One of the best memories i have of my father is when i was playing Lost Odyssey and he was watching me play one day and got hooked by the story of the game that kept asking me when i was going to play it again so he could see how the story went on. He hated videogames and hated the fact i played them so much but just that once we were doing something together. If he really liked the game or was trying to conciliate with me i will never know, nonetheless i often think about it and regret never finding another game like lost odyssey.
Mike's profession is anti-human trafficking??? That's like the exact opposite of what you typically find out about your favorite celebrity. I have new found respect for this guy.
My parents were also adamant on me constantly reading as well for the same reasons. I definitely enjoyed this discussion. Also, Is this the moment where the Chad Mike finally gives Xenoblade 2 a shot?
As a patented 30 something that knows a lot of people with kids, it’s always funny to hear “We don’t allow video games” but then their kids (as young as 2/3) are glued to a cell phone, like great work guys
@@JW-dp4we it depends on what they're playing. I would rather my kid play kingdom hearts "not 3 btw" mgs and Fighting games than Minecraft Roblox and fortnight.
Going off the thumbnail, the best waifu is Casen. Hands down. He is top tier waifu material. Intelligent, thoughtful, will teach you new things, read you bedtime stories. Fight me. This was a hillariously awesome and wholesome video. I don't know if wholesome is the right word, but I really enjoyed the talks of your personal lives. You 2 are the best chads out there. Keep up the awesome work!
I 100% looked at you guys as jocks when I initially watched and that honestly was the selling point for me to listen. I stuck around because you both seemed so well educated and quickly my opinion changed and thought "Nevermind, they're just a buncha nerds!" 😂
Addressing Mike talking about his relationship and shared interests with his father that changed: that dynamic for me changed vastly when my son was born. My father never understood my brother and I’s hobbies and the only shared interests I had with him was baseball and playing certain type of music on the saxophone. At one point we hit a real high for a couple years because I got back into the saxophone and we were playing and learning new music, but then I got married and life got in the way as it does. In general I knew he was proud of me because I’ve done well for myself in life, but I still have always felt the disconnect in general. However, since my son was born-who is now 22 months-I have seen a big change in our dynamic as we bond over him, his development, and the joy of my father being a grandfather to my son. And since that’s been kinda a gateway to us being closer again every now and then I’ve had random, small conversations that point out that me spending X amount of time on a game/movie/show that he views as childish and therefore a waste of time is no different as him spending X amount of time watching baseball. It fulfills the same feeling in us both. I don’t believe he yet fully believes that yet, but something in him has shifted.
Beautiful. I've discovered the same thing. After having a child, my relationship with my parents has reached a new level. My old hobbies and disagreements are just not important anymore. There's a lot more love and it's always a good time now.
Some podcasts start with a big topic and just nibble on the edges. This is one of the very few podcasts that has Waifus in the title while delving into an earnest and meaningful discussion. Beautiful. Edit: 45:34 This. Exactly this. I said this before in a comment on another episode: My background and belief systems may be totally different from that of the hosts, and theres hundreds of miles dividing our continents, but some things-growing up in a semi-strict household, playing games in a pre-GameFAQs era, struggling as an adult to find common topics with parents who don’t share your interests, etc-some experiences are so uncannily alike that it’s a wonder we didn’t grow up in the same neighborhood. I think we can learn to understand each other without compromising our values or infringing on the other person’s right to their principles. Good fences make good neighbors.
I've just turned 36 and played a lot of video games growing up. I bought a PS4 in lockdown and it's been amazing to reconnect with this hobby which has delivered many life-altering experiences. However, I work in academia and would be ashamed to admit this to my colleagues. I may be wrong, but I feel gaming is viewed by many as a frivolous pastime. That said, I really appreciate those like you who strive to share the artistic merit in this wonderful media. Thanks!
36 year old dad of two here (2 and 4) and I can confirm limiting screen time is an absolute must. Too much screen time will turn kids into completely different people. They are still too young to really play games, but I only play after they go to bed. I’m not against them playing games because, like you guys said, they were a huge part of my formative years, but gaming online is going to have to wait for a long time.
The discussion about sharing the things you’re interested in with your family (or, them being interested in learning more about what you love) resonates so strongly. I can’t imagine not knowing at least at a high level why my kids like what they like, and finding some way to connect with them about it. Probably because it sucked not having my family be interested in what I liked (books, video games), or made fun of it.
Yup, growing up, metal and punk were the devil's music, skateboarding was trespassing and video games were an IQ-lowering waste of time according to my dad. Luckily he had no idea what anime even was lmao
I clicked this so fast after I read the title. 😂 Y’all are awesome. You should incorporate this into more titles. 2 Chads pontificate on the collective unconscious!
Man, there have been so many topics and episodes where I wanted to comment/engage. It's hard finding time as of late for…well, anything really. As a new dad (big props to Casen!), your podcasts have been a lifeline for staying connected in an era of my life that can feel so isolating. That said, I really wanted to *make* the time to drop this comment and commend you both for continuing to evolve the range of discussion topics for this podcast. The in-fighting, division, and discourse present through virtually every hobby, interest, or medium are troubling. I’m truly impressed and appreciative of both of your efforts toward understanding, tolerance, and self-mastery using your platform to explore these conversations. Many would argue these are off-base and non-sequitur in the context of gaming and I’m happy you two are choosing to challenge those preconceptions and start a dialog. Civilly and openly. I appreciate you both a crap-ton! Thank you for doing what you do!
I work in academia and I feel like I can’t talk about any of my hobbies with my coworkers. On the flip side if I mention anything to the students they suddenly start talking to me as if we’re buddies and it can get weird. Usually I just play dumb and let the students explain stuff to me like I don’t know what they’re talking about. 😂 Now that I’m finally older and outta my 20s I’ve started mentioning I play games in my introduction on syllabus day. Normally none of them play the same stuff anyways. Edit: It’s amusing to see these two struggle to discuss waifus. As a woman I think it would be funny to hear them make a husbando list.
I’m 27 and still get sheepish whenever I bring up games in conversation out of fear of judgement, even though it’s near ubiquitous in my generation. It’s bizarre.
Its not about gaming though. This can be said about allot of personal passions. You just can't expect people to be interested in the stuff that hypes you up. It's very personal and has almost no bearing on the rest of your life and value as a person. So I personally just don't talk about it unless I know the person is mutually interested in that which I am excited about. Anything else would just result in an awkward nod and I wouldn't blame them, because if people share with me their passions and I don't get those, I also just nod and listen with one ear.
Great chat. Thanks guys. Yeah gaming is on the up and up but trying to find anyone that remotely enjoys the same sort of games is extremely difficult in the adult world still. At least in my line of work.
Just wanted to share that I'm going to be starting my chemotherapy soon and that your podcast is going to be a great companion for me while I'm recovering. Keep up the great work! Always love to listen to the insightful discussions 😊
Mike, Casen it appears that there is an even more direct way in which you guys can discuss life through the axis of gaming. It really works and I enjoy this format a lot.
This was particularly good and interesting conversation between the good humor. Everything is a spectrum. The source of most conflict is on the extremes and polarization and we end up becoming more extreme when we fail to place ourselves on a slider instead of an edge point.
I haven't watched y'all's videos in quite some time due to the fact that I have not played Tactics Ogre yet and I didn't want to spoil it for myself. But seeing these random videos like this pop up has been nice. Plainscape is a pretty deep game and anything d&d related I'm sure all of us can agree is going to be a great time. So life getting in the way and causing it to get pushed back a little further than intended is a silver lining. You guys are going to do awesome with it.
You damn good looking chads! How dare you talk about Xenogears!!! Actually I miss the Xenogears talk. those will stay in my heart. But I'm loving this new format with broader horizon of subjects. You go Chads! You guys rock!
