Artificial Loneliness
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 พ.ย. 2019
- I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed,
nothing between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths
Support me: / jacobgeller
Follow me: / yacobg42
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Aristotle Roufanis photography- Alone Together: aristotle.photography/
Games shown: Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Breath of the Wild, Far Cry: Primal, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Super Mario Bros., The Witcher 3
Music used: Main Menu (Modern Warfare 2), Golden Ratio, On the Motorway (Dear Esther), It All Makes Sense Now, Blessed are the Peacemakers, By 1889 The Age of Outlaws and Gunslingers Was at an End (Red Dead Redemption 2), Born Unto Trouble (Red Dead Redemption 1), Prologue, Camp Approach (Firewatch)
Description Source: Sleeping in the Forest by Mary Oliver - เกม
“Loneliness is dangerous. It's addicting. Once you see how peaceful it is, you don't wanna deal with people.”
@Der Stürmer np
@Der Stürmer Its true tho im no edgy emo dude but i can assure you getting lost in your thoughts while being alone can be some of the best experiences you will ever have. Sitting there listening to the wind make the tree's rustle or the ocean quietly crashing on the beach while lost in your thoughts really shows you what type of person you are
@Der Stürmer Was ein cringe Name hahahaha
@@lamaosama9342 welch unangenehme Grammatik.
Facts
"Things don't have to be constantly happening to remind you of being alive."
Such a simple statement yet so reassuring.
I agree
YES
@@realityresearch2974 ya know. I don't not wanna be alive but I don't particularly enjoy living. The message here is that people don't need to be constantly doing stuff for society or themselves because as long as you are still here you are still alive. I think it applies more to those who don't want to be alive actually.
Which is why I always loved playing DayZ on empty servers. Wondering through the empty wilderness for long periods of time and coming across a small abandoned town to pick up a few things then keep on going was a very peaceful zen feeling. I wish there were more massive open word games where you're the only if not one of very few characters in the world, just exploring, no real objective, just chilling.
Really helpful, especially right now...
I always found it strangely satisfying not to be forced into doing the next mission, but also loved the fact that if you’re gone too long, a member of the gang will come and find you and remind you that there are people waiting on you. There are still things to be done, but you are by no means forced to go back.
i just know you can be anywhere but camp for too long because if you stay too long every time susan comes across you she berates you for being lazy and talks about how you used to be such a go-getter 😢
really?? damn i didnt know that feature in the game its crazy
Yesterday I was stood in my garden; hungover, bare feet on wet grass, watching birds in a tree. A cat crept over the fence and joined me for a while. I had this amazing sense that we don't always need a narrative to enjoy being alive. Sometimes simply existing is the most wonderfully serene feeling. I then watched this video today and have had that belief confirmed.
That's the basis for meditation
@@dylanevartt3219no that's what having a relationship with God is for, I've meditated more than half my life and quit, it's really nothing.
thought this was a review, ended up being psychologically evaluated
David Lopez 666 likes 👀
@@jdubbbz8616 i had no idea i got more than 2 likes
Ahahah
Pscychologically*
@@AverageAlien psychologically*
A world is alive when it doesn't exist only for you.
Well said birb
That’s basically what ARK does
This quote is perfect. It could fit perfectly to define what's happening in "Westworld".
Good job... Thank you for sharing that. I think it perfectly summarizes the video's intentions.
But it does
"What, am I going to be alone with my thoughts?"
Me, listening to all of Jacob Geller's videos at work while trying not to be alone with my thoughts: "Yep."
Me doing that with a handful of creators quite literally in every waking moment like yes hi this is so I don’t explode and implode at the same time 🤠
@@isabellevasquez7433 if you play long documentary videos at 2X speed you can learn a ton of stuff and it drowns out the sound of internally screaming.
keep in mind that the more you push down on your own thoughts the harder they will want to come out.
@7:57 ah yes, hitting my 30s
@@atashgallagher5139 I do this, yet I have never came to that conclusion, but reading this comment feels like I've been called out
The finding of a secret place in a game gives the same feeling. Not an intended secret place, where some reward is hiding. But genuinely somewhere meaningless you didn’t think you could access or initially didn’t notice. Great video.
There is a legend that little people know of. Me and my best friend believe it to be true. There is a small indie game called survival postapocalypse now that has gone through several revisions. In one of its earliest versions we could have sworn we heard mention of a secret cave somewhere, although it was all in russian so we never ended up finding if it was true or not. No mention of this really exists, just a memory that we have. It might still be true but we probably will never know.
@@ethancobb4002OMG I actually played that game, there definitely was a secret cave, it was behind the fountain in the mountain town you unlocked with the rock the warden gives you
@@RKaidan thats so wild! Thanks for sharing :) I knew there was something
you know it's a good game when it starts to not feel like a game anymore
anthony simpson gta and rdr2 do it for me cause i’m a different character in a huge different world
RDR2 is shit wish I get a refund
Bobby Bill your opinion and i respect that. I, instead really like the game for the facts spoken out during this video. I hope you get your refund back and have a nice day.
Uncle don’t let him get to you uncle, it’ll worsen your lumbago.
@@baguette574 did you get the refund tho?
This is the same feeling I get when I sit outside at a party and watch everyone else go about their thing, like you watching the world go by
I do that pretty often
That’s depressing
@@kavashaman7555 nah man. its fun.
that feeling is most of my life
I get the same feeling watching my GF eat out her Bestfriend
Artificial loneliness is a great way to explain part of the Fallout: New Vegas experience. Loved that game
The parts where you're just walking to new spots with the radio playing feel so real, I love them as boring as they are
@@majorghoul9017 Literally the most sublime solitude I've experienced. It's crazy you can get that out of a video game.
New Vegas is a GOAT game. Wish It had more time to be developed though
fallout 4 gets a lil lonely sometimes too
omg so true
I remember how Hayao Miyazaki once said that he always tries to put in his animated movies some moments where nothing important happens so the movies would feel more alive. The train scene in Spirited Away is a good example of that. Just a train ride from a city to a suburban forest and yet that's one of the most memorable scenes from all the movies of Studio Ghibli.
