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I'm a 26 year old male and never got any deeper into video games than some intense rounds of Mario Kart in college. I've played others but generally lose inter

by saryant 10y ago

I'm a 26 year old male and never got any deeper into video games than some intense rounds of Mario Kart in college. I've played others but generally lose interest and move on quickly. Doubt I've played a video game in a few years at this point. What follows is likely senseless babbling and bullshit armchair pop psychology. The prevalence of video games among young men frightens me, in two ways: First, in the development of narcissism in teens. In so many video games, you play the hero—the one man left who can save the world! The fate of everything rests on you and you alone for those hours while you're plugged in. Pumping music, suspense, surprise and eventually reward. How can this not fuel the development of narcissism amongst growing boys? You play as the only person who can succeed and you're rewarded for that success, but without real-world troubles like concern for others' feelings. No, I'm not a psychiatrist, but can't we imagine that at least some boys become addicted to that sensation? My hypothesis is that video games in boys and teens can fuel narcissistic disorders. Not in all, but in some. That leads us to the second reason I'm frightened of the prevalence of video games. I recognize that as a man in a burgeoning industry (software) and a dynamic city (Boulder/Denver), I'm not subject to the same economic pressures as the average American male my age. My concern is that (by my first theory) we have a growing group of young men with narcissism problems. They are also coming of age in an economy which increasingly doesn't need them. Their job—and therefore romantic—prospects are poor. A large group of narcissistic men unable to find recognition at work or in love, yearning for the reward stimulation they once got from their Xbox. Most will muddle along, merely dissatisfied. Narcissists, of course, do not blame themselves for their problems. Those are the fault of others. So is it that much of a leap to imagine how this fuels movements like the alt-right? Certainly, unemployed men have been a source of strife throughout history. When I read the rhetoric of the alt-right, either their leaders or those who subscribe to the philosophy, it's impossible not to hear the language of revenge and envy. Revenge against not just successful individuals—those with careers, love, success, recognition, fueled by petty envy—but also revenge against the entire system that now conspires, supposedly, against these men, preventing them from achieving their proper position and the recognition they deserve. They see a society celebrating women, minorities, the educated, the talented and crave the same. Society does not celebrate them. So that society, therefore, must be abolished. Men are growing up with a desire for recognition, they are failing to find that recognition and that leads them to lash out. ---- Thus endeth my theory. It's probably a load of crap. But I'm also sure it describes some posters here on HN. I know it describes some friends of mine.

projektir 10y ago
> They are also coming of age in an economy which increasingly doesn't need them. Their job—and therefore romantic—prospects are poor. > Narcissists, of course, do not blame themselves for their problems. Those are the fault of others. I find this juxtaposition rather funny. What I find really odd is that you seem much more concerned about the results of this rather than what caused this trend in the first place.
- saryant 10y ago
  Fair critique. I was thinking of an acquaintance who fits the mould I described. He lives in a shithole town where the are no jobs and no prospects. He complains endlessly about how he'll never find a career. Why doesn't he take responsibility and move somewhere with an actual economy? I know he's not stupid. So why doesn't he try? And yes, I am more concerned about the results. Knowing how we got here is necessary but isn't going to change the future.
  - projektir 10y ago
    > And yes, I am more concerned about the results. Knowing how we got here is necessary but isn't going to change the future. I see this pattern a lot. People always seem to be concerned about the results. It's drastically inefficient. How is this different from saying you can't fix bugs right now because you need to work on features? Then you'll never fix any bugs. And if you focus on results, you'll never even notice a cause. And you'll always be fixing the big difficult problem and wondering why you never have any time and why everything is always bad. The result is a natural extension of the cause. If you don't like the result, address the cause. If you fail to address the cause, you deserve the result (not you literally but the relevant collective). So late in the process is too late to complain. Instead, go find the next cause, before all you're left with is results. > I was thinking of an acquaintance who fits the mould I described. He lives in a shithole town where the are no jobs and no prospects. He complains endlessly about how he'll never find a career. Why doesn't he take responsibility and move somewhere with an actual economy? I know he's not stupid. So why doesn't he try? There's not enough information in this paragraph, yet I find it trivial to think of possible explanations but here you're asking "why?", as if that's an interesting question (maybe he developed learned helplessness?). I will say that if you focus on blaming the individual, their motivations will close up to you completely and you will have significant trouble understanding them. "This person is just inferior" is an infinite black hole that can eat any and all cause while providing you with zero solutions. I've seen many times when there were obvious explanations, but a person was so engrossed in blame they just couldn't see them. When you focus on results and turn to blame, you effectively blind yourself to how the world operates, because there's nothing keeping in check how far you can assign blame. And after a while, the sheer amount of blame becomes cause itself. I bring up blame because your original post was full of blame of people, yet little blame for the cause itself.

by saryant 10y ago

projektir 10y ago

> They are also coming of age in an economy which increasingly doesn't need them. Their job—and therefore romantic—prospects are poor. > Narcissists, of course, do not blame themselves for their problems. Those are the fault of others. I find this juxtaposition rather funny. What I find really odd is that you seem much more concerned about the results of this rather than what caused this trend in the first place.

saryant 10y ago
Fair critique. I was thinking of an acquaintance who fits the mould I described. He lives in a shithole town where the are no jobs and no prospects. He complains endlessly about how he'll never find a career. Why doesn't he take responsibility and move somewhere with an actual economy? I know he's not stupid. So why doesn't he try? And yes, I am more concerned about the results. Knowing how we got here is necessary but isn't going to change the future.
- projektir 10y ago
  > And yes, I am more concerned about the results. Knowing how we got here is necessary but isn't going to change the future. I see this pattern a lot. People always seem to be concerned about the results. It's drastically inefficient. How is this different from saying you can't fix bugs right now because you need to work on features? Then you'll never fix any bugs. And if you focus on results, you'll never even notice a cause. And you'll always be fixing the big difficult problem and wondering why you never have any time and why everything is always bad. The result is a natural extension of the cause. If you don't like the result, address the cause. If you fail to address the cause, you deserve the result (not you literally but the relevant collective). So late in the process is too late to complain. Instead, go find the next cause, before all you're left with is results. > I was thinking of an acquaintance who fits the mould I described. He lives in a shithole town where the are no jobs and no prospects. He complains endlessly about how he'll never find a career. Why doesn't he take responsibility and move somewhere with an actual economy? I know he's not stupid. So why doesn't he try? There's not enough information in this paragraph, yet I find it trivial to think of possible explanations but here you're asking "why?", as if that's an interesting question (maybe he developed learned helplessness?). I will say that if you focus on blaming the individual, their motivations will close up to you completely and you will have significant trouble understanding them. "This person is just inferior" is an infinite black hole that can eat any and all cause while providing you with zero solutions. I've seen many times when there were obvious explanations, but a person was so engrossed in blame they just couldn't see them. When you focus on results and turn to blame, you effectively blind yourself to how the world operates, because there's nothing keeping in check how far you can assign blame. And after a while, the sheer amount of blame becomes cause itself. I bring up blame because your original post was full of blame of people, yet little blame for the cause itself.