@@tarnetskygge apparently your brains perception of time is as a % of total time experienced. That's why is appears to go faster and faster as you get older
Such a great episode, once again! I wish I was sitting there with you guys and be able to give my feedback. My experiences are VERY similar to Mike's. Videogames have been (and still are) a huge part of my life and I would also not be able to imagine what kind of person I would be today, if it weren't for these amazing experiences.
As someone who comes from the same place when it comes to my attitude towards fan service, and yet loves the Nier games, was great hearing your thoughts on the matter. Definitely a topic I'll be thinking more about...
Glad to see you guys again. True my baby brother did have his hands with mind craft for a while but recently his been busy building actual stuff and electronics. He likes rpgs as well but most of the time just watches me play coz he likes it when I tell him things his age cant catch yet.. just finished Shin migami tensei 5 and his actually fascinated with its concept. I think the first rpg he finished is persona 4 and doing Xenoblade at the moment.
Speaking of Dads playing games with us growing up: my dad definitely sucked at most of the games he would play with us, but we had a PGA Golf game from like 2006 that he was so crazy good at because he’s a huge golfer so he was really motivated to get good.
I appreciate your attempt at seeing all sides of an argument. When it comes to the topic of eroticism in anime, I'm something of a pervert myself. I watch trashy harem anime. I know it's not high cinema. It's not misogyny or objectification either. I like to watch Michael Bay movies for the explosions. I watch ecchi fanservice anime for a different type of explosion. You can just appreciate sexuality as its own thing. Laying bare the full frontal nudity of it all. America is overly prude when it comes to sex. In Japan they have public baths. It's a different culture. Sexuality is not fundamentally wrong. It's just a part of human nature. Some people repress it, and others embrace it.
I'm much the same. For me, there is a clear delineating line between fantasy and reality. In the same way that running over pedestrians in GTA doesn't compel me to be a violent psychopath in reality, enjoying an exaggerated simulacrum of the female form doesn't make me creep in reality. I'm not at the gym ogling others or making my female coworkers uncomfortable just because I so happen to enjoy fictional characters. They are real people. On the inverse, it is precisely because that its fantasy that I allow myself to have fun with and engage in the sexualization of these characters. That said, I do understand where people are coming from with the criticisms. Its just that when these conversations inevitably prop up, I have a tendency to hold my peace as putting yourself on any side but the "oversexualization is harmful" side lends itself to petty insults, unfair assumptions, and derision. There is no room for discussion, only retaliation. So I largely keep this viewpoint to myself and just let things be, which has been a double-edged blade in my experience. On one hand, its been good to stay out of such minefields, but on the other, I feel a twinge of annoyance when its clear that something I like in games is being attacked and influenced into a direction that makes games less enjoyable for me (on a superficial sense at least). Almost doubly so when double standards are at work when games with oversexualized woman are being attacked, but there is nothing by crickets when the shirtless man with the impossibly unrealistic body type exists within the same intellectual property. Enjoyment for me, but not for thee; I guess.
@@eldritchautomaton I think its totally fine inside its own genre. Echhi games are meant to be ecchu and they serve their niche market, I hate when people ride in on a high horse and try to ruin the niche thing you had going
top 5 waifus 1 - Elly from Xenogears 2 - Lenneth from Valkyrie Profile 3 - Sodina from Thousand Arms 4 - Pearl from Legend of Mana 5 - Shana from Legend of the Dragoon
Fantastic list. I love Legend of Dragoon, I actually used to have a big cardboard promotional display of that game in my house for years, I got the guy from my local game store to give it to me when he was taking it down
Great video as always guys! Now we'll be waiting for the April Fools video were you make your combined top 20 Waifu tierlist and make it sound extremely serious XD
I believe Journey would be a great game to share with people that are unfamiliar with why videogames can be a powerful medium, especially with how short it is. I hope it gets covered on the podcast someday.
When I started taking my child to the library and challenging him to read daily it made such a huge difference in his growth and his emotions. Reading is so important! I had a similar experience playing games as a kid too but I feel like my love for reading as a child helped me enjoy more story rich games even more. I'm not sure I would love FF X the same way had I not found reading at a young age.
I get the same assumption from people. I work with my hands, so not you're average nerd. You guys do amazing work, and the time invested shows. I got into it at Silent Hill, I've been a hard-core fan since it came out. I was expecting errors, but you both knocked it out of the park, which is rare. The Jacob's Ladder review was perfect. Thank you so much for covering Xenogears, it's so hard to explain the love I have for that game. I'm not sure if you guys have done Parasite Eve, but I would personally love to see you both rip it apart and put it back together lol
here is a (not so) fun fact about studies: I saw a video from a statistician that reviews medical paper for The Lancet and she said that a lot of them, more than half, have statistical errors. And she made sure to not attribute malice or even the funding issue, it was just lack of knowledge of statistics in general. Some minor errors, some very grave errors going up to things like p-hacking. When you talk about meta-analysis then: on top of all the points Casen made you have the original problems from the original study. Having a critical thinking and a measure of skepticism is always good. A measure of it, not throw it out in the bin. And this is not even entering into all the problematic incentives in the research "industry" as a whole. That can be an essay into itself.
What a lovely podcasts, chads! I like the conscious approach you two have to your own potential biases. Even should they persists--we are human, after all--at least they'll be diminished. Whenever someone should offer a differing opinion, that opinion will be met with an open mindset
Excellent thumbnail art change, the disapproving look on Tifa and Aerith towards Casen is hilarious knowing the context and even funnier out of context :D
Hi guys, as always you picked a rly interesting topic/topics to speak about :) I enjoyed every second and can agree in a lot of opinions you have. However, there are some things that happen or are stigmatized in your region or bubble that may not necessarily be the normal reaction. I live in a small town in germany (and before that everywhere else), where entertaiment is not rly happening.I've been working in the video game industry for a while and have experienced prejudice and negativity towards the subject, but the majority are very interested in video games. Probably because the industry is getting bigger and bigger and you can no longer avoid it. Of course, some parents are afraid of how to deal with it, but mostly they are afraid of social media because it is currently having alarming effects on the young population. (I'm 33 and struggle with this too). It probably depends on what kind of people you are communicating with and less about the video games themselves. I know Mike's experiences from before, where people always reacted like that, but in the last few years I've seen a very positive development and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm working on video games. The sexualization of women in video games can have many reasons, but I can tell you from experience that it's always money. I'm a female concept artist and have had to listen to a lot about my designs over the years. I should portray women in a more "feminine" way and dress them "less" because that's what makes the money. It is nothing but prostitution of a fictional character. Sex sells and that will not change for the time being as long as we and future generations do not manage to view the human body as an object. Btw: I keep getting requests that I should make my male chatacters stronger and more muscular. So as you can see, it's not just women who are affected by this.
Awakened RPG SIGMA MALE's Schedule: Morning : Bench Press + Pushups + Squats + Heavy Protein Beakfast Day: Work + Do your best + Family Life Night: Philosophize about the meaning of being whole in Xenogears, scrutinize the plot of FF8 and Squall's Whatever mentality, search for the meaning of Time Travel in Chrono Trigger, look for the meaning of friendship in FF6 and heavily judge new content that fails to bring meaning to the table... Repeat!
I hadn't heard about Hegel's method of learning by looking to "opposing" cultures/histories/ideologies for the elements of truth. Brings to mind a concept in anthropology: *cultural relativism*, as opposed to *ethnocentrism*. Your point, Mike, that we're much more similar than different also brings anthropology to mind. After all, the field is largely about understanding how we're similar and different--and celebrating it! Would you guys ever consider covering a work of popular anthropology on your patron-only podcast? I'd be very curious to hear your thoughts on something like "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity".
