Goonhub
09-16-2022, 03:13 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-16-2022, 03:20 AM by cyberTripping. Edited 2 times in total.
Edit Reason: response to second post
)
I wanted to avoid getting into this, which is why I deleted that last bit from my previous message, but I see that I need to elaborate.
You are concerned with the aesthetics of 'slavery', which you have largely divorced from the crueller aspects of actual historical slavery, while talking about the realities of labor under capital. Practically any argument discussing borgs as slaves could be turned on real life workers under capitalism. Even something as silly as silicon laws has its roots in material reality: If your boss, your superior, asks you to do something, you technically do have the free will as a human to refuse, but you wouldn't, because not doing it means no money and no money means freezing to death or starving. NanoTrasen is the stereotypical capitalist megacorp, and as such, being a borg resembles slavery because being a worker under capitalism resembles slavery. Look at Amazon warehouses, look at the plantations in central america that supply your local fast food joint's produce. This is just how capitalism operates. The setting of ss13 is also capitalist, as is many, many more settings based on the real world. Avoiding things "resembling slavery" in the superficial ways you've presented means entirely changing the entire game's setting, from the ground up.
Death is uncomfortable. Violent murders, especially, are uncomfortable. These are part of the game, and people understand that, and dont see the farty spaceman choking in a pool of blood like they would see a dying person. The reality of capitalism is uncomfortable. This is a part of the game's setting, and people understand that, and people have fun playing this game and doing whatever tasks even though they hate their actual job.
I'm trying to be polite with this part: If someone was squicked out by violence, the solution there is for them to just not play violent video games. Likewise, if someone is particularly distressed by the themes of dystopian capitalism presented in lots of sci-fi settings like SS13, they probably just shouldn't engage with that kinda dystopian capitalist sci-fi.
Edit: I wrote this post before seeing your second post. I just wanted to say I really do not appreciate the implication that criticisms arrived from the admins dictating everyone's thoughts. If everyone here triumphantly agreed with you, I might not have posted because it would mean rocking the boat, but I sure as hell would still think the things that I said here, admins be damned.
You are concerned with the aesthetics of 'slavery', which you have largely divorced from the crueller aspects of actual historical slavery, while talking about the realities of labor under capital. Practically any argument discussing borgs as slaves could be turned on real life workers under capitalism. Even something as silly as silicon laws has its roots in material reality: If your boss, your superior, asks you to do something, you technically do have the free will as a human to refuse, but you wouldn't, because not doing it means no money and no money means freezing to death or starving. NanoTrasen is the stereotypical capitalist megacorp, and as such, being a borg resembles slavery because being a worker under capitalism resembles slavery. Look at Amazon warehouses, look at the plantations in central america that supply your local fast food joint's produce. This is just how capitalism operates. The setting of ss13 is also capitalist, as is many, many more settings based on the real world. Avoiding things "resembling slavery" in the superficial ways you've presented means entirely changing the entire game's setting, from the ground up.
Death is uncomfortable. Violent murders, especially, are uncomfortable. These are part of the game, and people understand that, and dont see the farty spaceman choking in a pool of blood like they would see a dying person. The reality of capitalism is uncomfortable. This is a part of the game's setting, and people understand that, and people have fun playing this game and doing whatever tasks even though they hate their actual job.
I'm trying to be polite with this part: If someone was squicked out by violence, the solution there is for them to just not play violent video games. Likewise, if someone is particularly distressed by the themes of dystopian capitalism presented in lots of sci-fi settings like SS13, they probably just shouldn't engage with that kinda dystopian capitalist sci-fi.
Edit: I wrote this post before seeing your second post. I just wanted to say I really do not appreciate the implication that criticisms arrived from the admins dictating everyone's thoughts. If everyone here triumphantly agreed with you, I might not have posted because it would mean rocking the boat, but I sure as hell would still think the things that I said here, admins be damned.