Recently mask mandates have been lifted on public transportation and indoors. Some people are upset but I think it's time we give people the freedom of choice. You can wear a mask if you want to but you can't expect everyone to keep wearing them. They're uncomfortable and really change the way you interact with people. One of the weirdest things I read the other day was a Facebook friend who was talking about people being assholes because they aren't wearing masks indoors. I totally understand his opinion but this is coming from a guy who is extremely liberal and seems to be always fighting for the rights of people. I guess you could say he is fighting for the rights of the people at risk but what about all the other people. Do they just keep doing what they're told because a small portion of the population is at risk? In the immortal words of Spock "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". You might think I'm heartless but you have to think about people's health mentally also. Being stuck inside for years now has certainly had a strain on my mental health. I want to enjoy my life while I have the chance to. Living abroad during the pandemic means that I haven't seen my family in more than two years. I feel more and more distant from old friends. I still have to deal with all of these restrictions going in and out of Japan even though the same virus exists in Japan and the USA. More than ever what we need is Freedom of Choice.
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The metaverse is happening. People are going to start going to more and more digital or virtual events. The pandemic has definitely jump started the progress. The ability to go to large events feels to be gone for the time being and so we stay inside but humans don't work that way. Staying inside makes stress build up in our heads. How do we relieve that stress? There are many options but probably one of the most popular is playing video games.
A few days ago the weather was nice and I was asked if I wanted to go out somewhere and I said no. I just got Death Stranding for the PS4 and decided that I would focus on playing that game for the day. I think since I am the only one in my family who plays video games people don't really understand it. I think for people who have never played video games it's easy to think that it's a waste of time. I even sometimes think the same thing but in this modern age I think it's time to think about what is really a waste of time. I think passive and active activities are a really easy way to distinguish what type of person someone is. For the past few years I have never been the type of person who just watches a TV show on netflix or anything like that. The last show I got really into was game of thrones and years later looking back at the show I don’t think it’s as amazing as I used to. In gaming terms the replay factor is very low. I find that to be very true with most tv shows. Even something like breaking bad which I loved. Once the plot is over and you know the character arch there isn’t a real reason to watch it again. Then you have to compare that to video games. With video games your actions define what is happening in the world. Thus each type you play the game there is a chance for another experience. Right now companies are releasing more and more content because they don’t have to worry about a time slot for when the show is going to be on or who is going to sponsor the show because everything has become based around streaming. Because we don’t have to worry about a schedule there is no sense of urgency about watching a show. I remember when I was young and I would wait for 8pm on Sunday to watch the simpsons. I don’t think there are any shows like that anymore, at least for me. For the past two years games have been an escape for me. An escape from endless time on my hands. The genre doesn’t really matter to me. As long as I feel immersed in another place I can enjoy myself. It seems strange to say escape though because I still exist in the real world and I actually enjoy interacting with other people when I play online. No one says they are escaping from the world when they play a sport or practice an instrument. So why do I feel this sense of quilt when I play games. Is it because society has given me this deep seeded feeling that games are bad? An opinion formed more than 40 years ago when pong was the most popular video game. There are many games which I consider to be life changing. They reformed the way I look and interact with the world. The music and visuals are at a level that I think a lot of TV shows and movies can’t compete with. I live and die with the characters. Video games give us a chance to be someone else, not just to watch them. To understand the drive of another person and their world. You can take the things you learned from the experience and improve your life also. I don’t think video games mean you are lazy either. The amount of mental focus you have to have to play modern video games is no joke. Also the drive to move through huge worlds. So the next thing I have to wonder is will the meta verse and gaming become the same thing. Right now traditional video games are still the most popular but what about in another 10 years. Are we going to be using VR all the time and interacting with people all over the world? The internet has opened up the world to us. We can interact with anyone who has access to it. I have heard of people giving money and help to their online gaming friends and even emotional support. Working together and having a feeling of a team doesn’t have to just exist in jobs and sports. It can exist in your mind or in a game. Our perception of gaming is going to change. Especially with the next generation who grew up playing video games online. |