TAW122
Emissary of the right to die.
- Aug 30, 2018
- 7,282
There is an argument and contention that is prevalent across many different domains and activities, be it sports, gaming, arts, entertainment, or many many more domains. The one caveat is that whenever there is a contentious debate about what one activity in any domain is considered 'fun', it is often riddled with gatekeeping and other unnecessary dismissiveness towards those who don't always share the same sentiments. While the definition of 'fun' or anything enjoyable, pleasurable to one may differ between groups and individuals, ultimately, the bottom line is that 'fun' is determined by the individual themselves and nobody else. This thread is partly to vent about this kind of attitude in the general mainstream world, but also to discuss about what defines fun itself.
To put things into more context, here is a concrete example of fun and also the issue of gatekeeping. This example here could be anything, be it a sport, game, art, or any other activity, hobby, or domain (whatever one fancies). In this scenario, we will consider the activity of gaming, as this is something that I have the most experience in (not necessarily about me or personal stuff but more in general according to my observations throughout the years). Throughout most of my life, I've always heard the common sentiment of "if it isn't fun, then don't do it!" referring to said activity or goal. However, that not only dismisses and downplays whatever the person is intending to do, but also imposes another's viewpoint on how fun should be had, which is antithetical towards the idea of letting people choose their fun (as long as it doesn't harm others). Going back to the 90's when pokemon used to be a major craze (as people who grew up in the 90's or even early 2000's may somewhat recall), and when the video game consoles came out, there were people who played to catch all 150 (or 151, if you consider 'Mew' to be the 151st addition to the Pokedex (a Pokedex is a pokemon log that tracks whichever pokemon one has captured or attained) but I digress). So then when someone tells someone that they shouldn't do so because it's tedious or a time-waste, they are projecting their idea of fun to said person, and that is unacceptable.
Another example, would be where one may not be interested in doing player vs player pokemon battles, but because their friends are, it would be wrong for their friends to push them into doing such activities. Of course, in the 90's or even 2000's peer pressure and other things are often a issue (and probably is also today albeit in different domains). While there are many other fields of fun or other countless activities, this thread would be extremely long and redundant if I were to list every single example from just every domain and activity. Therefore, I've only mentioned one and elaborated on such.
Finally, just as a note, my interest in video gaming has waned as I've grown older, but I figured that I bring the example of gaming (as it's one of the activities I had the most experience and spent the most time in my leisure time throughout my life) to make my point clear. In the end, the idea and concept of 'fun' is a subjective one and the most important aspect is that if someone's definition and idea of fun (again, as long as it doesn't violate another's freedom or 'tangible' harm to another person), it should be respected, and not shunned or gatekept.
To put things into more context, here is a concrete example of fun and also the issue of gatekeeping. This example here could be anything, be it a sport, game, art, or any other activity, hobby, or domain (whatever one fancies). In this scenario, we will consider the activity of gaming, as this is something that I have the most experience in (not necessarily about me or personal stuff but more in general according to my observations throughout the years). Throughout most of my life, I've always heard the common sentiment of "if it isn't fun, then don't do it!" referring to said activity or goal. However, that not only dismisses and downplays whatever the person is intending to do, but also imposes another's viewpoint on how fun should be had, which is antithetical towards the idea of letting people choose their fun (as long as it doesn't harm others). Going back to the 90's when pokemon used to be a major craze (as people who grew up in the 90's or even early 2000's may somewhat recall), and when the video game consoles came out, there were people who played to catch all 150 (or 151, if you consider 'Mew' to be the 151st addition to the Pokedex (a Pokedex is a pokemon log that tracks whichever pokemon one has captured or attained) but I digress). So then when someone tells someone that they shouldn't do so because it's tedious or a time-waste, they are projecting their idea of fun to said person, and that is unacceptable.
Another example, would be where one may not be interested in doing player vs player pokemon battles, but because their friends are, it would be wrong for their friends to push them into doing such activities. Of course, in the 90's or even 2000's peer pressure and other things are often a issue (and probably is also today albeit in different domains). While there are many other fields of fun or other countless activities, this thread would be extremely long and redundant if I were to list every single example from just every domain and activity. Therefore, I've only mentioned one and elaborated on such.
Finally, just as a note, my interest in video gaming has waned as I've grown older, but I figured that I bring the example of gaming (as it's one of the activities I had the most experience and spent the most time in my leisure time throughout my life) to make my point clear. In the end, the idea and concept of 'fun' is a subjective one and the most important aspect is that if someone's definition and idea of fun (again, as long as it doesn't violate another's freedom or 'tangible' harm to another person), it should be respected, and not shunned or gatekept.
