does your level of expertise in a certain subject affect how you watch films/ play games etc

[shootthebandit]

my day job is an aircraft mechanic so i know a lot about how aircraft systems operate (mostly military but i have knowledge of civilian aircraft too). however this can have a knock on effect when watching films or playing games that involve aircraft (more so films) because it breaks immersion when i watch aircraft films and think to myself "that wouldnt happen because of the [insert name of component/system that would prevent it]". it also pisses of friends and family when you point this out

i was wondering if you guys had a job or a hobby or even a keen interest in a specific subject which allows you to spot these sort of things

 

[DoPo]

Yes, it really bugs me.

I think plenty of people will agree about "gaming" being an immersion breaker. Most recently I heard an ad on the radio that went off to list several things you could do with [some internet] accompanied by appropriate sounds, so for example there was "Watch movies <insert some popular "mystery" music>" but right after came "Play online games ". I couldn't take the ad seriously afterwards.

Other than that - computers. I mean, I don't want them to get totally real but at least don't have the hackers "guess" passwords. By typing really quickly or something. Also, don't call them "hackers", please. Really, I'm not strict with wath breaks immersion, it's just the really stupid stuff. And there is a lot, usually.

 

[Dango]

Kind of. I like to write, so when a game is serious and has absolutely horrible writing it really gets to me.

 

[Luftwaffles]

my day job is an aircraft mechanic so i know a lot about how aircraft systems operate (mostly military but i have knowledge of civilian aircraft too). however this can have a knock on effect when watching films or playing games that involve aircraft (more so films) because it breaks immersion when i watch aircraft films and think to myself "that wouldnt happen because of the [insert name of component/system that would prevent it]". it also pisses of friends and family when you point this out

i was wondering if you guys had a job or a hobby or even a keen interest in a specific subject which allows you to spot these sort of things

Being interested in firearms and how they work

Like...cocking the gun every single time. And how in terminator 2 you can clearly see Arnie using slugs based on the colour of his shells. How you can sometimes see the crimped tops of blank shells.

Not common though, reckon plenty of people do this

 

[Hero in a half shell]

This often came up when we'd watch movies together at my university.

The funniest time it happened was watching the newest Superman movie, during the scene where Lois Lane is in a jet, it falls out of the sky, superman grabs it and the wings rip off. At that stage an aeronautical engineer piped up and said, "As a trainee pilot, I can reliably say that that plane can no longer fly." Much laughter was had.

Other points where Die Hard 4.0: An electronics engineer pointing out that the power regulation centres are never on the same site as the main power hubs with all the fuel, because that would mean if there was an explosion the whole country would be screwed (which happened in the film).
And everyone called out the implausibility of Indiana Jones surviving a flipping nuke by hiding in a fridge, then we just ripped the rest of the film to shreds.

I do like to try and work out all the mysteries and plot twists though, and I get really bummed if the actual solution is something too nonsensical or too unrealistic to actually be plausibly guessed.

 

[Rylot]

Can't remember the name of the movie but it takes place in British controlled Hong Kong and was mostly in Chinese with subtitles. I really enjoyed it right up until the 'British' extras started having a few lines here and there. Most of the main British people spoke in an English that was perfectly understandable but the extras for some reason spoke a horrible distorted version that just made me go wft? Enjoyed the movie over all but those few scenes were killed for me.

Also I walked in on my roommate watching the last bit of Battle LA. He'd enjoyed it up to that point but after I spent the whole rest of the movie trashing how horribly unbelievable and retarded it was he could barely finish it. Now when ever someone ruins something that someone was previously enjoying we call it 'BattleLAing' it. As in: 'I was enjoying that book until Sandra battleLAed it for me."

Edit: I have absolutely no military training nor any no how on current military tactics and I was still calling bullshit every few seconds.

 

[Private Custard]

my day job is an aircraft mechanic so i know a lot about how aircraft systems operate (mostly military but i have knowledge of civilian aircraft too). however this can have a knock on effect when watching films or playing games that involve aircraft (more so films) because it breaks immersion when i watch aircraft films and think to myself "that wouldnt happen because of the [insert name of component/system that would prevent it]". it also pisses of friends and family when you point this out

i was wondering if you guys had a job or a hobby or even a keen interest in a specific subject which allows you to spot these sort of things

Aircraft enthusiast, and yes, things piss me off a lot of the time!