I love the title of this video! I'm not chad-presenting so I guess most folks would presume I'm a bit of a gamer/weeb (which is absolutely true, I've been gaming for 30+ years!) but I'm a regular at a local boardgame cafe where there are a lot of regulars who do not look like "the type", but nonetheless have been deep lore 40k fans since the dawn of time, ahaha! When I was in my early teens/mid-teens, you could definitely spot an archetypical gamer/weeb/otaku/whatever, but back then, no-one had internet in their homes and these subcultures (as they were at the time) were very much local, male, quite hostile to female-presenting folks and there was definitely "a look". Thanks to the advent of the internet, and the development of gaming as a multi-billion dollar industry, maybe those folks who were too apprehensive to go into their local game shop, comic shop because, perhaps, peer pressure might have made them think that it just WAS NOT COOL, are now building their own PCs, playing hardcore Souls-like games and just enjoying what they may have missed out on when they were younger for whatever reasons. It's far more accessible, widespread and mainstream as a hobby these days. I've had fantastic conversations with folks who probably would've avoided me for being a "dirty goffik" in the past about our shared love of turn-based isometric RPGs. I'm glad it's no longer as niche and I can meet all sorts of diverse folks who enjoy the same things as I did, and share tips about upcoming indie games. My waifu is the character that helped me get into gaming, study the role of women in gaming when I got to university and advocate for women in STEM... and that's good old PS1/PC triangle t!ts Lara Croft. Back then, seeing a feisty, athletic woman going out there and exploring the world without having some kind of romantic interest etc was so refreshing. I'll leave the part about her being an upper class posho who steals valuable cultural artifacts, because that's a rant for another day. Keep on being gaming chads, lads. You're a breath of fresh air in videogame commentary (and your taste is *impeccable*) :)
around 50 minutes in and actually on the genshin impact/star rail bit, those are surprisingly games that would be hella up both of your alleys in some obscure ways. Genshin impact is literally entirely about gnosticism. Also it gives me secret of mana SNES vibes for both the world and 4 player party style.
Gaming has become so mainstream that I kinda forgot how the stereotypical "nerd" might look at you guys in a weird way. Like, people look at me as "that hair metal guy with the leather pants", but then are shocked that I'm also the guy who worships Xenogears. So, yeah, can relate, hahahaha.
I think all we have to talk about the ultimate gaming chad: Henry Cavill and lest we forget about Robert Pattinson discussing in interviews whether he prefers Tifa or Aerith. It’s cool to find actors who know “geeky” games.
Yeah, people love their stereotypes. I'm a tiny woman, and really look like I should be listening to mainstream music all the time, preferably pop. My favorite music is heavy metal. When I mention my favorite artists, people always makes surprised faces.
@IsaiahNewman-rv8dh Considering how it has been treated throughout the years, then gaming is indeed mainstream nowadays. In the culture, gaming is indeed mainstream.
Absolutely wonderful discussion! I haven't laughed at a video as much as I laughed at the opening waifu list discussion for a long time XD But also just lots of incredibly strong points throughout, and a great back-and-forth between you both as always. In regards to what you were saying about finding the good within something that you feel is flawed, that's actually what game developers do all the time. Even if a game arguably isn't good, it'll still offer some novel or interesting ideas. So I think there's a lot of value to what you were saying in all arenas of life Mike =) I'm with Casen on the topic that some of the sexualisation in certain games can undermine the rest of the work, too. I've got no moral objection to the anime-style bath scenes - I just tend to think it's not an effective trope when telling a story XD
I grew up out in the country away from other kids and my parents were often gone doing other things. Video games are what got me into reading and expanded my interest. It was video games that did eventually lead me to my group of friends I found in middle school and highschool. I understand the push back games get but for me they were the latchkey to a better life.
Around the 38:00 minute mark when they start talking about how "I don't understand how..." is only proclaiming your own ignorance. Wow. I felt that on a really deep level. People have said things like that to me many many times and the conversation just goes no where. "I don't understand" is not a gotcha.
i 100% agree with casen when he said he doesnt see the point in games that never end. If something cant be finished and completely digested then its hard to see a meaning in it as art
Hahaha I brought up to my boss having participated on the Tactics Ogre podcast, because we actually chat about (tabletop) rpgs quite a bit. He wasn't interested lol. Maybe I'll get him to watch the Planescape Torment series he played that one at least
I have REALLY enjoyed these more topical and philosophical podcasts. I hope they are something you both can work in while you are working on your more traditional format!
There is a book called 'Living your unlived life' by Alex Johnson, on which he talkes about how imaginary and virtual representations of ordinary experiences can help people who were not able realize their inclinations, grow their psyche
Mike: _"In the line of work that I do which is Human trafficking"_ Casen: _"Right..."_ *Three seconds of pause* Had a real brain freeze when this conversation played out. Now I'm laughing out loud. With this scene and that title what a rollercoaster of an episode this was 😅
I would suggest as far as kids playing games the age to introduce them to high quality games of decent complexity is around 10, especially if they're high reading level as your kids likely are Casen. That was the age where I really learned to appreciate games that involved some thinking. Though to be fair, at that age the games that I was really obsessed with were way beyond my age bracket -- Resident Evil fascinated me because of its cinematic quality (I was 10 in the year 2000 fyi), it was "like a movie," but also at that age the idea of zombies and monsters and all sorts of ghouls in relatively normal environments like "a house" or "a city" felt very palpably scary... but also that was the age when I began playing RPGs, FF8 was the first one that caught my eye, again for the cinematic quality that had, and after moving to the states (in 2001) I learned how to read English playing Tactics Ogre, FF8, FF9, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. So bringing it back, I suggest starting them off on something with *strong art direction* if you want to introduce them to narrative heavy games. That was the biggest thing that drew me to games as a kid ultimately, the aesthetic direction.
glad to hear you aren’t so prone to stigmatisations on this topic. I really enjoy the literary value of xenoblade 2 and 3 specifically, lots of similar themes to xenogears. but people judge me as some kind of sex-pest for liking these games lol.
19:05 In the Netherlands (and maybe elsewhere as well) we use the 20-20-2 rule. After every 20 minutes of close-up watching (mostly screen time, but it applies to reading as well), you must give your kid 20 seconds to stare in the distance, and they must play 2 hours outside. Bad eye sight is becoming an epidemic due to the amount of time screens are close to the eyes.
@@patrickweller5254There's usually a pause functionality or commercial break. And in theatres it's not close-up. Additionally, the two hours of play doesn't have to occur after every period of twenty minutes.
Interesting hearing these guys who aren’t really in the anime sphere try to penetrate it and speak more respectfully of it even if it doesn’t appeal to their tastes or sensibilities. My problem primarily with arguments against sexualization in entertainment is not that people who don’t like it just won’t consume it, that’s fine. But many people believe this content should be erased, censored, removed, like it presents such a real and true harm to real people that it shouldn’t even be allowed to exist. Such a thing diminishes artistic and creative freedom, especially if it is coming from another culture. That’s the real problem I have with many who criticize this type of content. Props to you guys for at least entertaining the discussion and trying to understand that just because things exist in the fantasy entertainment, that doesn’t mean it should be removed and/or censored entirely, because people should and often do have the ability to separate fantasy from reality.
There was a study I honestly can't remember who did it but it was on pornography, I think it was in the 70s when pornography was not so "mainstream" or easily accessed and freely available literally everywhere, the groups of people they've done it on had certain views regarding extreme sexual or you can say uncommon sexual behavior like beastiality, Necrophila, CB and so on. The study shows that continues consumption of pornographic materials led to the opinions of the tested group to move from extremely against to more leniant views, some even questions what's really the difference between an 18 year old or let's say 16. The study is not conclusive ofcourse. I'm not saying sexualization is the same as porn but over sexualization does have an effect, and depending on the individual to differentiate between the real and fantasy is big ask tbh, it's like depending on people to keep the law without anyone to enforce it. But there is arguement to be had there.
