Would young men be rioting in the streets if they didn’t have video games to pacify them?

Hear me out.

We are seeing record levels of young men unemployed and living with their parents: The future for them is bleak. Saddled with college debt, they can barely get a job that pays miimum wage, while living independently is forever out of reach.

I feel like at other points of history, there would be more social unrest, but things are exceedingly calm given the economics.

I was watching a video by Healthy Gamer, a gamer bro-turned psychiatrist. He points out that video games are very addictive and seductive because they MIMIC accomplishment. You can grind to get to the next level, you can gain new skills, you are continually put on a treadmill of constant progress. It’s very satisfying in a hollow way, satisfying in a way that might make you forget that society has nothing to offer you but debt and homelessness after you followed all the rules.

Are video games weapons of mass distraction, the metaphysical equivalent of a million Christians being fed to a million lions every day?

  • slazer2au@lemmy.world
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    13 days ago

    Would young men be rioting in the streets if they didn’t have video games to pacify them?

    No, because humans have been around for thousands of years and video games have been around for less then 100.

    • schipelblorp@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      13 days ago

      Is English your first language? Did you read the entire post? Are you capable of keeping more than one idea in your short term memory at a time?

      • slazer2au@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        When an initial premis is false and can be disproved by a cursory glance at history, no manner of supporting evidence will change the outcome.

        • schipelblorp@sh.itjust.worksOP
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          13 days ago

          Me: “X and Y have always gone to together. Yet now we have X and Z but not Y. Coincidence?”

          Your valid point: “Actually, we’ve only had Z for less than 100 years, so, no. Obviously.”

          Legend for the reading-impaired:

          X: Economic despair
          Y: Social unrest
          Z: Video games

          Seriously, what the fuck, Lemmy?