I think those moments are difficult to adjust to sometimes. When you are doing any activity like watching a movie, you expect constant momentum through its visuals, story, and music. Breaking that expectation abruptly like in Spirited Away is jarring. It requires the viewer to slow down and just vibe in this liminal moment, as we make our way to an uncertain visit with the witch's sister.
“this world may be artificial, the isolation coded, the darkness an illusion... but the feeling is real.”
video games are art.
@@50shekels nerd
@@50shekels ok boomer
@@50shekels Shitass
@@50shekels video games are art
And unlike other forms of art you can interact with them
Just because you don’t like them being art doesn’t mean they aren’t
@@50shekels never heard that one before
Explain why you dont think video games classify as art
"My pa used to say, you look into the fire long enough you can see the whole world pass by" - Hosea Matthews
And man, ain't that the Truth.
That reminds of when reading Blood Meridian, when Glanton stared into the fire. Here's the whole quote, quite long though:
“That night Glanton stared long into the embers of the fire. All about him his men were sleeping but much was changed. So many gone, defected, or dead. The Delawares all slain.
He watched the fire and if he saw portents there it was much the same to him. He would live to look upon the western sea and he was equal to whatever might follow for he was complete at every hour. Whether his history should run concomitant with men and nations, whether it should cease.
He'd long forsworn all weighing of consequence and allowing as he did that men's destinies are given yet he usurped to contain within him all that he would ever be in the world and all that the world would be to him and be his charter written in the orestone itself he claimed agency and said so and he'd drive the remorseless sun on to its final endarkenment as if he'd ordered it all ages since, before there were paths anywhere, before there were men or suns to go upon them.“
"You look into the fire long enough you can see the whole world pass by" - Hosea Matthews' Father
"just smoke this pipe and wear this hat, you'll be my idiot brother" -hosea matthews
Can anyone tell me what it means in clear words? I kinda get it but not fully. I'd love to know, pls clarify. Thank you.
RDR2‘s impact on me was incredible. Though yesterday I realized how “alive” this game actually makes you feel. So I played for about 2 hours already and then got a phone call (which means switching from one reality to another) and I needed some seconds first to cope with my actual surroundings
Bro I thought I was the only one. I would play this game for an hour or two, then go out to my kitchen for a drink or something, and a sibling would talk to me. I have to reset my brain
Bro I went through a post depression after the death of arthur , so much time I spent with him and how much fun we had . I felt like I lost someone very close to me when I lost him, it hurt so much and it's strange because he is a video game character.
Personally, I felt extreme loneliness by the end of the Arthur's story. He is trying his best to help others fix their lives, as they still have future ahead, while he knows he is nearly done. After missions Arthur is often left completely alone and that's where it gets atrociously depressing. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I did feel completely alone back then
Damn dude. Good shit.
Love the content guys, since you're here are you gonna play RDR on the channel?
Wonderful to see you guys here, keep up the amazing content!
have u heard of the high elves
uGh
AuRgh
UuUuugh
What is it citizen?
My guy, if you felt like this playing through that part of the game you should actually go hiking alone in the deserts of the Southwest. I did that in my twenties, just after getting out of the Army when my head was clouded by a lot I needed to sort out. Out in the desert, 3 days after last seeing another person, was the first time in my life that my mind actually got quiet. There is indescribable value in silence, simplicity, and solitude.
You just explained exactly what I went through. Stay strong brother
Ismael Damian Valle - Likewise - take good care of yourself brother.
Reminds me of the song"A Horse With No Name"
@@adamporter3402 america gta sa 🔥
That's so beautiful
I would just go crazy
This video got me to play RDR2, and holy crap, what a masterpiece this game is. Just everything about it is amazing. The story, the realism, the gameplay, the sheer atmosphere of it all, it all just fits so well. It's definitely my favourite game of all time
Not to mention how the character development and the struggle of Arthur Morgan stick with you.
@@TreysGames and then to have it end with "the good ending" (as in john having his farm and family back together) only to know how his story turns out in the end....
@@augustusguap228"Revenge is a game we can't afford."
Alien isolation is the only other game that left me in awe the way Rdr2 did
@@augustusguap228yup made me cry
That really reminds me of exploring the world of shadow of the colossus. Never had any hidden quest, item or secret to be found and I never expected to, it was just a paceful walk across these landscapes
such a great example, but iirc, the game had a few secrets to be found
I wanted to comment the same thing, you can't explain to someone that hasn't played sotc because there is nothing. But that's exactly why the world feels real. Like a real place that noone has been to for centuries.
I really wish I had played that game, I owned it for Ps2 and I remember trying it out once or twice and just never thinking it was very interesting.
this makes me think of arthur, and the fact that he's lost in history. Yes, millions of people know of him, because we play as him, but in the game, he is forgotten. And that shows how a game can be 'alive' I think.
Yes
Fuuuckk brooo :(
It’s like real life - a good person is forgotten.
Well written congrats kissing you
No
thats basically the biggest easter egg. the whole damn map as a wasteland..
@james frank
You couldn't breathe?
I think you should step outside.
Fester the Nationalist hahaha he’s trying to sound really artsy
@@djcm_223
Artsy
Autsy
Fester the Moose it’s not his fault you have a tiny pecker
@@fonzi55 ayeeeee
A few hours into my first playthrough, my horse was shot to death and I was stranded when I respawned. I didn't realize yet that i could whistle for a generic replacement, so I went back to the stable in Valentine on foot.
I think I learned more about the game and its functionality and the environment during that one walk than I did during the whole rest of the game put together. Since I had all the time in the world to amble around and explore, and i couldn't just rush off to the next side quest. Really gave me an appreciation of all the hard work that must have gone into making this game.
Kind of makes me wish video games would go back to the old days when there were no objective markers and they just made you figure everything out for yourself lol
Fire comment
good on you. i know someone to whom the same thing happened and they dropped the game calling it boring cause the walking was so slow. i realized that day they have the attention span of a fish.
