I'm not going to drop games so I can actually go out and be a real "Dragonborn", screw that.

Originally posted by Good Night Owl:

I'm not going to drop games so I can actually go out and be a real "Dragonborn", screw that.

That's a rather bipolar mentality- why have you drawn a line in the sand where it has to be one or the other?

Why do you wish to choose escapism over actually living?

Get going. Get off your bum and start somewhere, anywhere. From small actions can create a tidal wave.

Originally posted by NoRain :( 🗕 🗗 🗙:

Originally posted by Good Night Owl:

I'm not going to drop games so I can actually go out and be a real "Dragonborn", screw that.

That's a rather bipolar mentality- why have you drawn a line in the sand where it has to be one or the other?

Why do you wish to choose escapism over actually living?

It's the wording of your thread. You make it sound like we gotta go out and solve wars or something. I'm not going to go out and solve conflicts, go to battle, fight, and probably die over gaming.

You take the amount given as tender, minus the cost, and then give the difference.

Originally posted by Good Night Owl:

Originally posted by NoRain :( 🗕 🗗 🗙:

That's a rather bipolar mentality- why have you drawn a line in the sand where it has to be one or the other?

Why do you wish to choose escapism over actually living?

It's the wording of your thread. You make it sound like we gotta go out and solve wars or something. I'm not going to go out and solve conflicts, go to battle, fight, and probably die over gaming.

?

Originally posted by Good Night Owl:

and probably die over gaming.

I feel like maybe I wasn't clear enough, or maybe you misunderstood something, but I'm simply positing that inaction is continuation- I'm sure there are plenty of solutions that don't involve needless slaughter over resources we actually have in abundance. I would argue that the current armed conflicts that're being fought are 100% either due to ideological differences, or faux-scarcity; often both, as seen with Israel and Palestine right now

Originally posted by Breathe:

Get going. Get off your bum and start somewhere, anywhere. From small actions can create a tidal wave.

That's sort of the issue I'm talking about, though. Consider how everyone that can enact change is kind of landlocked on their own little island that the internet has become- a fragmented segregation of ideologies that has algorithms using divide-and-conquer strategies.

How do you appropriately reach the people you need to persuade when there's numerous filters actively blocking those attempts of communication? I struggle with this thought a lot, as you run into people who simply say that choose escapism instead of participation in reality like

Originally posted by Good Night Owl:

I'm not going to drop games so I can actually go out and be a real "Dragonborn", screw that.

Originally posted by M a t t h a R:

think about how you do it... then do it, player.

You strike me as Belethor

Originally posted by Breathe:

Originally posted by NoRain :( 🗕 🗗 🗙:

That's sort of the issue I'm talking about, though. Consider how everyone that can enact change is kind of landlocked on their own little island that the internet has become- a fragmented segregation of ideologies that has algorithms using divide-and-conquer strategies.

How do you appropriately reach the people you need to persuade when there's numerous filters actively blocking those attempts of communication? I struggle with this thought a lot, as you run into people who simply say that choose escapism instead of participation in reality like

Find your people. It can be tricky but what are you passionate about? Do a search. Do some talking. Everyday make a goal of talking to x amount of people about something of value, so you can guage if their value(s) align with yours. Start building networks or joining existing ones. Your goal shouldn't be to change someone's mind. People don't appreciate being prached to. Instead, try cultivating the kind of environment you're looking to encourage.

That's a really good response.

Originally posted by Breathe:

Originally posted by NoRain :( 🗕 🗗 🗙:

That's sort of the issue I'm talking about, though. Consider how everyone that can enact change is kind of landlocked on their own little island that the internet has become- a fragmented segregation of ideologies that has algorithms using divide-and-conquer strategies.

How do you appropriately reach the people you need to persuade when there's numerous filters actively blocking those attempts of communication? I struggle with this thought a lot, as you run into people who simply say that choose escapism instead of participation in reality like

Find your people. It can be tricky but what are you passionate about? Do a search. Do some talking. Everyday make a goal of talking to x amount of people about something of value, so you can guage if their value(s) align with yours. Start building networks or joining existing ones. Your goal shouldn't be to change someone's mind. People don't appreciate being prached to. Instead, try cultivating the kind of environment you're looking to encourage.

For example, I'm passionate about how the economy has deteriorated- and only continues to deteriorate because people haven't been taught critical thinking skills like statistics for example. If people could visualise how the world itself has deteriorated on the backs of billionaires while others starve or work an excess of 40 hours a week to still be in debt, we'd have immediate change. The issue stems from people actively choosing to not participate in those changes, as they've been complacent/subservient for fear of repercussion. We're farming wage-slaves with the current education system, and internet.