@@alenezi989a3 It’s not a big ask and those two things are very different. Laws and rules exist so that we know and understand our freedoms. You should never prohibit or restrict something just because a small percentage of people abuse it and use it towards harmful ends, especially if the thing in question has other benefits or is generally harmless in and of itself. The problem is how we as people and as a society respond to the content, and teach others to respond to it, not the content itself. With regards to things such as pornography and entertainment media sexualization, it is only actionable if the individual takes what they learn from the experience into reality. It is there that that individual can and should be judged. It is not the fault of the content itself.
@@jairekambui7738 it's not just about actionable behavior, from the study I mentioned the people being tested have not done anything it's just that their views have changed from extremely against if I remember some were even disgusted to a lot more leniant and accepting. It's like planting a seed. CP for example especially if it was in the form of drawing the person viewing it my feel less guilty they are not real right? But the more the person consumes the products the more the images plant themselves in their head, and now whenever they see childern these images will pop up its just how our brains work whether that leads to an actionable behavior or not it depends on the morality of the person but seed has been planted I see that as being harmful whether an actionable behavior happens or not. Regarding laws I have to argue it is the same thing, because think about I have no tendency to buy a weapon and use it to kill someone and steal their money so should there be no laws against murder? Murderers are a small percentage of people. This is an extreme example but you get the point. My view is different from yours when it comes to Laws I don't think that laws are there to make us know our freedom, but they are there to stop people from harmimg each other or harming themselves and therefore sustain a healthy society. I personally believe that Pornography and overt Sexualizatiom in media is harmful in and of itself for reasons more what I have mentioned and I don't believe it adds anything to art.
Honestly though, I remember when you did those jrpg retrospectives. These deep cuts are badass, but your channel has really morphed into this kinda guru game analysis thing, and I dig it. 😎 36:55 Wow, I never would have guessed you had that kind of personal struggle, bruh. One of the most INSANE things I heard growing up came from Bruce Lee. He said, “most of our fears come from a lack of true understanding. When people encounter something new they’re often afraid of it (which isn’t personal), but if you show them the beauty of that new then they have an opportunity to relax, and their whole world can change if they want it to. But, this takes time and a LOT of effort.” ❤🎉 My List: 1) Yuna 2) Samus Aran 3) The Nameless Hero from Gaurdian Legend (NES) 4) Jill from RE 5) Rydia My grandpa always said: “Too much of one good thing is never a good thing.”
After finishing the podcast, I have to say this was a great discussion. I’d be wary of stigmatizing your own likes, because then you’re not actually being yourself and to take things as serious as it needs to be. If something is serious and pervasive enough to uproot an original meaning, maybe that thing should be removed entirely. An example I use frequently is Erin Pizzy, and how feminism (which has its roots in communism) took over her projects and threw her out of her own women’s shelters. That in mind, always be willing to ask the question “Am I dumb for taking this too seriously, and what are the best/worst scenarios if I do act, vs if I don’t act.” It’s really hard for most people because we all have our biases. Especially those who have never deconstructed their own thought processes.
These episodes might be sidequests, but they're of the Witcher 3 variety, not the Final Fantasy 16 kind. We can put off the Planescape main quest for a bit
For what it's worth i'm definitely team Clo-Ti haha. As for being a chad-nerd, especially for people our age. It's really funny because to your nerd mates you're a total chad. and to your chad mates you're an absolute nerd.
"Oh its Thursday morning for me that means new state of the arc episode, I wonder what its abo- omg this is gonna be the greatest 80 minutes of my life"
When I was 12 to 16 went through a very tough depression because I had no friends and a toxic home life. I used anime and video games as a cope it’s all I had to feel some sense of hope or normalcy. I was one of those guys who fixated on waifus because I was very sheepish and had such low confidence in myself, I wanted acceptance, love to feel love with a girl. So I can completely understand how at least some of the people who consume anime & are very involved with characters feel. What got me out of it was eventually making friends and going out experience life, doing things on my own helped finally balance me out and find myself.
@@RUdigitizedDefinitely not Chad's problem for sure lol. Just saying losers tends to hate on the winners. That's the nature. Strong individual is loved until jealousy and self interest gets in the way.
I took basically a two year break from video games when my wife and I started living together (at the time just engaged). It was one of those things where I painted myself into a corner, because I liked her so much when we were dating that I couldn't bring myself to say that I play games all the time. Due to the fact that she has a brother who's addicted to gaming to the point where he never took work seriously and just lived with their parents. The funny thing is that actually really helped me get over video games. And even when our marriage became steady enough where I came clean about the fact that I do enjoy video games, I still never really got back into it. I also do find my two kids very addicted to a tv/phone/ipad screen when given the choice, so it's definitely one of those things that people need to be careful of. At this point the only time I break out the tv screen is when one's sick and you know need the distractions.
Video link to the video we referenced: th-cam.com/video/ZfT8cx7xDcw/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=LivAverageGamer
"Casen, can we talk? One 10 to another?"
One of the best memories i have of my father is when i was playing Lost Odyssey and he was watching me play one day and got hooked by the story of the game that kept asking me when i was going to play it again so he could see how the story went on. He hated videogames and hated the fact i played them so much but just that once we were doing something together. If he really liked the game or was trying to conciliate with me i will never know, nonetheless i often think about it and regret never finding another game like lost odyssey.
2 chads 1 youtube account.
The best ship
Mike's profession is anti-human trafficking??? That's like the exact opposite of what you typically find out about your favorite celebrity. I have new found respect for this guy.
Hope hes not cbp
It's a perfect cover!
My parents were also adamant on me constantly reading as well for the same reasons. I definitely enjoyed this discussion.
Also, Is this the moment where the Chad Mike finally gives Xenoblade 2 a shot?
As a patented 30 something that knows a lot of people with kids, it’s always funny to hear “We don’t allow video games” but then their kids (as young as 2/3) are glued to a cell phone, like great work guys
Out of the frying pan and into boiling hot lava
I had the same thought, it's absolutely absurd.
Games are way better for kids than cellphones; at least they engage with games vs just passively consuming social media.
@@JW-dp4we it depends on what they're playing. I would rather my kid play kingdom hearts "not 3 btw" mgs and Fighting games than Minecraft Roblox and fortnight.
There's no separating a child from a cell phone or tablet. It is inevitable in this day and age.
Going off the thumbnail, the best waifu is Casen. Hands down. He is top tier waifu material. Intelligent, thoughtful, will teach you new things, read you bedtime stories. Fight me.
This was a hillariously awesome and wholesome video. I don't know if wholesome is the right word, but I really enjoyed the talks of your personal lives.
You 2 are the best chads out there. Keep up the awesome work!
He truly is the best waifu/husbando.
"If you're talking waifu, first off, rule number 1, your wife needs to still be alive."
This is probably my favorite out-of-context Casen quote ever.
I 100% looked at you guys as jocks when I initially watched and that honestly was the selling point for me to listen. I stuck around because you both seemed so well educated and quickly my opinion changed and thought "Nevermind, they're just a buncha nerds!" 😂
Addressing Mike talking about his relationship and shared interests with his father that changed: that dynamic for me changed vastly when my son was born. My father never understood my brother and I’s hobbies and the only shared interests I had with him was baseball and playing certain type of music on the saxophone. At one point we hit a real high for a couple years because I got back into the saxophone and we were playing and learning new music, but then I got married and life got in the way as it does. In general I knew he was proud of me because I’ve done well for myself in life, but I still have always felt the disconnect in general.