I was gonna ask why you didn’t just steal a horse, but then I remembered that the only time I stole a horse in the entire game was when Arthur returned from Guarma. It just feels wrong to make Arthur steal things when he’s trying to be a better man
Best way to experience that is turn off the minimap, having to open the map manually to see which way you need to turn, not seeing the hostile wolves stalking you as red dots, but HEARING them approach made the game a WHOLE different experience
@@LowKeyDokiDoki I agree. I also wonder how much more immersive games could be if you took away quest markers and the player had to actually *look* for stuff
I know this is old and you may never see this but it impacted my day. I'll think of it at least through the weekend. Thank you for sharing your humanity with us. This video is art. It makes a connection, no matter that it is a game commentary. Experiences like this connect us as gamers, though we may never talk about it. I feel a slight sadness for the developers that they may not get to see how profoundly their work influenced us. Much like some animes, I'll never be quite the same person as before playing some games. This is why I play RPGs. For the soul augmenting experience I could not have in real life. I wish you joy in your life.
“Artificial Loneliness” dude I’ve already got enough real loneliness I don’t need artificial loneliness.
If you get out and live life rather than play video games all day and all night maybe you won't feel so lonely.
@@jowyjozef funny thing to say while we are in lockdown lol
@@dukeofnuke2446 lol....trueee....😎 Where you from? Cuz I'm a truck driver driving through all the states and I see nobody in lockdown.... especially in Florida where I live at...lol.......😌
@George Müller One of the most difficult thing with loneliness is to find that you are not lonely. Keep fighting, the world is way more big than we think, we just need to change the way we see it.
@@TheHawkeye96 Thank you, I’m happy to say I’m less lonely then I was when I wrote the comment!
"there is a loneliness in this world so great that you can see it in the slow movement of the hands of a clock, people so tired, mutilated by either love or no love"
- Charles Bukowski
❤️
"I've never been lonely. I've been in a room -- I've felt suicidal. I've been depressed. I've felt awful -- awful beyond all -- but I never felt that one other person could enter that room and cure what was bothering me...or that any number of people could enter that room. In other words, loneliness is something I've never been bothered with because I've always had this terrible itch for solitude. It's being at a party, or at a stadium full of people cheering for something, that I might feel loneliness. I'll quote Ibsen, "The strongest men are the most alone." I've never thought, "Well, some beautiful blonde will come in here and give me a fuck-job, rub my balls, and I'll feel good." No, that won't help. You know the typical crowd, "Wow, it's Friday night, what are you going to do? Just sit there?" Well, yeah. Because there's nothing out there. It's stupidity. Stupid people mingling with stupid people. Let them stupidify themselves. I've never been bothered with the need to rush out into the night. I hid in bars, because I didn't want to hide in factories. That's all. Sorry for all the millions, but I've never been lonely. I like myself. I'm the best form of entertainment I have. Let's drink more wine!"
@@Mario-tp4gb damn.
This is how I feel after beating an open world game or reaching the “no/limited progress” I reflected on the world and see the small little details.
It struck and comfort me at the same time
Your videos have helped me to better organize my thoughts when I'm alone. Or, more accurately, you've helped me give words to the feelings I have been seeking the ability to describe.
Same, exactly how I felt after watching this and it's a video I like to come back to never lose this feeling. It's confusing when we can't portray how we are feeling inside, or frustrating even. also yeah can relate to the being able to organise my thoughts much better when alone!
Another appropriate title would be 'I played so much red dead I had an existential crisis'
But its not really a crisis
@@pauljames1807 i- dude why u so mean omg
Tbh yea after I finished it i kinda saw every decision I made like a game option.
Bruh this TH-camr read wayy too much into this game
It's 3/5 for me. The game is mostly digital tourism. Now if you look to the left, you can see a virtual horse eating some virtual grass. And if you look closely virtual horses shit.
How the hell did you put into exact words the feeling you get when you look in a mirror and think: 'Wow. I'm alive. We really in this bitch rn"
That’s the same feeling i get when I watch other humans or my baby brother
@@sol4453 ikr, every person have complex lives just like you. The best way I can describe it is: others are side characters in your lives but you are the side characters in their lives
Sometimes i just look at mg hands and im just like "damn this reality huh?"
Is it worth it, though? "This bitch" is being kind of a bitch right about now, and it's not getting any better. This throbbing meat mannequin I live in is falling apart. And all because I can't maintain it like I should. I am alive, and that's amazing. But why bother if being alive sucks the life out of you so fast?
@@wtf_is_this_handle_shit you good bro?
I've had this dream of traveling the country in a van alone and this video has just pushed me more towards doing that isolation in short bursts can be thrilling.
I think that quality of Artificial Loneliness is what really cemented Minecraft as something special for me. Just loading into my first world, and then... Nothing. No to-do list. Not even a "go punch a tree and make a crafting table!" (I'd started playing before that feature was introduced).
I just kinda stood for a moment, dumbstruck. No game had ever just _abandoned me_ quite like that before. It took a Google search just to figure out I had to HOLD left-click to break things. It was the most incredible feeling I'd ever experienced- a world that would keep giving back however much effort and love I put in. A world where I- for better or worse- was totally on my own. Alone.
This game is a masterpiece. I miss the first hours of playing through it, when I discovered St Denis by accident in the middle of the night and was amazed.
Me too,i remember when watching the map IRL(the one that you get when you buy the game's disc).
And seeing this enormous city in south-est,i was at the Valentine station in chapter 2 and tried to reach that city.
When i get out the train and saw what was all over around me,i was amazed too,i quickly runner in a street and the immediately took the train back again and White coming back ti Valentine,tought:this game is so big!
I've always been patient while plaiyng this game since that time,beacuas,i understood that there'll be always something to di After and in fact,i've always been busy while plaiyng that game for months over untill i finished it
I went to Saint Denis for the first time after the gunslinger who’s on a train - the train took me there, so I explored it
I started the game when it first came out, played maybe an hour or so of it, and quit playing it until last year. I heard so many things about this game, you have to eat to keep yourself alive, you have to change clothing in the game depending on your location, all things about the game that I had little to no interest in. Survival in a game wasn't something that I wanted. I wasn't a fan of the idea of having to keep myself alive. I didn't like the fact that your horse would seemingly die from a small run off of a cliff. I finally gave in and decided to give the game a genuine play through. I wish I could go back and play it all again for the first time. It's such a master piece that I find myself in a bit of a slump when playing other single player games because they do not feel as good as this. I wish the online community wasn't in the state it is currently. Such a huge missed opportunity for Rock Star.
i remember when i first discovered saint denis, i was doing that mission where you rescue that guy who falls off his horse and you take him to the doctor, i was shocked when i ran into a city
I played RDR2 a few times on my Xbox and just finished it for the first time on my PC. I was awestruck when I saw St Denis for the first time at night on my PC in 4K Ultra settings.. actually insane
This guy just described why Minecraft is such a good game.