Also, I'm a biker, so whenever I see a chase involving a bike and a car, I know for a fact that there's no way in hell that the chase would last more than ten seconds (matrix reloaded and Mission Impossible 2, I'm looking at you!!)!

 

[Wyes]

Physics student and I do historical fencing (i.e. historically correct techniques for using real swords, none of this smallsword/foil/car aerial crap ) so I get a doubly whammy.

The bad physics sometimes I'll give a pass, because plenty of the time it's done for stylistic reasons or for the sake of the narrative. Plus sometimes, they actually get it (mostly) right!

The bad swordplay however really irks me, especially because it's really easy to do right! I can count on a single hand how many good/remotely realistic swordfights I've seen in a movie on one hand and still have at least 2 fingers left over. It's annoying because there are 2 mistakes that are almost universal; fighting far too close, and launching attacks that are only ever going to hit the person's sword rather than the person's person.

 

[nifedj]

Like some others, I'm a physics student (actually I'm about to become one) so pseudoscience can get on my nerves a bit. For others in my position, you might be interested in getting the DVD of the Danny Boyle movie Sunshine - it has a commentary from professor Brian Cox, who worked as the film's science advisor, which offers a really interesting perspective on how the film handles scientific issues. That film is a rare example of my knowledge in a subject making it more enjoyable - there's a particular scene in the movie where Cillian Murphy, playing a physicist, escapes a predicament using an ingenious piece of actual correct physics. I appreciated that scene more because I understood the science.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

Depends on the type of film. I don't really care about physics or biology mistakes in a superhero film; after all these are films with people flying under their own power; no need to get pissy about it. Ultimately, plot and character must come first, though it's nice when they do get things right.

Oh, except Dinosaurs. I'm a bit of a perfectionist on Dinosaur facts.

 

[Phasmal]

Not really... I mean, some things do bother me but I try to ignore them.
Though occasionally I will kind of derail my attention away from the film by thinking `Didn't they test that on Mythbusters?`

 

[FalloutJack]

Uhhh, no.

Everything I've acquired in my years at college do not tend to ruin stuff for me...because I am a writer, and I believe in the fun of the story, the amusement of narrative, and the wonder of WHY NOT. I have a good suspension of disbelief in that sense. Except when the game cheats. That's just dirty.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

Uhhh, no.

Everything I've acquired in my years at college do not tend to ruin stuff for me...because I am a writer, and I believe in the fun of the story, the amusement of narrative, and the wonder of WHY NOT. I have a good suspension of disbelief in that sense. Except when the game cheats. That's just dirty.

This guy. This guy gets what he's saying.

 

[rosac]

I study psychology. I find forensic psychology drama thrilling, but they are complete and utter bullshit.

 

[Denamic]

Whenever something computer-related happens on TV, it's almost always rage inducing.
Computers doesn't beep constantly, and code doesn't move around.
And computers doesn't fucking explode because of tremors.
Holy shit that pisses me off.

 

[Hoplon]

It's mostly internal consistency for me, something can not work the same as the real world but it needs to work that way all the time in that world.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Only if the film is trying to take itself seriously...but that happens a lot.

It's also very annoying if it wouldn't have taken any more effort to have gotten right, but they just assumed the audience is too stupid to notice.

 

[BlackStar42]

I definitely wouldn't call myself an expert, but I have studied A-level Geography. I can no longer watch The Day After Tomorrow without ripping it to shreds. Mr. Bay, if you're reading this: CLIMATE CHANGE TAKES THOUSANDS OF YEARS, NOT A FEW DAYS. Also, HURRICANES DO NOT WORK THAT WAY.

 

[Sandjube]

I'm studying editing and proofreading at the moment, so I'm noticing plentiful mistakes on or in just about every product conceivable. It's quite interesting how you notice those things so much more when you know what you're looking for. So far I've mentally corrected: newspaper articles, a description on the back of a packet of darts, my work's catalogue, a brochure, a poster, and a website. And that was all in one week.

So basically, yes, studying correct grammar, spelling and punctuation is affecting how I perceive everyday text.

Also I feel obligated to point out that I'm a little insulted that my captcha is "get well". Being a Grammar Nazi wasn't an illness last I checked.