However, since my son was born-who is now 22 months-I have seen a big change in our dynamic as we bond over him, his development, and the joy of my father being a grandfather to my son. And since that’s been kinda a gateway to us being closer again every now and then I’ve had random, small conversations that point out that me spending X amount of time on a game/movie/show that he views as childish and therefore a waste of time is no different as him spending X amount of time watching baseball. It fulfills the same feeling in us both. I don’t believe he yet fully believes that yet, but something in him has shifted.
Beautiful. I've discovered the same thing. After having a child, my relationship with my parents has reached a new level. My old hobbies and disagreements are just not important anymore. There's a lot more love and it's always a good time now.
Some podcasts start with a big topic and just nibble on the edges. This is one of the very few podcasts that has Waifus in the title while delving into an earnest and meaningful discussion. Beautiful.
Edit: 45:34 This. Exactly this. I said this before in a comment on another episode: My background and belief systems may be totally different from that of the hosts, and theres hundreds of miles dividing our continents, but some things-growing up in a semi-strict household, playing games in a pre-GameFAQs era, struggling as an adult to find common topics with parents who don’t share your interests, etc-some experiences are so uncannily alike that it’s a wonder we didn’t grow up in the same neighborhood. I think we can learn to understand each other without compromising our values or infringing on the other person’s right to their principles. Good fences make good neighbors.
These thumbnail rotations are giving me whiplash
I've just turned 36 and played a lot of video games growing up. I bought a PS4 in lockdown and it's been amazing to reconnect with this hobby which has delivered many life-altering experiences.
However, I work in academia and would be ashamed to admit this to my colleagues. I may be wrong, but I feel gaming is viewed by many as a frivolous pastime.
That said, I really appreciate those like you who strive to share the artistic merit in this wonderful media. Thanks!
Nearly spit my drink out at that notification. I'm terrified.
You are chads in my book, geeky chads!
36 year old dad of two here (2 and 4) and I can confirm limiting screen time is an absolute must. Too much screen time will turn kids into completely different people.
They are still too young to really play games, but I only play after they go to bed. I’m not against them playing games because, like you guys said, they were a huge part of my formative years, but gaming online is going to have to wait for a long time.
58:31 after finishing Rebirth, the discussion about Tifa/Aerith will reach new levels of madness.
The discussion about sharing the things you’re interested in with your family (or, them being interested in learning more about what you love) resonates so strongly. I can’t imagine not knowing at least at a high level why my kids like what they like, and finding some way to connect with them about it. Probably because it sucked not having my family be interested in what I liked (books, video games), or made fun of it.
Yup, growing up, metal and punk were the devil's music, skateboarding was trespassing and video games were an IQ-lowering waste of time according to my dad. Luckily he had no idea what anime even was lmao
I clicked this so fast after I read the title. 😂 Y’all are awesome. You should incorporate this into more titles. 2 Chads pontificate on the collective unconscious!
If you mute the audio you will probably think they're just talking about sports.
"[shipping] is definitely safer"
Oh ho ho ho ho you sweet summer child
For real the walked into extra dangerous territory by revealing their FFVII ship.
Hah! Yeah, that way lies danger.
Man, there have been so many topics and episodes where I wanted to comment/engage. It's hard finding time as of late for…well, anything really. As a new dad (big props to Casen!), your podcasts have been a lifeline for staying connected in an era of my life that can feel so isolating.
That said, I really wanted to *make* the time to drop this comment and commend you both for continuing to evolve the range of discussion topics for this podcast. The in-fighting, division, and discourse present through virtually every hobby, interest, or medium are troubling. I’m truly impressed and appreciative of both of your efforts toward understanding, tolerance, and self-mastery using your platform to explore these conversations. Many would argue these are off-base and non-sequitur in the context of gaming and I’m happy you two are choosing to challenge those preconceptions and start a dialog. Civilly and openly.
I appreciate you both a crap-ton! Thank you for doing what you do!
"I WORK IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING"
Working on an anti human trafficking organization gives him +100 CHAD points
Finally, something to misinterpret and cancel them over! Get yer pitchforks ready!!!
I hope you don't do something wierd on the side like run a gaming podcast 🤣
I work in academia and I feel like I can’t talk about any of my hobbies with my coworkers. On the flip side if I mention anything to the students they suddenly start talking to me as if we’re buddies and it can get weird. Usually I just play dumb and let the students explain stuff to me like I don’t know what they’re talking about. 😂 Now that I’m finally older and outta my 20s I’ve started mentioning I play games in my introduction on syllabus day. Normally none of them play the same stuff anyways.
Edit: It’s amusing to see these two struggle to discuss waifus. As a woman I think it would be funny to hear them make a husbando list.
"The State of the CHADcast: Top 10 Husbandos??? Cloud and Barret the real OTP??"
@@DanielSantosAnalysisI’d totally take top 10 chads as well.
I’m 27 and still get sheepish whenever I bring up games in conversation out of fear of judgement, even though it’s near ubiquitous in my generation. It’s bizarre.
Its not about gaming though. This can be said about allot of personal passions. You just can't expect people to be interested in the stuff that hypes you up. It's very personal and has almost no bearing on the rest of your life and value as a person. So I personally just don't talk about it unless I know the person is mutually interested in that which I am excited about. Anything else would just result in an awkward nod and I wouldn't blame them, because if people share with me their passions and I don't get those, I also just nod and listen with one ear.
Wow, the wisdom of that last line. If you measure time in moment.
Thank you for the discussion. You guys are so good. Keep this up!
Great chat. Thanks guys.
Yeah gaming is on the up and up but trying to find anyone that remotely enjoys the same sort of games is extremely difficult in the adult world still. At least in my line of work.
Every person that discusses Xenogears in depth is a CHAD.
Just wanted to share that I'm going to be starting my chemotherapy soon and that your podcast is going to be a great companion for me while I'm recovering. Keep up the great work! Always love to listen to the insightful discussions 😊
I hope you'll recover pretty fast and peaceful my friend 🤍
Godspeed, I wish you a swift recovery!
Mike, Casen it appears that there is an even more direct way in which you guys can discuss life through the axis of gaming. It really works and I enjoy this format a lot.
This was particularly good and interesting conversation between the good humor. Everything is a spectrum. The source of most conflict is on the extremes and polarization and we end up becoming more extreme when we fail to place ourselves on a slider instead of an edge point.
I haven't watched y'all's videos in quite some time due to the fact that I have not played Tactics Ogre yet and I didn't want to spoil it for myself. But seeing these random videos like this pop up has been nice. Plainscape is a pretty deep game and anything d&d related I'm sure all of us can agree is going to be a great time. So life getting in the way and causing it to get pushed back a little further than intended is a silver lining. You guys are going to do awesome with it.
You damn good looking chads! How dare you talk about Xenogears!!! Actually I miss the Xenogears talk. those will stay in my heart. But I'm loving this new format with broader horizon of subjects. You go Chads! You guys rock!
11:44 amazing.
Also 37 here, When you hit this age you've officially been an adult longer than you were ever been a child. This seems MENTAL to me, absurd even
and yet it feels half as long, if that...
@@tarnetskygge apparently your brains perception of time is as a % of total time experienced. That's why is appears to go faster and faster as you get older
Sucks
Such a great episode, once again! I wish I was sitting there with you guys and be able to give my feedback. My experiences are VERY similar to Mike's. Videogames have been (and still are) a huge part of my life and I would also not be able to imagine what kind of person I would be today, if it weren't for these amazing experiences.
As someone who comes from the same place when it comes to my attitude towards fan service, and yet loves the Nier games, was great hearing your thoughts on the matter. Definitely a topic I'll be thinking more about...