Bingo
I could never get into it 🧐
Enigmalake same
Thicc Daddy Raccoon I figured it was for kids to build like legos
Enigmalake I just thought it was boring. Same thing to do over and over again. Destroy, craft, build, repeat. Repetitive and monotonous~ just isn’t for me.
Still 4 years later the best youtube video I have ever seen always coming back👍🥂
I cant express in words the love I have for this video. Everything about it is so perfect. I have watched it like 5 times and I never get tired of it. Thanks for this masterpiece of a video
Same feeling when I get back to my home after my wife's funeral. Front door is waiting locked and knowing that I always have to unlock it by myself forever. I miss you honey...
I wish I could sad react. Have my like instead
I couldn't imagine that. Just thinking about that makes me tear up. I don't what I'd do if I lost my wife.... I'd still have my son, but holy cow there would a very empty hole of my life...
Hopefully things will be better soon
Solidarity, friend
Troy Stephen dawg wtf
These are the kinds of videos I love to find in my recommended feed. Thoughtful, advancing, amazing. I love it.
My thoughts exactly.
Same
@Boston is my race track I bet you're a barrel of laughs.
@Boston is my race track Well, that explains the pessimism.
Boston is my race track You alright pal?
Red Dead 2 was a very similar experience for me! I'm a twin and so loneliness hasn't been a big part of my life until my brother and I no longer lived together, no longer were constantly accompanied. I sought out red dead 2 and now am playing through death stranding because they allow you to experience loneliness in the same way a horror movie allows you to experience fear. In a catered, nuanced way that lets you grapple with the thought without ever truly being in the situation that causes those feelings. Great video and great games
so i just moved. i have no internet for the moment. whenever i go over to someone’s place and they do have connection. i make sure to download your videos. it boggles my mind how you don’t have more subscribers. i have to pause these videos and sit with myself in silence and think about what you’re saying and how it applies to my life. i love it keep it up
I'm amazed how he put such a complicated feeling into words.
Yeah right? It's amazing
Agreed
no
Not really, could have done it in way less words.
@@maxdrags3115 yeah but the point of essays, especially in video form, isn’t to try to get a point across in as few words as possible. it’s to explore the topic at hand in as much detail as you can without delving into redundancy or boring the listener/reader. i could probably listen to this guy describe the poetic significance of his grocery list for 30 minutes and still be engaged in whatever he’s saying
I feel like the ending of this video hits pretty hard considering the current pandemic. "Things don't have to be constantly happening to remind you of being alive." That line is something a lot more people need to be hearing right now.
The aliveness isn’t in the change. It’s in the stillness behind the change
@Roseanne Phillips same
Honestly I don't get the whole craze over this. Is it awful? Fuck yeah, but being this down over something that is ultimately going to end in a while? I am much more worried about the jobs I could have applied to, or the ones my parents lost. People are blowing this way out of proportion, and honestly, you guys are being way too melodramatic.
@@terminator572 man all i said was that it relates to the current pandemic haha. you don't have to put yourself above everyone else, you don't know what people's lives are like.
@@veitnams I ain't, I'm just giving my opinion, and my opinion is that it's blown WAAAAAY out of proportion.
So glad I found your channel. Exactly what I want or going through being alone is so peaceful. And I never knew that. Peaceful bliss
I appericate the music from firewatch in the beginning of the video. That game does an amazing job of giving the feeling of being alone. Your only company being the faceless voice of a women you fall in love with over a handheld radio.
this video sent me into a spiral realizing how much my world isn't "alive" how it's empty, this video should've been titled The Red Dead Existential Dread
im in the middle of spiralling into the deep and this made me snort LOL
Red Dread Exestentianalism
Red dead depression
I got a crisis over the magazine in the corner of Derail
It's what Arthur loves and wants the whole time. Real open country.
It's what he wanted the whole time, thats fucking deep
He tells John that he will go west to try cure that cough, if he would've survived he would've went to this places.
Im bout to go there and act like thats the real story
Im super late to this game, just finished it yesterday. I wish i wouldve, hell, i shouldve taken my time and gotten to know more people around the world, explore the map, etc. This game left me crying for hours, and you have helped me figure out why. It is truly a masterpiece.
You know, this may the video that convinces me to get RDR and finally experience it. I also like the underlying message, which I gathered- "Don't be afraid of loneliness sometimes, but appreciate and explore it. You may learn more about yourself than you could ever realize."
It’s so refreshing you don’t cut serious moments with humor, thank you.
Right. I’m so tired of that.
That joke about how people "meat" on tinder just goes under the radar? damn lol
Did you not see the part about tinder?
@@stickmanstudios4609 doesn't count
@@SDuce3 hmm quite convenient indeed lol
my girlfriend bought me this game when it first released, she’s passed away now and it’s been 2 years without her but woah what a gift. just a simple video game i spend hours playing, and this artificial loneliness sums up exactly why i feel a connection for it. i don’t even touch it’s online aspect, i literally free roam story mode just to interact with the world as if it is alive. i wish she knew how this game is a dose of my everyday life. like just a way to lose track of time and sense of reality because it’s been 3 years and i can’t believe i haven’t left this game behind. i don’t know what it is but she handed me something beautiful lol.
I'm sorry for your loss... I'm glad you have something to remind you of her.
sorry for your loss man.
Sorry for your loss bro
Sorry man for your loss
Rip sorry for your loss man
Popped up into my recommended. This story inspires me so much for some reason, dont know why but thank you.
And yes when you showed me the dark I was searching for what's up with these pictures and just didn't realise a city doesn't look like that.
this is fr one of my favourite yt videos, i come back to it every so often and just makes my feelings of the game feel so real
To make, "this game is alive" means that the worls feels like it goes on when the player isn't there.
