Mindless sheep...

[XIxDAxREAPERxIX]

Hello. This is my first time I have myself posted on the Escapist's forum, but I have read many of the varying topics on which many Escapists have posted in, and I have noticed in these posts both adept sensitivity and intelligence and what seems to be a complete and utter lack of a frontal lobe. Saying this, I do enjoy reading the posts of many of the forum's users because I find their way with words much more intelectual than that of most of the people I know. This may be simply because I am only 13, and so therefore the people with which I share my life will, clearly, not be as mentally mature as to dicuss such topics in such a manner that is more debate than argument. However, I am wavering off-topic...

What I wish to discuss in this thread is wether it is the majority of humans who are simply consumer slaves or the minority who have this opinion (myself for one) should simply bay to the ever growing masses.

For example, many of my friends play Call of Duty. And by play, I mean devote their lives to. This does slightly annoy me that these people ignore the more imaginative and inovative areas of the fast-expanding market of games available to them and opt for a repetitive, boring grin of kill, kill, die with the occasional objective and no more variety than so. Now, don't get me wrong, the Call of Duty series is not a bad one, hence its great success, I just simply do not understand why people look on it as a god-send and therefore devote many days of their lives to it. Ok, they can do what they want with their free time, and I'm cool with that. What I'm not cool with is when they become aggresive towards me for not sharing their views on such games as being divine and worthy of an unhealthy amount of my time. A recent experience I had is a "friend" of mine trying to start an argument with me simply because he couldn't see why I was on Skate 3 (one of if not my favourite game) when I apparently shold have been playing Black Ops. His reasoning? Nobody played Skate 3 anymore and everyone was on Black Ops. In short, because I wasnt doing what everyone else was doing, I was wrong?

This is the question I want you to ask yourselves; Should we all give in to the masses and ourselves become mindless Lemmings ripe for consumery harvesting or should we break away from the expected and do things that may not be looked on as usual? After all, if everyone's doing it, that makes it the best, no?

Discuss :3

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

Lemmings was a pretty awesome game.

 

[TaboriHK]

You're way too young to be worrying about mindless masses. Let that be your source of adult depression like the rest of us.

 

[XIxDAxREAPERxIX]

Yes, we should all give into the mindless masses because clearly they have no upper brain functions and simply do what they are told to do. Meanwhile all the geniuses of the world sit on their computers thinking how superior they are on Friday nights.

It seems you have misunderstood my opinions. I do not see the "masses" as mindless slaves to the corporational giants, I simply do not understand why some people think that it's ok to have a go at someone simply because they do not share their point of view or that of the majority. I do not find it fair that ingenuity is often denied due to them thinking differently to how someone else and their friends do.

 

[Soviet Steve]

Lemmings was a pretty awesome game.

I never got to play that, could you tell me what it is about?

 

[XIxDAxREAPERxIX]

You're way too young to be worrying about mindless masses. Let that be your source of adult depression like the rest of us.

I see your reasoning, but I wish to find the answers to my universal questions before they can grow to the state of obsession.

 

[KEM10]

Lemmings was a pretty awesome game.

Oh man, I love lemmings. It is beyond wonderful. MARCH FORWARD YOU BRAVE LITTLE OPTIMISTS!!!

OT: If you are in the game for the multiplayer (CoD is known for this) then you have to keep moving up and out with the times.

 

[TerranReaper]

I don't see why people like you have to criticize these "mindless sheep" in what they do. I also don't get why you need to feel superior to those that enjoy playing Call of Duty, if they're playing it that much, there clearly must be a reason why they keep playing constantly instead of any other game. Don't get me wrong, your friends are also in the wrong for not accepting your views on games, but you don't seem to be any better than they are. Excuse my harshness, but you aren't the first one to post something like this.

 

[Weaver]

I think this was a well written post (especially for a 13 year old), however it contains an amazing example of a loaded question.

I do agree with you though. There are a ton of great games (especially in the indie market) which get little to no recognition, while CoD: The same game again sells 20 million copies. It's a shame, but it just goes to show you the power of mass market advertising. I don't condemn people who play just mainstream things, I just wish they would spread their wings a bit (for their own sake) and try some of the more creative aspects of our hobby.

