Any gamers around here?

[Hydra009]

New horizons await.

[Hydra009]

++CONNECTING....
CONNECTION_ESTABLISHED 8.8.8.8 255.255.255.0
SEQ 42
DATABURST_TRANSMISSION_$Name&Rev.00alpha1 // audio=1 // video=1
destination port(s) 80, 443
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FIN++

Very good mirroring of the mechanicus mantra from the first game!

[SoldierofFortune]

I am not really into gaming, and I find gaming pretty time consuming activity which you can't gain anything other than pleasure. But my mind has changed about it after I discovered that some games has behind them some really fascinating philosophy and science. And If I don't like some subcultures, then there is something I don't understand about them.

I have been studying neuroscience for some time and come to the conclusion that the fate of mind in the universe lies in the silicon chips rather than in meat and flesh.

[Unbeliever]

I play a game I got from the play store, called Physics Balls. It's a bit like pinball on super steroids!
You start with one ball, but that quickly becomes two, then three, and pretty soon you have a whole big pile of balls with which to play. My current high score is 161,000.
I like bouncy balls, so this is very satisfying.

[Hydra009]

I am not really into gaming, and I find gaming pretty time consuming activity which you can't gain anything other than pleasure. But my mind has changed about it after I discovered that some games has behind them some really fascinating philosophy and science.

This one has an insane mismash of religious dogmatism and magical thinking and techno-anthropomorphism combined with transhumanism and plasma cannons.  They're simultaneously the most dedicated and determined and resilient people ever and also the most closed-minded and backwards with deep and pervasive flaws in their thinking.

The Necrons are straight up omnicidal pharohs who formerly served what were essentially godlike yet physical beings who eat hope.

I have been studying neuroscience for some time and come to the conclusion that the fate of mind in the universe lies in the silicon chips rather than in meat and flesh.

++My Cognitators register delight that you have discovered this simple truth but dismay that you have you have discovered this by heretical methodology rather than a rigid application of holy dogma, as instructed by Martian Scholams.  An explorator fleet with a suitable war host is already assembling++

[SoldierofFortune]

This one has an insane mismash of religious dogmatism and magical thinking and techno-anthropomorphism combined with transhumanism and plasma cannons.  They're simultaneously the most dedicated and determined and resilient people ever and also the most closed-minded and backwards with deep and pervasive flaws in their thinking.

The Necrons are straight up omnicidal pharohs who formerly served what were essentially godlike yet physical beings who eat hope.
++My Cognitators register delight that you have discovered this simple truth but dismay that you have you have discovered this by heretical methodology rather than a rigid application of holy dogma, as instructed by Martian Scholams.  An explorator fleet with a suitable war host is already assembling++

I'm unfamiliar with the jargon of that particular game.

Are you happy in your escapism in such a world building gaming genre?

[Hydra009]

I'd push back on regarding fiction/interaction fiction (narrative-driven games) as merely a pleasurable diversion or form of escapism.  While it doesn't serve an obvious practical purpose, forms of play do allow people some sort of cathartic thrill, create opportunities for teamwork and social bonding, engage one's creative juices and strategic thinking, and allow one to explore otherwise very sensitive topics without any real personal risk.  And yes, they also do allow for a much-needed escape from the drudgery and existential horror of everyday life.

And to zoom out real quick, so much of the culture that makes up a civilization can be chalked up to mankind's storytelling capacity.  Myths, holidays, cultural heroes, urban legends, cryptids, even often proverbs - it's all made up.  It's all an exercise in imagination.  Fiction is the cornerstone of civilization.

[Hydra009]

And yes, I enjoy it immensely.

One of my favorite moments with those red-robed machine cultists is when their gigantic spaceship came under attack by unknown aliens.  The aliens managed to board the ship undetected and launched a surprise attack on the main reactor room, killing all but one of the techpriests tending to the reactors before the guards could respond and occupy them in pitched battle.

The remaining techpriest had to do the work of his five fallen comrades, lest the reactors become unstable and detonate, immediately killing everyone onboard and a large part of the solar system (osha is not a thing in this setting).  With his cybernetic body, he had to single-handedly compute enormous calculations and rapidly make adjustments, but the strain was too much for even his augmented body to withstand.  His flesh-and-machine brain cycled at dizzying rates, generating huge amounts of waste heat.  Despite his cooling systems whirling as fast as they possibly could, his blood started to boil.  His cooling systems formed a ring of hoarfrost around him, freezing him in place as he worked frenetically, oblivious to the pitched battle raging around him.  His remaining flesh-and-blood eye popped and hot blood poured down his robe only to freeze in place - only the robotic parts of his body were still alive at this point and his remaining cybernetic eye was still functional.

Finally, reinforcements were able to force the aliens to retreat and a new squad of techpriests tended to the reactors.  Miraculously, the reactors were all still intact, kept from even the slightest damage.  The lone techpriest was barely recognizable - a scorched/icy statue frozen in place, utterly unmoving.  The other techpriests briefly noted his condition and continued their work.  Servants came by and carted away the body to be incinerated along with other debris without ceremony or reflection.  But in the bowels of the ship, there was a new alcove and in that alcove, a statue in the likeness of that techpriest, surrounded by lit candles.  A new saint.