Exactly. I think this would be the perfect description for artificial loneliness. Meaning the game's universe feels like it isn't dependent on the player.
Oops,no I meant it to be the perfect description for an alive world,my bad
GTA5's map is a great example of that.
Unrelated but this guy has a John Egbert pfp.
I realize this is a bit debatable, but Fumito Ueda's games fit this description perfectly. Jacob himself echoes this in "The Architecture of Fumito Ueda".
I still remember emerging through that tunnel and finding myself in that desert.. was waiting for objectives or missions.. next thing I know I’m wandering the dying town for hours.. anyways excellent video essay, was a great to watch as a level designer because sometimes we overlook the power of these things.
CantResistTriss nigga he just said that
See I never went through the tunnel, it hit me like a bombshell when you do the bounty hunting mission with Sadie and your on that big overlook and you can see all of new Austin. Immediately after finishing the epilogue I returned and made my way down a pass on the cliff, rode into armadillo and slowly realised what I just got myself into by entering New Austin.
we move too fast and overlook the simple things
@@therogue9000 I marked the furthest point the unseen map would let me mark and rode there. Didn't go through the tunnel, but was dumbstruck anyway, kept wondering how far is this going to go.
You put this into words perfectly. I felt this exactly and its nice to see someone gets it too
This really connected with me because I had the same experience on several games I played. Some MMOs I visited after their heyday, or areas of a game where there is nothing... no missions, enemies or itens. You really get this sense of reality and loneliness. If I had to compare it to something in the real world, it's like staring at a painting of a landscape and wondering what's behind the frame. Great video, btw
"As little spoliers as possible"
*plays as Jim Milton*
Who’s Jim Milton? Isn’t that John Jim?
I thought it was rip van winkle
@@Benweboo for some reason that name always makes me laugh
SneakySneaky Snake it’s the blank expression on his face when he said it 😂
@@theodorusalvinly9502 play the game, don't look up anything about the game while playing. You'll see spoilers everywhere.
The big city thing is something I've always wondered about: I remember being on vacation, taking a bus to the airport which went through a city with multistory buildings and I remember thinking that each of those apartments I see has person in it, living a life that is the most important thing to the person him-/herself. But for me it was just part of the passing scenery, never to be seen again. That person living there I'll never get to meet.
I sometimes catch myself wondering this even in the town I currently reside in. It brings this weird sense of loneliness and unimportance of self, to everyone else, my apartment is the same, I am the same - just not that important to anyone else but myself. Life is a solo-trip. Funniest thing is that I don't know what to think about this, since it really can't be any other way. I dunno just wanted to comment this. Carry on
The word for this is sonder.
@@wittk You beat me by a day! :D
Just remember that everyone else can't meet you either
That's why I try to talk to as many people as I can and at least try to make there day
One of the biggest examples of artificial intelligence is being in a crowded room, but knowing absolutely nobody there. You aren't lonely, you're with a lot of people right? Wrong: you're in a vast tapestry of an imperfect weave, realizing how little of a thread you are in the grander picture. To break the illusion of loneliness would be to approach a girl/boy you picked out of the crowd, or start a random conversation with someone. But honestly, even though you can't meet everyone, and everyone can't meet you-you should enjoy time with yourself. If you don't like who you are alone, then are you really yourself when with people? Idk, my two cents.
Absolute bonkers how great this video is. Very emotional and connecting. I’ve had these same thoughts and feelings. Crazy. The last 5 minutes are the absolute best honestly👍🏼
I love that you always put video game's artistic aspects in perspective within the art world. I love discovering new artists through your videos. I had never heard of Aristotle Roufanis but it's exactly the kind of art I Love. Thank you.
I remember when I was doing my first playthrough of rdr2, I was lucky enough to have hunted 2 perfect elks consecutively. But I only had one horse and thought it’d be a waste to take one elk back only so I left one elk on the horse, carried one myself and walked a full mile to the nearest trapper. On the way I was ambushed by a band of bounty hunters and was really worried about keeping the elks safe. That exchange with the bounty hunters felt more engaging and exciting than any encounter I’ve ever had so far. It was honestly something so small and irrelevant, but was so relatable and intimate. Red dead 2 is such an amazing game it can draw out these feelings inside of you, I’ve never felt the need to protect an animal carcass as I did that time, I think this contributes to the reason why rdr2 is considered to be ‘alive’.
I usually take second horse with me so I can carry more pelts. If you die, the temporary horse will be gone. Otherwise, it will be there with you even in fast travel.
I did the same exact thing with a perfect bear skin and elk skin today. But I was up in the mountains so my challenge were the wolves and the snow so I was slower
@@Learner945 me too, until you want a third elk...
If you don’t skin a larger animal carcass you can lasso it behind you while riding your horse
@@miserableunoriginal Yes but doesn't that severely damage the quality of the pelt? Just accidentally running over an unskinned carcass with my horse already bumps it down to 1*.
"When a game feels too real, sometimes real life feels too much of a game"
-My existential crisis
Life itself is a fucking joke, we’re merely just chemical reactions on a constant, the moment they stop, you’re dead, it’s lights off for ever. The sole purpose of existence is for 1 evolving kind to rule the rest until it dies with the rest, for no reason. This is humans and animals, yet we are skin and bones just like them, just that we posses more chemical reactions in our skull. Nothing special, life can exist, but it is entirely useless. I reinforced my emotional and logical intelligence, I don’t care about people anymore. I don’t get myself bothered by things or other beings, I’m just going trough my mental plans, until I die. Rdr2 gives me the ability to teleport to a snowy mountain and stay there for as long as I can, while I’m living under this shit society that has been constructed to keep humans from living like they actually should, free and wild.