 

[XIxDAxREAPERxIX]

Lemmings was a pretty awesome game.

Oh man, I love lemmings. It is beyond wonderful. MARCH FORWARD YOU BRAVE LITTLE OPTIMISTS!!!

OT: If you are in the game for the multiplayer (CoD is known for this) then you have to keep moving up and out with the times.

I'm not, though. I'm in the game for the experience and gameplay, which seems to have been replaced by many by and ever growing want to be better than others, be this only killing them on CoD.

 

[Nvv]

I see your reasoning, but I wish to find the answers to my universal questions before they can grow to the state of obsession.

Well, Universal questions have the tendency to be difficult. And if you're trying to answer them you might just add "Why can't we achieve world peace?" "Why can't we all just get along?" etc. to the list. You're not going to get universal answers anyhow.

 

[HT_Black]

I defer to the superior wisdom of the invisible corporate bourgeoisie. Not that I have a choice, but that's not the point.

Seriously, though, in my experience the highway and the road less traveled are the same thing: which is the say that they're simply paths from the embrace of the womb to the embrace of the grave. To trouble yourself over the opinions of others is to make yourself miserable and rob you of your status as a human being-- regardless of how, exactly, you treat them.

 

[XIxDAxREAPERxIX]

I don't see why people like you have to criticize these "mindless sheep" in what they do. I also don't get why you need to feel superior to those that enjoy playing Call of Duty, if they're playing it that much, there clearly must be a reason why they keep playing constantly instead of any other game. Don't get me wrong, your friends are also in the wrong for not accepting your views on games, but you don't seem to be any better than they are. Excuse my harshness, but you aren't the first one to post something like this.

I do not feel a want nor need to feel superior to my friends or any CoD player. In fact, I have myself one or twice spent a while playing Call od Duty. As I said, it isn't a bad game. I just don't understand why I am portrayed as inferior (when I am neither inferior nor superior but equal) due to not sharing the majority's views on gaming.

 

[TehOden]

Why does it matter whether we're mindless lemmings or not? If we have fun with a game and it makes us happy despite having played the same thing over and over already, why is that a bad thing? I thought games were about having fun, not about following or not following a crowd.

 

[drbarno]

If everyone was the same, the world would be boring, wouldn't it?
It's the difference's that make the world interesting.

 

[XIxDAxREAPERxIX]

Why does it matter whether we're mindless lemmings or not? If we have fun with a game and it makes us happy despite having played the same thing over and over already, why is that a bad thing? I thought games were about having fun, not about following or not following a crowd.

That is not what I'm asking, I'm asking wether it is right to be portrayed as inferior simply because u do not share the majority's point of view.

 

[Old Father Eternity]

Nowadays whenever I hear, see or read of the human fail, I experience 3 things 1. I think to myself *Freacking humans* and have a slight laugh 2. a round of slight depression that once again humanity has taken a step towards being screwed 3. a period of quite strong hatred, before I finaly say *Fck it all* and go about my usual buisness with again slightly less hope.
Applies to any action

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I really, really, really hope this is satire.

They're being aggressive with you for not liking CoD. Judging by the tone of your OP, you probably said something like "Why are you playing CoD, you mindless sheeple. You should play this other game, because I'm better than you." In which case, they would be justified in being aggressive towards you.

Sure, your one friend was a dumbass. The again, it sounds like you were talking over PSN/Live. It's entirely possible he was just exasperated by the fact he had no one to play Black Ops with and sent you a message that was easy to misinterpret. Typing with a controller is hard, so people tend to type whatever makes some sense and send it, rather than making sure the message is clear.

Regardless, liking a game does not make you any kind of sheep. For one thing, sheep are actually quite intelligent. For another, despite your superior attitude, you aren't any better than your friend. Congratulations, you noticed human beings tend to act in certain ways. So has everybody else. You're just as much of a "sheep" as your friend. You just act out of the norm enough to convince yourself you're different.

At least your friend is content. You've managed to convince yourself your different, without being different. Your friend is aware of where he is in life, and has learned to accept it.

 

[XIxDAxREAPERxIX]

Something that u would not have to suffer if the masses did not beleive themselves to be the one and only true way of life, when there is more to life than being like everyone else.