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Laws of Fun (2009)

lesswrong.com

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Re: Laws of Fun (2009)

#3
> 15. Trying to compete on a single flat playing field with six billion other humans also creates problems. Our ancestors lived in bands of around 50 people. Today the media is constantly bombarding us with news of exceptionally rich and pretty people as if they lived next door to us; and very few people get a chance to be the best at any specialty.

This is why I say social media isn't fun, and it has always been a cruel spectacle of what happens when you throw average people into the ring of elite competiton. Fun is when you can afford the stakes. I don't think most people can actually afford to lose.

Re: Laws of Fun (2009)

#4
> 23. In general, tampering with brains, minds, emotions, and personalities is way more fraught on every possible level of ethics and difficulty, than tampering with bodies and environments. Always ask what you can do by messing with the environment before you imagine messing with minds.

This makes me think of political ideologies that are more focused on how people should act than on changing the shared environment to work better for people as they are

Re: Laws of Fun (2009)

#7
One thing I’ve surprised myself by discovering more than once: you have a very bad idea of what you will consider fun. Something can seem right up your alley on paper, and end up being extremely underwhelming in reality, or vice versa. Don’t talk yourself out of trying something because you think you’ll dislike it!

Re: Laws of Fun (2009)

#8
post #6
post #2

These are more guidelines than laws.

Did you really assume you'd see actual laws when you clicked on a link saying "31 laws of fun"?

Maybe they also expected something other than a guide on how to write "eutopian" stories, perhaps an essay on inner workings of humor or entertainment. I certainly did.

Re: Laws of Fun (2009)

#9
post #4

> 23. In general, tampering with brains, minds, emotions, and personalities is way more fraught on every possible level of ethics and difficulty, than tampering with bodies and environments. Always ask what you can do by messing with the environment before you imagine messing with minds. This makes me think of political ideologies that are more focused on how people should act than on changing the shared environment…

I completely agree. So much of political ideologies are focused on the should, rather than how to change our state machines input. I usually try to think how can we change our environment to make ourselves more fulfilled, but it seems like no one else does.

Re: Laws of Fun (2009)

#10
As a Christian, it would be very sad/disheartening if this author's description of "Christian Heaven" were actually supported by scripture. Aside from that, many of these ideas assume people to be completely self-centered and un-altruistic, which is often true, but I'd expect the ultimate fun to be more about shaking those bonds than attempting to accommodate them. From my view that requires changes both in the environment and in the individual.
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