Glad to see you guys again. True my baby brother did have his hands with mind craft for a while but recently his been busy building actual stuff and electronics. He likes rpgs as well but most of the time just watches me play coz he likes it when I tell him things his age cant catch yet.. just finished Shin migami tensei 5 and his actually fascinated with its concept. I think the first rpg he finished is persona 4 and doing Xenoblade at the moment.
Speaking of Dads playing games with us growing up: my dad definitely sucked at most of the games he would play with us, but we had a PGA Golf game from like 2006 that he was so crazy good at because he’s a huge golfer so he was really motivated to get good.
I appreciate your attempt at seeing all sides of an argument. When it comes to the topic of eroticism in anime, I'm something of a pervert myself. I watch trashy harem anime. I know it's not high cinema. It's not misogyny or objectification either. I like to watch Michael Bay movies for the explosions. I watch ecchi fanservice anime for a different type of explosion. You can just appreciate sexuality as its own thing. Laying bare the full frontal nudity of it all. America is overly prude when it comes to sex. In Japan they have public baths. It's a different culture. Sexuality is not fundamentally wrong. It's just a part of human nature. Some people repress it, and others embrace it.
I'm much the same. For me, there is a clear delineating line between fantasy and reality. In the same way that running over pedestrians in GTA doesn't compel me to be a violent psychopath in reality, enjoying an exaggerated simulacrum of the female form doesn't make me creep in reality. I'm not at the gym ogling others or making my female coworkers uncomfortable just because I so happen to enjoy fictional characters. They are real people. On the inverse, it is precisely because that its fantasy that I allow myself to have fun with and engage in the sexualization of these characters.
That said, I do understand where people are coming from with the criticisms. Its just that when these conversations inevitably prop up, I have a tendency to hold my peace as putting yourself on any side but the "oversexualization is harmful" side lends itself to petty insults, unfair assumptions, and derision. There is no room for discussion, only retaliation. So I largely keep this viewpoint to myself and just let things be, which has been a double-edged blade in my experience. On one hand, its been good to stay out of such minefields, but on the other, I feel a twinge of annoyance when its clear that something I like in games is being attacked and influenced into a direction that makes games less enjoyable for me (on a superficial sense at least). Almost doubly so when double standards are at work when games with oversexualized woman are being attacked, but there is nothing by crickets when the shirtless man with the impossibly unrealistic body type exists within the same intellectual property. Enjoyment for me, but not for thee; I guess.
@@eldritchautomaton I think its totally fine inside its own genre. Echhi games are meant to be ecchu and they serve their niche market, I hate when people ride in on a high horse and try to ruin the niche thing you had going
top 5 waifus
1 - Elly from Xenogears
2 - Lenneth from Valkyrie Profile
3 - Sodina from Thousand Arms
4 - Pearl from Legend of Mana
5 - Shana from Legend of the Dragoon
Fantastic list. I love Legend of Dragoon, I actually used to have a big cardboard promotional display of that game in my house for years, I got the guy from my local game store to give it to me when he was taking it down
Yoooooo people remember Legend of Mana exists? Hell yeah.
@@jacobmonks3722 don't you know it is on steam?
Guys i am loving this new direction with your discussions. Appreciate yall
Great video as always guys! Now we'll be waiting for the April Fools video were you make your combined top 20 Waifu tierlist and make it sound extremely serious XD
I believe Journey would be a great game to share with people that are unfamiliar with why videogames can be a powerful medium, especially with how short it is. I hope it gets covered on the podcast someday.
When I started taking my child to the library and challenging him to read daily it made such a huge difference in his growth and his emotions. Reading is so important! I had a similar experience playing games as a kid too but I feel like my love for reading as a child helped me enjoy more story rich games even more. I'm not sure I would love FF X the same way had I not found reading at a young age.
these random topic videos are great. love your stuff
I get the same assumption from people. I work with my hands, so not you're average nerd. You guys do amazing work, and the time invested shows. I got into it at Silent Hill, I've been a hard-core fan since it came out. I was expecting errors, but you both knocked it out of the park, which is rare. The Jacob's Ladder review was perfect. Thank you so much for covering Xenogears, it's so hard to explain the love I have for that game. I'm not sure if you guys have done Parasite Eve, but I would personally love to see you both rip it apart and put it back together lol
here is a (not so) fun fact about studies: I saw a video from a statistician that reviews medical paper for The Lancet and she said that a lot of them, more than half, have statistical errors. And she made sure to not attribute malice or even the funding issue, it was just lack of knowledge of statistics in general. Some minor errors, some very grave errors going up to things like p-hacking.
When you talk about meta-analysis then: on top of all the points Casen made you have the original problems from the original study. Having a critical thinking and a measure of skepticism is always good. A measure of it, not throw it out in the bin.
And this is not even entering into all the problematic incentives in the research "industry" as a whole. That can be an essay into itself.
Not only did I enjoy this podcast but absolutely loved the title of it too. Keep up the great work, gentlemen.
What a lovely podcasts, chads! I like the conscious approach you two have to your own potential biases. Even should they persists--we are human, after all--at least they'll be diminished. Whenever someone should offer a differing opinion, that opinion will be met with an open mindset
Excellent thumbnail art change, the disapproving look on Tifa and Aerith towards Casen is hilarious knowing the context and even funnier out of context :D
Hi guys, as always you picked a rly interesting topic/topics to speak about :)
I enjoyed every second and can agree in a lot of opinions you have.
However, there are some things that happen or are stigmatized in your region or bubble that may not necessarily be the normal reaction. I live in a small town in germany (and before that everywhere else), where entertaiment is not rly happening.I've been working in the video game industry for a while and have experienced prejudice and negativity towards the subject, but the majority are very interested in video games. Probably because the industry is getting bigger and bigger and you can no longer avoid it. Of course, some parents are afraid of how to deal with it, but mostly they are afraid of social media because it is currently having alarming effects on the young population. (I'm 33 and struggle with this too). It probably depends on what kind of people you are communicating with and less about the video games themselves.
I know Mike's experiences from before, where people always reacted like that, but in the last few years I've seen a very positive development and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm working on video games.
The sexualization of women in video games can have many reasons, but I can tell you from experience that it's always money. I'm a female concept artist and have had to listen to a lot about my designs over the years. I should portray women in a more "feminine" way and dress them "less" because that's what makes the money. It is nothing but prostitution of a fictional character. Sex sells and that will not change for the time being as long as we and future generations do not manage to view the human body as an object.
Btw: I keep getting requests that I should make my male chatacters stronger and more muscular. So as you can see, it's not just women who are affected by this.
Awakened RPG SIGMA MALE's Schedule:
Morning : Bench Press + Pushups + Squats + Heavy Protein Beakfast
Day: Work + Do your best + Family Life
Night: Philosophize about the meaning of being whole in Xenogears, scrutinize the plot of FF8 and Squall's Whatever mentality, search for the meaning of Time Travel in Chrono Trigger, look for the meaning of friendship in FF6 and heavily judge new content that fails to bring meaning to the table...
Repeat!
51:10 New Resonant Arc merch idea - an inspirational poster that says "Make Your Waifu List."
I hadn't heard about Hegel's method of learning by looking to "opposing" cultures/histories/ideologies for the elements of truth. Brings to mind a concept in anthropology: *cultural relativism*, as opposed to *ethnocentrism*. Your point, Mike, that we're much more similar than different also brings anthropology to mind. After all, the field is largely about understanding how we're similar and different--and celebrating it!
Would you guys ever consider covering a work of popular anthropology on your patron-only podcast? I'd be very curious to hear your thoughts on something like "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity".
