So anyway, In the chatroom, I mentioned I could probably come up with an existential analysis of the Absurdity of DnD...... Fernin asked me to elaborate, but I am too damn tired right now. Instead, I'm posting my take on how Grand Theft Auto and real life are similar, in an existencialist sense.... or something like that. What set me off was the guy saying I don't ever want video games to end. These were all comments on a friend's Facebook status, So I'm removing all names but my own...
(no name)
"...not being able to keep living is really the main down-side of death."
4 hours ago · Comment · Like
James Richard Hall III at 12:27am June 19
There are however, many more upsides. Existence is Absurd.
(no name) at 12:28am June 19
your ass is absurd. on that unintelligent note, please, no high school english use over the summer thank you.
James Richard Hall III at 12:31am June 19
Everything is absurd. Life is absurd. Love is absurd. The only thing certain is death. Why stall it?
(no name) at 12:54am June 19
because life can be fun if you make it. you gotta enjoy it.
keep pushing the boulders up, it'll be worth it in the end.
(no name) at 1:26am June 19
you stall death because nobody ever wants an end. you of all people jimmy should understand this. when youre playing a videogame, do you ever truly want it to end? NO. you want to find out what happens next, but when the end comes there's this overwhelming sense of emptiness, like there should still be more.
life is a journey, not a goal. enjoy the journey, and don't rush for the inevitable goal
(My Analysis Starts Here)
James Richard Hall III at 5:02am June 19
A few things: it is unwise to make the generalization that nobody wants an end to their lives. Why else do people commit suicide? Because they want to live longer? And when the end of my absurd life comes to pass, I will not be in any way able to feel the immaterial emotions I had clung to, I would not be able to percieve physical pain I avoided at all costs. For my consiousness will simply cease to exist. The world around my body will not matter to me, and cannot matter to me becuase I will have no awareness to care about anything.
On the topic of video games, I do wish for an end to them. Would Mother 3 be as incredibly good without the heartbreaking ending? Would Chrono Trigger have been as good if the Player never confronted the final boss, Lavos? Would Super Mario Bros. be fun if the princess was perpetually in another castle? Not really. I wish to know what happens at the end. Similar to immortality, an endless game would get tiresome, and boring, and lose what meaning the player has given it. In fact, 'God Mode" cheats used in games often speed up the process. The player would cease to play the game in question, which would be analogous to suicide.
Let's throw in a little Video Game Theory, shall we? A final goal is essential to any video game, otherwise it is not a game. However, under certain modes of gameplay, such as that of the Grand Theft Auto games (in which the player is not forced to follow the storyline at all) there can be goals other than those set by the developers: goals set by players. I suppose one could say this many, if not all humans are subject to this 'mode of existence'..... because we live in what can be considered a sandbox environment; we are free to set our own goals. not have them chosen for us.
Ultimately, the VG Player will either meet his goals or will not. this is meaningless however; for the game console will eventually be shut down.... Much like real life. Each of us will either meet our goals, or fail. But it all means nothing in the end. We WILL die. What we do with our lives is ultimately meaningless. Even if we somehow learn to cheat death, if we find the "God Mode" of life, we will lose the meaning we have put into existence...
I suppose one could say a sandbox videogame is an accurate emulation of existence, albeit being a faster reproduction............ How absurd.....
[/analysis]
Tell me what you think.
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