@@alenparker3056 read kaczynski, it may give you hope
@Guishe it could be far worse
@@alenparker3056 you're dead wrong though :x
first of all, dissociating humans and animals is a common mistake, but i can however assure you that humans are not vegetables. ( guess it all comes from the need to feel unique: think of how all those people behaving in a very similar manner, believing in more or less the same thing, clothing more or less identically all feel like they're unique, well I feel like humanity is doing more or less the same thing as a species. )
2nd point being that the history of evolution doesn't care about "who rulez", it definitely isn't "the sole purpose of existence" from a scientific perspective. the only thing we can observe with logic and science is that the purpose of living beings / species is to survive + reproduce ---> perpetuate their genes. through whatever possible means, be it domination, hiding, high reproductivity ect..
take one or two hours to look into the history of evolution and you'll see plenty of examples of dominant species on earth going exctinct.
to sum it up :
humans are animals whether you like it or not
preservation of a species' genetic heritage IS the only perceivable purpose of living beings
domination, or "rule the rest" as you so mildly put it, isn't the purpose of life but merely one of the possible means to achieve the afore mentioned goal, and it doesn't seem to be neither more nor less efficient than any other.
So i guess what i'm trying to say is "get your head out of your ass" before asserting unchallenged theories of your own making.
@@randomuser9506 it's still pointless
this is so beautiful, everything you said. The way you think and link everything is fascinating!
Somehow I missed this one. I'm watching this at the right time for myself mentally. Thank you for your work, I look forward to every video.
I thought he was going to talk about Minecraft, because in Minecraft I feel so alone that it really kinda scares me sometimes. There’s just.... nothing. No sign of life, except for mobs. But those aren’t enough. Single player unsettles me deeply, at least when I’m exploring the world in survival, or even just sitting in my house. It doesn’t feel right. That’s why I’ve never beaten the dragon, even though I’ve played for 7 years. When I let my mind wander, I have to stop playing, because imagination takes the reigns. It doesn’t feel right, at all. I know this isn’t very on topic to the video but... I felt like I needed to get this out somewhere.
Yeah you're right. I too feel that way sometimes.
You're right, something about Minecraft loneliness is just different. I basically got to a point with it where I didn't feel safe unless I was inside a structure I had built, ideally well above ground. There's just this feeling like anything could happen to you and no one would ever know. It's not logical. I think the lizard brain sees the wide open spaces and realizes there's nowhere to hide.
Especially when you've already played with friends and then you go on singleplayer and everything you accomplished is so meaningless...
@@James-mo7ko this. singleplayer minecraft makes me depressed because as a kid I used to constantly play it on Xbox 360 with atleast 4 people on my world, or I'd either constantly be on someone else's world and nowadays I don't even have that many online freinds anymore and it just depresses me because it reminds me of those good times.
@@frysco5927 Bro I feel ya, I remember hoping on a server with maybe 10-20ppl but we all know each other and we just talk for ages and now its down, probably down for good. Its also a shame coz all their skype accounts are completely inactive and now all their usernames are a jumble of letters and numbers in my memory. When you grow up and 'adult' priorities fill your head. You just wished your 15 again without a care in the world but building sick forts and slaying the ender dragon with the crew
If you want to have an existential crisis, go to a shopping center, sit down, don't eat, drink or do anything other then observe and after awhile you'll notice the loneliness while surrounded by dozens, the lack of uniqueness that exists, you sit there long enough you start seeing the patterns of people behavior arise
So it starts to feel... like an open world video game? Funny, we try to replicate real life in open world games and the closer we get, the more programmed real life seems. That's why I like his point about the feelings... I know I am alive through the feeling of being lonely, whether it's in that shopping mall or the game. But after a while it's hard not to wonder... is anyone else? Maybe I'm not either?
i always felt that i am the player while the people around me is just an npc
@@4SeasonProducer the point in which it hits you hard is a week later when you're out shopping and you recongnise one of the patterns you fit into and you feel as if you are a NPC
@@thelastabduction6765 It's one of those things... we're so active and busy all the time that we don't notice it but when you sit down and just observe, you have time to process it all and you feel small, really small, the mall has become an ants nest and everyone has become ants. I find it an amazing phenomena
and i thought im the only 1 that see it
This really spoke to me. My main game is Destiny 2, a game full of things to do and grinding. My friends bug me about how much time I spend just admiring the planets instead, taking hundreds of photographically composed screenshots instead of progressing the story. Your outro made me realize that I also do this irl, going on 8-10 hour photo hikes alone, just me and my thoughts.
You probably don't get told this by your usual audience, but you're a great writer. And I don't just mean your wordsmithing. That's great, but it's your ability to recognise and then convey thematic and poetic insight that's the real talent. It's very clear why you have over 1 million subscribers. Kudos.
This may be the most “video essay” video essay I’ve literally ever seen.
This video was sponsored by www.endlessprose.com
Try Matthew Matosis then
This might be the single most zoomer comment ever made.
There are tons of "video essays" on youtube that you didnt even knew it was a video essay because youre so into it, or... youre just new to these kind of videos.
i honestly find some video essays cringe. Here he is trying to explain how lonely and immersed he feels when really r* prob ran out of time to work on the map
My man woke up and chose to make a masterpiece
This video is incredible. Literally 17:05 of feelings that I could never quite describe, it felt like you were talking right out of my brain lmao
You just earned yourself a sub, and my respect. This video couldnt be more true than my experience. I dont think a better game will come out for a long time
A few years back I had a revelation like this. So i decided to slowly move through games and even sometimes RP in my head. It's like when you decide to obey traffic laws in GTA. Or love the view of Anor Londo. Do the same in real life too - enjoy the light of the sun coming through your window. The depression of this realization hits hard too but if you practice being non attached to the positive and negative then something interesting begins to happen in your heart
Pain
💖
I always immerse like this. Its just what comes naturally to me, being in my head and daydreaming most of the day anyway. The reason I love video games so much, is its the only medium that makes me feel as if I can exist in another world. Most times a world much more interesting than the real one. Allows me to be somewhere and something else entirely
@@SomeUnkindledAsh ❤💕
Glad to know that i am not the only one trying to obey the traffic laws in GTA.
The artwork by Roufanis almost feels more Lovecraftian than Lovecraft's actual works... I _knew_ his works were supposed to convey the horror of being small and insignificant, but I never really _understood_ that horror until now. Seeing that vast, empty cityscape as a whole is one thing, but then zooming in on a single point of light from a window to see a solitary person... It's haunting.
oh man, I love this
yeah my thoughts went straight to Lovecraft too
Look up artist Zdzisław Beksiński, many of his works give a similar feel but with a more surrealist touch. Gerard Trignac has great works as well if your more into the enormous and empty cityscapes.
