While this was happening here, I was wondering how larger instances were handling the matter, especially Beehaw. In retrospect, however, it makes sense that they just defederated on sight since they're clearly more experienced and organized. Sadly Ada mostly has to do everything here, given the recent foundation of the instance.

Hexbear is what happens when kids (I hope they're all in their early 20s or teens, because otherwise this gets much sadder) spend years reading on leftist theory but have zero real world experience. They get intense, volatile, argumentative and have no idea how those points reflect on themselves and in reality. This is why they go around prancing those absurd beliefs and fencing anyone who disagrees out, while also dogpilling and swarming communities that don't agree: They only know what its like to be leftists in theory.

The one person who made the """"""peace"""""" thread had an earlier post here in Blahaj saying that since working under capitalism is coercion then everyone who solicits sex workers is a rapist, and that's basically the level of being disconnected from reality that they operate in. Unfortunately for them, their echo chamber is going to go on and be the equivalent of a left wing /pol/. For us - and hopefully all other major instances - its a relief to be rid of such crowd.

You already caused enough damage, please just leave. You are not wanted or welcome, and the defederation needs to be permanent and mutual to keep the rest of you out.

Perfect outcome, they get to feel superior despite doing nothing - which is their only goal - and we get to clean their mess.

The comparison to SomethingAwful is extremely on point, as that's the exact way they behave. Frankly, I think that type of volatile internet space should be left behind, and that's as a former goon. They're just ultimately shallow people who argue for the sake of arguing and bring nothing but discomfort to others.

I see we have reached the point where people are going to start saying "Okay, its time for everyone stop having fun" and writing about how the game isn't that big of deal.

Point being: let’s not listen to the shrieking streamers and strange subsection of Japanese game defenders, and just calm down about some naked adult bodies standing around in a character creator, shall we? It’s time games got comfortable with the human form.

Let's be frank: The real point is that the writer wants to feel superior to both of these demographics. Not that I support either, but this is just someone acting smug and superior and wanting a cookie for it. But I gotta say that the more blatant aspect is this ridiculous take that keeps popping up in modern criticism:

But there’s also plain old casual nudity—something that US cinema has historically shied away from (particularly with the male form), but that European cinema has been way more comfortable with for years. The whole gap between how the US and European ratings boards react to nudity is pretty well documented, and well summarised in this piece written at Quartz. Baldur’s Gate 3 is, of course, a European-made game, and we—yep, even us fusty old Brits—are historically a lot more relaxed about that kind of stuff.

Which is just absurd. I'm not North American, but let me tell you, if I see any plain dicks or pussy in a movie or TV series or game, it will be A Thing for me. I won't just sit there and act like a robot thinking "That's just a organic human body, much like mine, there's nothing unusual about that". There's no homogenous understanding in Europe, or South America or in any other non-US country where full blown nudity is just a casual happening that anyone would not bat an eye at, adult or not.

Furthermore:

Streamers are “shocked” by the nudity? Well, that’s because they’re either a) sheltered people whose lives are largely based in their bedrooms and/or b) aware of the fact that looking aghast, being shocked, and squealing at the sight of a willy or tuft of pubes counts as entertainment. It’s a tale as old as PewDiePie: overreact on camera to things that happen in a game, and you’ll keep viewers, especially younger ones, engaged.

Whether it’s a performance or genuine shock, or a bit of both, video game streamers exist in a pretty particular bubble whose reactions aren’t exactly a gauge of society at large.

I won't deny that streamers overact for views and content, but honestly? Fuck this guy. If I were playing by myself and saw a random cock dangling on my screen, I would have a reaction and feel flustered. If I were playing in front of hundreds, maybe thousands of strangers online? You can bet your ass that I would have a mini-anxiety attack. If the average streamer is a "sheltered people whose lives are largely based in their bedrooms " (again, fuck this writer) then that's even more reason to not make light of a moment of panic. Having a hobby where you get to interact with people beyond your screen instead of face-to-face can be a mirror, but it also opens you to a lot of repercussions and a human, if overblown reaction like this being talked down is genuinely infuriating.