I'm not talking about preaching per se, but even opening a dialogue in a setting where people can actually participate. The internet as we know it now produces so many unnecessary hurdles on purpose to keep people this subservient. It sounds like I'd more or less be able to cultivate my own landlocked internet island of x ideology, but that still doesn't reach the neighbouring islands. I agree, doing something is better than doing nothing, but it still doesn't address the issue of the overall efficacy of these divide-and-conquer strategies- they're clearly effective

This is a very good question and I wish I could do better than answer it as I see it.

This question could be asked anywhere and in any group forum anywhere on the internet and is not specific to gamers per se. It applies to all of us.

I'm not sure the 'escapism over living' even makes sense but I do think at the heart of this thread just asks why are we being apathetic while the world is burning in so many ways.

As I said from the start I wish I could be more positive. I have said in the past that apathy is rife and optimism is low for all sorts of reasons amongst the youth who in an ideal western world be more patriotic but these days fear of doing their duty seems to be an 'not me' option.

My final point is what OP do you think we should do or even can do other than offer up ones services. The rest of us have no powers to make any difference.

I see below my post will be irrelevant . Never mind

Originally posted by mara:

i only care about positively influencing my environnent i dont care about the rest. most people are enjoying the comfort of their lives and have no reason to change...

https://www.ubs.com/content/sites/global/en/family-office-uhnw/reports/global-wealth-report-2023/exploring/jcr:content/mainpar/toplevelgrid/col1/innergrid_1149813921_761847739/xcol1/textimage_copy_18971_858336208/image.580.png/1692949950972.png

The top 1.1% of the global population, classified by having an excess of $1,000,000 USD, control 45.8% of the global economy.

The next bracket down, 12% classified by owning an excess of $100,000 but less than $1,000,000 USD, they control the near remaining 39.4% of the global economy.

Let's think about those two brackets alone. The top 13.1% of the population owning and consequently controlling 85.2% of the global economy is atrocious.

Let's dissect the last 2 brackets now- this is where it gets abysmal.

34.4%, classified by having an excess of $10,000 and less than $100,000 USD, they have control of 13.6% of the global economy.

Now, the real ridiculousness- the bottom 52.5% of the world who has less than $10,000 USD, they only control 1.2% of the global economy.

How are we still continuing a world where more than half of the global population controls 1.2% of the money? This is dystopian, and it definitely isn't the result of the majority of people enjoying the comfort of their own lives; it's the fact that money is power and power enacts change- when tyranny reigns, there's no effective way to enact change

I can't think of anything that wouldn't involve chaos. Chaos is the salt-shaker of change, and there's not much need to prod it out of the woodwork ~ it'll come to you.

Originally posted by Frankie:

This is a very good question and I wish I could do better than answer it as I see it.

This question could be asked anywhere and in any group forum anywhere on the internet and is not specific to gamers per se. It applies to all of us.

I'm not sure the 'escapism over living' even makes sense but I do think at the heart of this thread just asks why are we being apathetic while the world is burning in so many ways.

As I said from the start I wish I could be more positive. I have said in the past that apathy is rife and optimism is low for all sorts of reasons amongst the youth who in an ideal western world be more patriotic but these days fear of doing their duty seems to be an 'not me' option.

My final point is what OP do you think we should do or even can do other than offer up ones services. The rest of us have no powers to make any difference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20LuSlZT4S4

Apes alone.. weak. Apes together.. strong!

This is why I specifically said persuade- not to persuade people to my ideologies, but to persuade them out of chronic escapism and disengagement from reality. It's exactly as you said:

Originally posted by Frankie:

The rest of us have no powers to make any difference.

It's that mindset that people are alone- the people alive today who've had to go to school and socialize around things like social media know just how alienating of an experience it really is. Most of us probably spend our day alone, sat in-front of a screen, engaging in faux-companionship video-games at large have to offer that real life doesn't.

It doesn't have to be that way. People just need to pick their heads up, zoom out and see the bigger picture. If you look at your own personal steam hours (everyone) consider that you really were most likely alone in a room staring at a screen- not actually doing whatever it was in the game you were doing. I feel people have adopted a pragmatic disillusionment to maintain some semblance of sanity; and for this, I cannot blame them. Alienation does that to people. However, continuing to do this only continuation via inaction

Originally posted by TwisterCat:

I can't think of anything that wouldn't involve chaos. Chaos is the salt-shaker of change, and there's not much need to prod it out of the woodwork ~ it'll come to you.

My unfortunate thinking.

Hard not to adopt the Sic Semper Tyrannis mindset when we're so far over the edge