@@100kevinrules yeah I think JG referenced Trignac in an earlier video actually!
And dude.... thank you so much for that Beksiński recommendation, holy shit
Spike Spiegel would also like to recommend tsutomu nihei’s landscape work in all his manga (especially blame!). just in case you guys aren’t familiar, that is
Man, I saw this video like 5 times and everytime I get/understand/discover new things. Such an amazing essay! Thanks!
I had completely forgotten the feeling your describing and theres very few moments in my life where I feel that...but when I'm alone at night walking late it's so quiet...and peaceful and downright beautiful even in the area I grew up in which has alot of traffic during the day...thank you so so much for reminding me of this feeling
I've wondered why I've spent so many nights playing Read Dead, whether it be the story mode or online, and this helps me rationalize it and explain it to people. Rockstar made a game so detailed that you can simply walk in a direction and find something interesting, even if it has nothing to do with the story or gives nothing to you as a player strategically. Even if it really isn't interesting, it can be for you.
I do this.
My friends dislike this game, I don’t think everyone is this type of person like us. A different sort of person, we are.
I clicked for the Red Dead. I stayed for the deep introspection. Thanks for quantifying something we've all felt but at times couldn't describe. I subscribed man. Thank you for your awesome content.
Nope, pretty easy to describe if you use your brain.
@@maxdrags3115 I said at times couldn't describe. I'm a guy, give me a break, feelings isn't my strong suit.
@@bigdeano4459 I'm a guy too and feelings aren't my strong suit either, and I deal with actual bad loneliness, but I can still do it.
@@maxdrags3115 I feel you man. As guys we try to pretend we don't need friends. It's all a lie so we don't have to appear weak. We don't accept that needing others isn't weak, its human. I hope you find a good friend who can help you. My best bud died last year. Don't have any other friends. No common interests or ways to build a long term friendship. I'm nearly 40. It feels to late to make those real connections.
@@maxdrags3115 i hope you keep your childlike innocence and never feel the drowning isolation that is knowing you will never be able to feel... whole, without the people you have lost.
Bravo. I haven't yet played RD2, but I remembered just as I got to the end of your video how lonely I felt in RD1, travelling through the towns with my horse, especially going to Mexico. I remember feeling isolated and scared and actually alone. Wow. The feeling is real.
Excellent perspective, I couldn't agree more. Thank you for taking the time for sharing it.
One of my favorite things to do in Red Dead was sit on top of this one hill in the heartlands, and just look out at night over all the lights in Saint Denis and see a tiny glow which was Rhodes. then if you turned a little right, you could see the faint glow of Blackwater. It makes me feel in a way searching for something that I cant even grasp the thought of.
Yo i wanna find this hill
@@boykidmanboykidman5420 I got you my guy lemme load up red dead real quick
Caleb Heney aayyy big thanks
@@boykidmanboykidman5420 aight, so at the boarder line of lemoyne, right where it hits the river, travel slightly north, and you should see a hill, with one standing tree on it, this tree with be surrounded and have booze bottles hanging off of it, come here during night, and you can see all 3 towns.
Caleb Heney amazing, ill go check it out right now
Playing red dead with the compass off is an incredible experience. It's suspension of disbelief
But you miss the random events sometimes because they aren’t on the path
@@Overqualification thats the point, no missions will control what you do
@@bruhdude6712 But then that leads to eventual staleness and boredom.
@@Overqualification no because when you actually do come across someone it'll feel natural and special.
@@Overqualification You really don't unless you're half deaf, or constantly galoping full speed, in which case no compass isn't for you because you're clearly not that big on immersion to begin with.
I played without the compass from the get go and I missed a grand total of 0 events.
Mate your sense of music is fantastic. I've always loved the Dear Esther soundtrack, it's so good to hear it in a video. Well done.
Jacob, you pin pointed many of my thoughts I was unable to process. Speaking of feeling, I felt satisfied and relieved after watching this video. Thank you
"Things don't have to be constantly happening to remind you of being alive"
That adds another layer of meaning when you have depression, seeing everyone living normally, progressing through life, being happy with friends you can't have, doing things you lack motivation of doing, being bombarded constantly with the guilty feeling of being useless, of being stuck, and for me specially, not knowing what is the right path. I always overthink and end up more depressed by realizing we can't know what is the best course of action, and I really feel lost and alone because of that
This video couldn't have showed up at my recommendations a better time, you are really inspiring and I can't thank you enough for letting me breathe for a moment
Divayth Fyr I don’t have depression (at least I don’t think haha) and I feel all the stuff you just described on a daily basis
@@rachelkal7543 depression is just one way to make a person feel like this, and no matter the reason, the feeling is still awful, be it social status, financial condition, anti-socialism, I too have other reasons to feel this way, depression is just the sum-up of all that.
I hope you can see better days and the source of the problems that makes you feel this way vanish with time... be strong, hope of seeing better days is all we have, try to focus only on the things that makes you feel good, whatever they may be, you can be selfish too on some cases if needed, anything to make you get past all that makes you feel that way. If you ever need someone to talk, I know many people would like to help, or listen to you, myself included
I have never related to a comment more... thank you for sharing this.
@@siebs. It is I who thank you, better days will come and one day all of the present will just seem like a long past nightmare
this whole covid crisis got my anxiety and depression higher than ever before, i need this game just for the sensation of "liberty"
Lets be honest -
When you finished the game you started again just to explore and do more with Arthur
yep
Nope I prefer john so I was happy to explore with him.
Yep, my 4th run through the story, I did pretty much all stranger missions with Arthur
Imagine just playing the entire thing in first person on vr. That would make it so much better
yeah i’m on my 7th play through and my 4th was 100 hours long
This really struck a chord with me, and I’m not entirely sure why. But thank you for opening my eyes to this new part of me I get to explore
I love this video, I’m going through college rn as all of my closest friends drift away from me and I’ve experienced loneliness for the first time in a while. I bought red dead and it’s been a nice thing to understand loneliness a bit better. I love the game :)
Anyone else sometimes walk around at night and just take in the emptiness. Just an empty town you walk through and think about life, how much we miss because we’re so distracted on school, work, family; but when things are quiet and peaceful you really take that in. You remember the moment so perfectly, and it’s relaxing. Just peaceful emptiness and no limit on time. It’s nice.