Frankly, this is just a plain asshole of a person, and the fact that every other writing of theirs on BG3 is "Its not that good, everyone" just solidifies my stance.

A lot of things can cause "the mind to wander" and, frankly, I'm not a health professional but as a person who sometimes has trouble focusing I somewhat sympathize. There are times when I simply can't sit down and enjoy myself, and there's nothing that can be done about that. Usually times of high stress and anxiety.

But outside of those extreme cases, there's generally a few things here and there that can help alleviate. The first, and maybe almost stupidly obvious one, is to do some of those tasks beforehand. I don't have to stress about doing the dishes or paying the bills or returning a call if I just do it beforehand. Logging into the bank app is just 5 minutes, why worry about it otherwise.

Another is to get comfortable and shut yourself off. Leave your phone in a place you can't reach from wherever you're gaming (or watching a movie, or reading or studying. Your phone should actually be in a different room every time you don't immediately need it) as well as any other electronic devices. Close the windows and doors, turn off your PC. Make it a bother to stop enjoying yourself.

Take a bathroom break (or if its in the evening, a shower+grooming) and maybe have a snack or a full meal. Have a bottle of water nearby. That crosses out basic biologic annoyances (until you need a pee break but that's at least a healthy obstacle).

Exercise a bit. Sounds out there, but exhausting yourself physically isn't only healthy, it also takes your mind off a lot of things. Since that's a relatively boring activity that can also have your mind wander, have some podcasts handy, but something light and preferably with 2+ hosts so you can have several voices in your head that aren't yours but also don't need to follow a story or anything heavy. Going on a walk while listening to a 1 hour episode should be good enough (and something we all should do regardless of attention issues)

On the subject of podcasts, I've found that some games aren't gripping enough to draw my attention or are repetitive enough that I don't need to dedicate all of my attention to them, so I've dubbed them Podcast Games and do both at the same time. Roguelikes do very well in this regard, as well as management games, or anything that isn't story heavy (or if the story blows) and where the sound isn't exactly necessary.

And sometimes, ultimately, maybe you just aren't really in the mood for a game. There are hobbies of mine that I enjoy, but don't do much because I'm not "in the zone" as often, like reading or watching a TV series. So if gaming is like that for you, swap around and enjoy yourself, time spent doing something you like isn't time wasted.

Optional: I've found that I'm much better at sitting down and watching a movie or a show when I have someone alongside me to chat up. Maybe having someone along to play/watch together, or simply streaming through Discord for a friend might be a solution. You'd be surprised at how many other people are also bored and would accept an invite to watch you play while chatting about their day.

The usage of "content" and "engagement" in this post is genuinely depressing. People clearly want to have conversations and discussions, not feed an algorithm machine.

"Bro Explaining" is a meme format where a guy is enthusiastically preaching about a subject to a clearly uninterested woman, in this case transposed to a Space Marine spreading Codex Astartes lore

The thought of a competitive Pokemon Sleep scenario just filled me with the most precious mental image. The Reverse Gamer™ Room, no leds, no table full of monitors, a mega comfy bed, relaxing music or white noise machine, guides on how to have a healthy diet and regular workout sessions.

Even a bit later, sometimes. From "Snow Crash":

Until a man is twenty-five, he still thinks, every so often, that under the right circumstances he could be the baddest motherfucker in the world. If I moved to a martial arts monastery in China and studied real hard for ten years. If my family was wiped out by Columbian drug dealers and I swore myself to revenge. If I got a fatal disease, had one year to live, devoted it to wiping out street crime. If I just dropped out and devoted my life to being bad.

Hiro used to feel that way, too, but then he ran into Raven. In a way, this is liberating. He no longer has to worry about trying to be the baddest motherfucker in the world. That position is taken.

I only realized it was satire after I opened the thread and saw it was HardDrive, not only did it feel something a game would do (probably a New Blood game) but I was also genuinely stoked