Aah finally the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 episode i've been waiting for for years.
Haha, yeah, this whole conversation felt like they were hyping themselves up to cover Xenoblade 2.
Has to be the most weeb videogame to ever exist. A JRPG harem romcom.
@@R3GARnator You have basically no experience if you think THAT is the most weeb game.
90's?
1) aya brea
2) quistis trepe
3) aerith gainsborough
4) tifa lockhart
5) lara croft
Into that whip, eh?
@@Postumeartist I was going more with teachers, but whips are cool
20:45 I legit thought you were saying Nancy Drew was your wife again. XD
Yesterday I recommended your channel to my mom because of your LOTR and Dune episodes, I didn't realize that this episode existed 😭
I'm just over here giggling at the fact the thumbnail for this video has changed, like... three times in the 6 hours it's been up. XD
I love the title of this video! I'm not chad-presenting so I guess most folks would presume I'm a bit of a gamer/weeb (which is absolutely true, I've been gaming for 30+ years!) but I'm a regular at a local boardgame cafe where there are a lot of regulars who do not look like "the type", but nonetheless have been deep lore 40k fans since the dawn of time, ahaha!
When I was in my early teens/mid-teens, you could definitely spot an archetypical gamer/weeb/otaku/whatever, but back then, no-one had internet in their homes and these subcultures (as they were at the time) were very much local, male, quite hostile to female-presenting folks and there was definitely "a look".
Thanks to the advent of the internet, and the development of gaming as a multi-billion dollar industry, maybe those folks who were too apprehensive to go into their local game shop, comic shop because, perhaps, peer pressure might have made them think that it just WAS NOT COOL, are now building their own PCs, playing hardcore Souls-like games and just enjoying what they may have missed out on when they were younger for whatever reasons. It's far more accessible, widespread and mainstream as a hobby these days.
I've had fantastic conversations with folks who probably would've avoided me for being a "dirty goffik" in the past about our shared love of turn-based isometric RPGs. I'm glad it's no longer as niche and I can meet all sorts of diverse folks who enjoy the same things as I did, and share tips about upcoming indie games.
My waifu is the character that helped me get into gaming, study the role of women in gaming when I got to university and advocate for women in STEM... and that's good old PS1/PC triangle t!ts Lara Croft. Back then, seeing a feisty, athletic woman going out there and exploring the world without having some kind of romantic interest etc was so refreshing. I'll leave the part about her being an upper class posho who steals valuable cultural artifacts, because that's a rant for another day.
Keep on being gaming chads, lads. You're a breath of fresh air in videogame commentary (and your taste is *impeccable*) :)
I love that Casen says "Aeris" 😂 internet has gone wild with people shaming others for calling her her OG name 🤣🤣🤣
The podcast we were all waiting for.
I was not expecting a Xenoblade 2 episode before Xenosaga 2.
around 50 minutes in and actually on the genshin impact/star rail bit, those are surprisingly games that would be hella up both of your alleys in some obscure ways. Genshin impact is literally entirely about gnosticism. Also it gives me secret of mana SNES vibes for both the world and 4 player party style.
Gaming has become so mainstream that I kinda forgot how the stereotypical "nerd" might look at you guys in a weird way. Like, people look at me as "that hair metal guy with the leather pants", but then are shocked that I'm also the guy who worships Xenogears. So, yeah, can relate, hahahaha.
Yeah just do what you like
Same!
I think all we have to talk about the ultimate gaming chad: Henry Cavill and lest we forget about Robert Pattinson discussing in interviews whether he prefers Tifa or Aerith.
It’s cool to find actors who know “geeky” games.
Yeah, people love their stereotypes. I'm a tiny woman, and really look like I should be listening to mainstream music all the time, preferably pop. My favorite music is heavy metal. When I mention my favorite artists, people always makes surprised faces.
@IsaiahNewman-rv8dh
Considering how it has been treated throughout the years, then gaming is indeed mainstream nowadays. In the culture, gaming is indeed mainstream.
Absolutely wonderful discussion! I haven't laughed at a video as much as I laughed at the opening waifu list discussion for a long time XD But also just lots of incredibly strong points throughout, and a great back-and-forth between you both as always.
In regards to what you were saying about finding the good within something that you feel is flawed, that's actually what game developers do all the time. Even if a game arguably isn't good, it'll still offer some novel or interesting ideas. So I think there's a lot of value to what you were saying in all arenas of life Mike =)
I'm with Casen on the topic that some of the sexualisation in certain games can undermine the rest of the work, too. I've got no moral objection to the anime-style bath scenes - I just tend to think it's not an effective trope when telling a story XD
I grew up out in the country away from other kids and my parents were often gone doing other things. Video games are what got me into reading and expanded my interest. It was video games that did eventually lead me to my group of friends I found in middle school and highschool. I understand the push back games get but for me they were the latchkey to a better life.
Around the 38:00 minute mark when they start talking about how "I don't understand how..." is only proclaiming your own ignorance. Wow. I felt that on a really deep level. People have said things like that to me many many times and the conversation just goes no where. "I don't understand" is not a gotcha.
Lost my shit when Mike said, "In the kind of work that I do, human trafficking."
i 100% agree with casen when he said he doesnt see the point in games that never end. If something cant be finished and completely digested then its hard to see a meaning in it as art
I don't know if I should be sad because this isn't the planescape torment podcast or lathing because this title is amazing.
Hahaha I brought up to my boss having participated on the Tactics Ogre podcast, because we actually chat about (tabletop) rpgs quite a bit. He wasn't interested lol. Maybe I'll get him to watch the Planescape Torment series he played that one at least
I have REALLY enjoyed these more topical and philosophical podcasts.
I hope they are something you both can work in while you are working on your more traditional format!
There is a book called 'Living your unlived life' by Alex Johnson, on which he talkes about how imaginary and virtual representations of ordinary experiences can help people who were not able realize their inclinations, grow their psyche
Best title
Mike: _"In the line of work that I do which is Human trafficking"_
Casen: _"Right..."_ *Three seconds of pause*
Had a real brain freeze when this conversation played out. Now I'm laughing out loud. With this scene and that title what a rollercoaster of an episode this was 😅
I would suggest as far as kids playing games the age to introduce them to high quality games of decent complexity is around 10, especially if they're high reading level as your kids likely are Casen. That was the age where I really learned to appreciate games that involved some thinking. Though to be fair, at that age the games that I was really obsessed with were way beyond my age bracket -- Resident Evil fascinated me because of its cinematic quality (I was 10 in the year 2000 fyi), it was "like a movie," but also at that age the idea of zombies and monsters and all sorts of ghouls in relatively normal environments like "a house" or "a city" felt very palpably scary... but also that was the age when I began playing RPGs, FF8 was the first one that caught my eye, again for the cinematic quality that had, and after moving to the states (in 2001) I learned how to read English playing Tactics Ogre, FF8, FF9, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. So bringing it back, I suggest starting them off on something with *strong art direction* if you want to introduce them to narrative heavy games. That was the biggest thing that drew me to games as a kid ultimately, the aesthetic direction.
why is the thumbnail AI on other programs but then on yt its tharja? feel like i saw like 3 different thumbnails now lol
You 2 are my biggest video game crushes
2 minutes in: The hook had me laughing, the first minute had me laughing out loud!
glad to hear you aren’t so prone to stigmatisations on this topic. I really enjoy the literary value of xenoblade 2 and 3 specifically, lots of similar themes to xenogears.
but people judge me as some kind of sex-pest for liking these games lol.
19:05 In the Netherlands (and maybe elsewhere as well) we use the 20-20-2 rule. After every 20 minutes of close-up watching (mostly screen time, but it applies to reading as well), you must give your kid 20 seconds to stare in the distance, and they must play 2 hours outside.