I like to do that at night when it snows , very few people out , can walk down the middle of the main street ... gives a different perspective of what you look at all the time but rarely care to notice
This is beautiful, but your fucking pfp
Yeah it’s really nice to do that sometimes. Just taking it in and putting aside those distractions for a bit, is just so nice.
@@craigdurso3005 yea even with the small things such as any random thing, i sometimes just like to focus on some stuff that are infront of me everyday and think about how they’re made, their raw materials and how like i’m basically touching something that’s been made from different things on Earth that has been here from hundreds or even millions of years ago.
I used to do that until I got mugged a few times and almost got killed by a pack of wild dogs another time. Now I stay inside unless forced to go out.
This. This right here is something I discovered the first time I went camping alone. It was like a revelation and is now something I have to do a couple of times a year for a recharge.
To crib a turn of phrase from Buzz Aldrin, "magnificent desolation" is something everybody needs to experience from time to time.
When I was young I hitchhiked some 15,000 miles. One of my first long trips, after a week or so on the road, I felt lonely. It was such a clean feeling, as opposed to feeling lonely in a room full of people. I think that moment grounded me in a way that has stayed with me through the... is it 40? Yeah, almost 40 years.
I think something similar, this craving for loneliness amidst human made world is why I always wanted to visit Pripyat, abandoned city in vicinity of Chernobyl power plant. This was long before this awful TV series came on.
Primož Božič Uh, radiation? Also it’s really not that pretty, mostly creepy, there are so many gorgeous places out there that can serve the same purpose.
I know it's gonna sound cheesy, but this feeling is exactly why I love my job as a trucker.
Zamboni Josiah why does camping alone seem so scary to me lol
I love you Jacob Geller. Your words are amazing. I love your writing for the scripts of your videos. You always tell a beautiful story. These videos are poems.
Oh, and here's my obligatory, "no homo".
This is stunningly intelligent. You have given me a new perspective on how to play and use a game like this to combine and process feelings out of the real world which I initially was trying to get away from by playing.
For me personally you somehow wrote an add on to the game which has more content than just adding some map or quest.
Thank you.
"Go to a concert by myself"
This ^
I did this myself a few years ago. Saw 2 tickets up for sale for concerts starring multiple bands I loved, but not ones I knew anyone else who cared to see them. I thought, fuck it the opportunity is too good, I'll go. This meant a 3 day trip to London alone, as the gigs were on Wed and Fri. I spoke to people I didn't know in queues, and some inside the events, but mostly the events were surreal and enveloping. When the gigs were over or on the night between I would wander the still populated but quiet streets to look for somewhere to eat, and the atmosphere was alive. The occasional interactions with other human beings equally surreal. Cities at night to people who don't live in cities are the most exhilarating experience.
O nice
@@toucan6109 you’ve been saying this to like almost every comment
@@angelopellicci179 like 2
What's your point?
I live in a market town called Faversham in Kent, about 54 miles from London.
On the contrary when I walk in the marshes during the evening when the sun is going down, I really get the feeling of existentialism, like I feel so aware if that makes any sense.
I remember when concerts were a thing
Rdr2 really made me wanna start my life over and just live off the grid.
I just bought a book on foraging medicinal herbs lol
I rode a horse for the 1st time of my life because of him..
Agony hell yeah man go for it. You’ll be doing something every man deep down dreams of.
I've always loved horseback riding but I stopped during my high school years. Rdr2 came out in my 1st year of college and because of it I started my lessons again (when I'm not busy with schoolwork).
First step: leave TH-cam. Lol
Just make sure you get solar power so you can still play RDR2
Wow! This was beautiful thank you for sharing your thoughts and taking us down a trip through memory lane, and introducing us to that wonderful photographer I knew nothing about. I am not sure how i found your video but I certainly enjoyed it and will subscribe.
Thank you 🙏
I stumbled across this video and really enjoyed your philosophical look at what essentially is the space a game creates for you to simply be. Getting out of the rat race and experiencing your own thoughts and feelings is both fun and scary af
When a game is more peaceful than real life
I'm glad i bought RDR2
If you get out and travel life is very peaceful. Maybe not in the city but in the wild
@@SharttyWaffle Problem is is it's becoming increasingly hard to find. Especially with other people, what with the ever increasingly amount of hate towards one another.
@@bubbleboi28 I disagree. I just think that an excuse introverts use
I constantly have a 500$ bounty in almost every part of the map so not so peaceful for me lol
@Let me offer you this what? They’re a snowflake for thinking that people hate too much? That one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard.
Probably my favorite moment playing this game was taking an edible, turning the HUD off and going into first person, and just wandering. Found myself a nice little hill, got off my horse, and spent ten minutes watching storm clouds roll across the prairie
Yeah this game has become like a "serenity simulator" for me. Sometimes i mean to do a thing in game and load it up only to find myself in the middle of nowhere 5min later, on a cliff somewhere just staring at the sunset and thinking about... stuff
And then, yeah, the worlds most balls-to-the-wall ram will fling itself across the prairie right into Arthur's nut sack and send him rolling down a hill in the foetal position.
sam dougherty How strong was the edible?
When I get so bad I don't want to leave the house or see any people I go between re-binging Twin Peaks, and wandering peacefully around in RDR2 with the HUD off or play The Forest in peaceful mode where I simply become a man living in a forest for a few days, only worrying about the task I'm doing, and how much food I have.
It's so calming and the routine of it once I sink into those bad thoughts helps to ground me and give me a foundation to improve my mental state
Ig Uana oh crap, there's a peaceful mode in The Forest now? I'm gonna have to reinstall that!
@@babybirdhome yeah, it just turns off the cannibals, it's really nice
what an amazing video!
so many amazing points explained so well and in so much depth
i feel this game has brought me closer to people, I have found others who love the game and wanna chat and talk about it
"This is exactly what I want when reading a game!" I keep speaking to myself while and after watching the video. Really impressive.