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I wanna live an NPC life

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Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#191

Post by armada651 »

ikesau wrote: post #2

To make the most facile counterpoint - the reason the Skyrim blacksmith doesn't care if the main character slays dragons is because they weren't programmed to. There aren't consequences either way. To the extent that this post is meant to be inspiring, it only works if you're an NPC in a static world that has no real consequences - where you actually can live your life in a static loop because nothing will change. Wh…

> To make the most facile counterpoint - the reason the Skyrim blacksmith doesn't care if the main character slays dragons is because they weren't programmed to. There aren't consequences either way.

In the actual game, NPCs do care, in fact they often won't shut up about it. They just don't let it affect their lives, which is the point the OP is making.

> When the metaphorical dragon comes to burn down your village, are you going to shrug and go back to looping your hammer_nail_03 animation?

When such a disaster strikes a village those are often scripted events that do change the loops of the NPCs previously inhabiting the village. They are programmed to adapt to a new cycle of rebuilding the village or even assisting the main character in dealing with the threat.

It's funny that the assumption is the NPCs don't care about anything that happens in the world when there are games with NPCs engaging in entire rebellions against their oppressors. It's just that NPCs don't care beyond their immediate objectives being fulfilled. Once the rebellion succeeds and the tyrant is overthrown most of them just settle back into their usual loop.

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#194

Post by dwoldrich »

NPC's have no agency. They're lines in the main character's story and otherwise forgotten.

There is a negative karma to putting this kind of nihilistic message out into the world. Obviously everyone should shoot for the stars, not the dirt. The goal is to give one's life meaning and purpose. If the job is a snooze, adjust your aim. Treasure your family and start your own if you are able. Life will be infinitely more interesting and meaningful when you take on that special burden.

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#195

Post by tempo123456 »

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #171
marssaxman wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your body is, maybe, but we're not all the same. Making my body sit still and do nothing requires sustained, focused attention; action is the comfort state, and idleness the burden.

Meanwhile, my idleness is so ingrained that sometimes I can't even make myself do the things I WANT to do, like load up a game that I've been wanting to play. And I'm just tired...all the time. I do nothing and still I'm exhausted.

Do you know why? It might be worth figuring out. For me is is mild ME/CFS but for you maybe not (a good tell for CFS is if doing any exercise at all e.g. 1km walk makes you feel rough later. Not delayed muscle soreness or a stitch but more like a flu say).

So many other things are possible like iron, thyroid, sleep apnea, ADHD, depression or burnout, long COVID, tropical illness. Maybe more.

Finally it is totally morally OK not to be a 100% productive worker bee. A "cure" is not necessary but might be worth rabbit holing if you desire and have the energy.

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#196

Post by ms_menardi »

oilkillsbirds wrote: post #27

This is pure escapism. Numbing yourself to the burden of being. Likely from a stress tolerance so shallow and under-developed that the slightest inconvenience or expectation feels like a crisis. The truth is that after the brief initial relief of excusing yourself from being anything at all, you'll end up in a deep depression. It's a naive and immature fantasy. Remove all electronics from your life, they are a consta…

a low stress tolerance and a highly sensitized stress reaction can often look the same. If someone is hurt repeatedly in the same way, they will react when a stimuli that reminds them of it comes near. Similarly, people who are constantly stressed out often develop things like "learned helplessness", where they are incapable of solving their problems because they've failed, been rejected, or told no so many times that they stop trying.

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#197

Post by Nition »

detourdog wrote: post #137
sharmajai wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the movie suggestion, looks very interesting, will check it out. Also, the Pixar movie Soul has a similar message.

Another cultural reference to this idea is the song Heaven by Talking Heads. Nothing ever happens. Annoyed that npc is not defined in the post. Non-playing character.

I feel it necessary to make a slight pedantic correction here, since we're officially defining it. It's Non-Player Character.

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#198

Post by bluefirebrand »

kulahan wrote: post #115
BeetleB wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Escapism. You SHOULD feel like you have to do some stuff. This word keeps coming up, coupled with things unrelated. The OP isn't saying "do nothing". He's saying "do what you want to do". If he wants to study mathematics, that's neither escapism nor "doing nothing".

The extreme majority of people don’t have some secret massive project they want to do and are weirdly choosing not to. There’s only one way to interpret this.

Most people's "secret massive project they want to work on" is their family

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#199

Post by m463 »

I kind of think the author is attempting to say - don't live your life governed by a script/external expectations.

that said, it is ok to drive a non-boring car, or be dovahakiin.

Re: I wanna live an NPC life

#200

Post by hirshi »

Aren't we all just NPCS in each other's lives? Accepting that you're an NPC is just stating the obvious. Idk about y'all but I'm tryna get to at least side character status lol.
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