Bad eye sight is becoming an epidemic due to the amount of time screens are close to the eyes.
How does that work with movies?
@@patrickweller5254There's usually a pause functionality or commercial break. And in theatres it's not close-up. Additionally, the two hours of play doesn't have to occur after every period of twenty minutes.
Interesting hearing these guys who aren’t really in the anime sphere try to penetrate it and speak more respectfully of it even if it doesn’t appeal to their tastes or sensibilities. My problem primarily with arguments against sexualization in entertainment is not that people who don’t like it just won’t consume it, that’s fine. But many people believe this content should be erased, censored, removed, like it presents such a real and true harm to real people that it shouldn’t even be allowed to exist. Such a thing diminishes artistic and creative freedom, especially if it is coming from another culture. That’s the real problem I have with many who criticize this type of content. Props to you guys for at least entertaining the discussion and trying to understand that just because things exist in the fantasy entertainment, that doesn’t mean it should be removed and/or censored entirely, because people should and often do have the ability to separate fantasy from reality.
There was a study I honestly can't remember who did it but it was on pornography, I think it was in the 70s when pornography was not so "mainstream" or easily accessed and freely available literally everywhere, the groups of people they've done it on had certain views regarding extreme sexual or you can say uncommon sexual behavior like beastiality, Necrophila, CB and so on. The study shows that continues consumption of pornographic materials led to the opinions of the tested group to move from extremely against to more leniant views, some even questions what's really the difference between an 18 year old or let's say 16. The study is not conclusive ofcourse. I'm not saying sexualization is the same as porn but over sexualization does have an effect, and depending on the individual to differentiate between the real and fantasy is big ask tbh, it's like depending on people to keep the law without anyone to enforce it. But there is arguement to be had there.
@@alenezi989a3 It’s not a big ask and those two things are very different. Laws and rules exist so that we know and understand our freedoms. You should never prohibit or restrict something just because a small percentage of people abuse it and use it towards harmful ends, especially if the thing in question has other benefits or is generally harmless in and of itself. The problem is how we as people and as a society respond to the content, and teach others to respond to it, not the content itself. With regards to things such as pornography and entertainment media sexualization, it is only actionable if the individual takes what they learn from the experience into reality. It is there that that individual can and should be judged. It is not the fault of the content itself.
@@jairekambui7738 it's not just about actionable behavior, from the study I mentioned the people being tested have not done anything it's just that their views have changed from extremely against if I remember some were even disgusted to a lot more leniant and accepting. It's like planting a seed. CP for example especially if it was in the form of drawing the person viewing it my feel less guilty they are not real right? But the more the person consumes the products the more the images plant themselves in their head, and now whenever they see childern these images will pop up its just how our brains work whether that leads to an actionable behavior or not it depends on the morality of the person but seed has been planted I see that as being harmful whether an actionable behavior happens or not. Regarding laws I have to argue it is the same thing, because think about I have no tendency to buy a weapon and use it to kill someone and steal their money so should there be no laws against murder? Murderers are a small percentage of people. This is an extreme example but you get the point. My view is different from yours when it comes to Laws I don't think that laws are there to make us know our freedom, but they are there to stop people from harmimg each other or harming themselves and therefore sustain a healthy society. I personally believe that Pornography and overt Sexualizatiom in media is harmful in and of itself for reasons more what I have mentioned and I don't believe it adds anything to art.
Your Patreon tiers need to change the lexicon from beast, beasta, beastaga etc to chad, chada, and chadaga
Hahaha!! CHADAGA!!
You two would make awesome dads (I know Casen already is one, but I don't know about Mike)
I can't wait to start playing this RPG and discussing it with you all.
It's 2024. Nerds are the new Chads. However you guys were chads from the beginning thus officially making you GIGAChads
Honestly though, I remember when you did those jrpg retrospectives. These deep cuts are badass, but your channel has really morphed into this kinda guru game analysis thing, and I dig it. 😎
36:55 Wow, I never would have guessed you had that kind of personal struggle, bruh.
One of the most INSANE things I heard growing up came from Bruce Lee. He said, “most of our fears come from a lack of true understanding. When people encounter something new they’re often afraid of it (which isn’t personal), but if you show them the beauty of that new then they have an opportunity to relax, and their whole world can change if they want it to. But, this takes time and a LOT of effort.” ❤🎉
My List:
1) Yuna
2) Samus Aran
3) The Nameless Hero from Gaurdian Legend (NES)
4) Jill from RE
5) Rydia
My grandpa always said: “Too much of one good thing is never a good thing.”
After finishing the podcast, I have to say this was a great discussion. I’d be wary of stigmatizing your own likes, because then you’re not actually being yourself and to take things as serious as it needs to be. If something is serious and pervasive enough to uproot an original meaning, maybe that thing should be removed entirely. An example I use frequently is Erin Pizzy, and how feminism (which has its roots in communism) took over her projects and threw her out of her own women’s shelters.
That in mind, always be willing to ask the question “Am I dumb for taking this too seriously, and what are the best/worst scenarios if I do act, vs if I don’t act.” It’s really hard for most people because we all have our biases. Especially those who have never deconstructed their own thought processes.
These episodes might be sidequests, but they're of the Witcher 3 variety, not the Final Fantasy 16 kind. We can put off the Planescape main quest for a bit
" I always DO Ellie" ... this made me laugh a bit.
So much self-reflection. You love to see it.
HAHAH that was my first impression when I saw your first FF8 podcast! But in a really good way!
For what it's worth i'm definitely team Clo-Ti haha.
As for being a chad-nerd, especially for people our age. It's really funny because to your nerd mates you're a total chad. and to your chad mates you're an absolute nerd.
Hey it's you! Next video when???
@@medical5444 when he's ready i guess
"Oh its Thursday morning for me that means new state of the arc episode, I wonder what its abo-
omg this is gonna be the greatest 80 minutes of my life"
When I was 12 to 16 went through a very tough depression because I had no friends and a toxic home life. I used anime and video games as a cope it’s all I had to feel some sense of hope or normalcy. I was one of those guys who fixated on waifus because I was very sheepish and had such low confidence in myself, I wanted acceptance, love to feel love with a girl. So I can completely understand how at least some of the people who consume anime & are very involved with characters feel. What got me out of it was eventually making friends and going out experience life, doing things on my own helped finally balance me out and find myself.
The thing about chad is that you resent him until you realize he’s a cool dude and easy to get along with
I thought everyone liked Chad, until he sleeps with the girl you like.
@@ab-hv8qsbut be honest is that his problem that you like her and she likes him?
@@ab-hv8qsYou should have made a move, or at least asked him for advice before that happened and then made a move.
@@RUdigitizedDefinitely not Chad's problem for sure lol.
Just saying losers tends to hate on the winners. That's the nature.
Strong individual is loved until jealousy and self interest gets in the way.
Imagine telling someone who knows nothing about JRPGs "Yeah I've been playing Unicorn Overlord" LMAO
Hahahaha, whoever has this conversation needs to record it and share it for all to see. It would be so amazing
I took basically a two year break from video games when my wife and I started living together (at the time just engaged). It was one of those things where I painted myself into a corner, because I liked her so much when we were dating that I couldn't bring myself to say that I play games all the time. Due to the fact that she has a brother who's addicted to gaming to the point where he never took work seriously and just lived with their parents. The funny thing is that actually really helped me get over video games. And even when our marriage became steady enough where I came clean about the fact that I do enjoy video games, I still never really got back into it.
I also do find my two kids very addicted to a tv/phone/ipad screen when given the choice, so it's definitely one of those things that people need to be careful of. At this point the only time I break out the tv screen is when one's sick and you know need the distractions.