through a year of basic training, drill some skills, manners and a sense of duty into them before letting them go back into society. Let people who want to then permanently join the military join it as volunteer soldiers do now, let people who want to go and study go do that, let people who want to go learn a trade do that.
Without wanting to debate the perks and drawbacks of compulsory military service, a country which relies so heavily on it to raise functional young men is already deeply broken. Before it becomes a necessity theres anywhere between 18 and 20 years of continuous failure. You would essentially be raising children in a failed society, then spending a year trying to drill responsibility or obedience or whatever you are hoping for here into them, before releasing them back into the same failed society.

In addition I'd point out that Germany had a sort of compulsory military service until very recently - if you left high school and were not in education or work immediatelly after, you were drafted. Granted, a plethora of low effort education options made it relatively easy to dodge. Still; from your outside view, would you say my generation here in Germany is any more disciplined or well mannered than young men in neighbouring European countries which got rid of mandatory drafting earlier?
 

Houseman

Zealot
Sanctuary legend
Messages
1,068
Isn't that what South korea does? I know they have mandatory military service for everyone once they reach a certain age, albeit not a permanent service but i think about a year or so, or something like that
JW trivia! Jehovah's Witnesses in South Korea used to be jailed because of their refusal to do this military service. On November 1st, their supreme court ruled that being a conscientious objection is no longer a crime.
 

andersonnnunes

Disciple
Messages
326
JW trivia! Jehovah's Witnesses in South Korea used to be jailed because of their refusal to do this military service. On November 1st, their supreme court ruled that being a conscientious objection is no longer a crime.
I heard someone praise a conscientious objector who refused
to fight in Iraq, and I asked him if he was still paying taxes. He told
me that the government hadn’t created a “conscientious objector”
category for taxpayers, so he was sorry to say he wasn’t able to
stop paying. As if you only have a conscience when the
government issues you a permit for one!


I told him I know people who’ve stopped paying their taxes
without waiting for permission, just by lowering their income and
living below the tax threshold. He told me that he wasn’t prepared
to make that kind of sacrifice. If I had a pocket calculator I could
have told you the maximum price of his conscience. If I had a
quality postal scale I probably still couldn’t discern its weight.

Like Walter Mitty these armchair peaceniks burn their draft
cards in their daydreams, meanwhile the people who serve in the
military in their place are equipped, and shipped, and paid for by Walter Mitty’s tax dollar.


(source)
 

Houseman

Zealot
Sanctuary legend
Messages
1,068
From that source:

If you love liberty, if you hate war, you should at once withdraw
your support from the government. Withdrawing your moral
support isn’t enough — it’s your practical support that the
government feeds on — it doesn’t give a damn what your opinions
are.

This is something you must do because you know the
difference between right and wrong and you know, when you look
the facts straight in the face, that when you willingly give practical
support to the government you participate in its wrongs. But this is
more than a matter of personal integrity.
This is an all-or-nothing fallacy

It's not like 100% of taxes go directly to the military. They also pay for things that people would be happy to have, and that it wouldn't trouble one's conscience to pay for, like roads. Should one not pay for a road just because there's a chance that a tank might drive on it while heading to war? That sort of thinking leads to viewing civilians as acceptable targets. In this day and age, it's not okay to kill a soldier's non-combatant wife, just because she "supports" her soldier husband. It's not okay to bomb a school because they teach their children the pledge of allegiance. Heck, it's not okay to kill a medic on the field, if he's unarmed.

If it's not okay to target non-combatants that support, directly or indirectly, the military, then it would also be wrong to say that one who indirectly supports the military by paying taxes is a hypocrite when it comes to their conscience.

It's irrelevant for Christians anyway, because Jesus settled the tax question long ago. Pay Caesar's things to Caesar, but God's things to God.
It's also noteworthy that the religious institutions, and members of their religious orders, are also tax free, and do take this vow of poverty that this author suggests.
 

Houseman

Zealot
Sanctuary legend
Messages
1,068
If P, then Q.
No P, no Q.
I'm starting to think you're incapable of communicating coherently on your own, which is why you just post links and quote articles instead.

Either that, or you just don't want to have this conversation, but if that's the case, I'd appreciate it if you didn't post nonsensical replies.
 

andersonnnunes

Disciple
Messages
326
conversation
conversation / ˌkɒn.vəˈseɪ.ʃ ə n / / ˌkɑːn.vɚ- / noun [ C or U ]
A1 (a) talk between two or more people in which thoughts, feelings, and ideas are expressed, questions are asked and answered, or news and information is exchanged:
She had a strange conversation with the man who's moved in upstairs.
It's impossible to hold/carry on a conversation with all this noise going on!
I struck up (= started) an interesting conversation with your uncle.
Because of television, many people have lost the art of conversation (= talking to each other) .
Whenever I'm in a social situation with my boss, we seem to run out of conversation (= things to say to each other) after two minutes!

© Cambridge University Press 2013
Everything up to now seems to fit the definition. The stakes are low, so I don't know why you getting so upped up. If you want something better, change the incentives.
 
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