April 10, 2016 Opinion
In the heading "Direct text" The author expresses exclusively his own opinion, which may not coincide with the opinion of the editorial office. He is free to do this as you like and in any format convenient for himself. Everything is possible here.
Direct broadcasts of games have become almost a replacement for the games themselves. But, like any modern phenomenon, Streams have their own prerequisites hidden in human nature and allowing desires and needs to grow from small sprouts on the fruitful grounds in a giant tree.
Interestingly, the reasons for such a comprehensive popularity of streaming were, although not directly, described several years ago by modern philosophers. Philosophy is a science that entangles with its roots almost all spheres of human life.
Intermediary between the game and the viewer
“… Medocracy means not only the power of the medium, that is, intermediaries, but also the power of mediocrity (mediocre). And power is constantly growing. To the extent that the Creator, the Creator retreats into the background, his interpret, that is, the medium, which mediates the connection of the work with the public, is gaining more and more importance. Take, for example, the theater. People go to watch not the play by Racine, but the production of this play by the famous director. Or in music, when in the light of the ramp there is not a composer, but a conductor or soloist … "
Debri mode
The French philosopher Debre introduced the concept of mediocracy regarding the ideological and political power of the media in society. However, the image of the so -called "medium" ("intermediary") is manifested in many areas. So, stream is nothing more than a “intermediary” between the game and the viewer. The original, in this case, the game, goes into the background, and in its place it stands simplified, so as not to say – chewed, version, already prepared for perception and does not require effort.
Thus, a computer game from active activity that directly involves the player becomes passive, preserving only indirect contact. It turns out that the game loses its main function and, as a result, ceases to be a game in the full sense.
► Games with procedural generation, like The Binding of ISAAC, are well suited for streams primarily because each player eventually develops his own story.
The idea of "medium mediator" is supported by the theory adopted in modern philosophy, according to which society is more often content with a simulation of reality. Hence the idea of prosthetics of reality is already developing, when a person instead of natural activity or phenomenon creates his “prosthesis”. Agree, observation of how someone else plays is reminiscent of nothing more than the “prosthesis” of the game itself.
Passivity and team
Jean Bodriyar, a modern French sociologist and philosopher, in his works defines the game as a kind of challenge to the player, always carrying risk, danger and walking on the verge with himself. At the same time, Bodriyar notes that at our time the case of “refusal of the game” is increasingly found: hot desire is replaced by a cold temptation.
“… Anyone who is so spoiled by the total availability of information is unlikely to have a need to change the place of stay … Therefore, I express my fears that telecenology does not cause pathological passivity among users …”
Paul Virillo, French philosopher, social theorist
► Someone might think: why to suffer and go through Dark Souls yourself if you can see how someone passes it for you? This is partly even reasonable.
Many scientists, and society as a whole, have long accepted on faith that the development of technology increases more and more human active activity. This idea in a somewhat hyperbolized form was beaten in the animated film “Vall-I”, where people swimming swimming only on mobile armchairs. Agree, not the most enviable future.
“Where the technique is put forward to the fore, personal life pushes back … We have turned into spectators sitting in front of the screens – screens of a TV, computer, etc.D. Thus, we become more and more passive objects, recipients of information and gradually cease to be actors. ".
Federico Major Saragos, Spanish scientist and politician
However, this passivity is manifested not only physically, but also psychologically. French writer, philosopher and part -time psychoanalyst Julia Kristeva notes that most of her patients suffering from internal conflicts do not even have exemplary images of reality: “They come, watch TV to calm down, not to think, and not to find words and thoughts there ".
And let such statements sound sadly and unfair to some, we will not deny that for many players the stream has become an analogue of the TV: the unreleal role of the viewer is compatible with the games that they love so much. The difference is that the live broadcast is accompanied by interactivity, lively mutual communication.
► In the case of e -sports tournaments about constant interactivity, there is no talk, but there is an entertainment of a completely different sense.
“The team knows both more and less than an individual: he knows how the collective is the whole content of the encyclopedia and all the contributions to the works of scientific institutions, but he does not know those who lie close to the heart and intimate things that make up the color and fabric of individual life. When a person says: “I will never be able to convey that horror …” or: “No words can express my joy …”, he says something that is true in the most strict and accurate sense of the word: he has through his experience the knowledge by which those whose experience was different do not possess, and which is not amenable to complete expression in words. If he is a first -class artist of the word, he can create a state of consciousness from the susceptible reader, not different in everything from his own … "
Bertrand Russell, British philosopher and public figure
Here, perhaps, there is nothing to add, everything lies on the surface: we go to the stream not just to stare, as someone puts the mouse. For many, this is primarily communication: with a streamer (medium-mediator), with other spectators. This is an exchange of gaming experience, real emotions received from a sudden victory or death. Or is it just an empty chatter and dousing with the poison of all those around them and their relatives (hello to all the “mothers”). Streaming translated into virtual space those very gatherings with friends in childhood, when one boy picks up the joystick, and everyone else looks at the game and support him in every possible way … well, or do not support him.
► Twitch chat, they say that all the most evil and dark that is in a person is concentrated. But … sometimes it's even fun.
“In comparison with a reality that forms, when you are seen and heard, even the most powerful forces of our inner life-heart passions, sincere thoughts, sensual pleasures-lead some kind of uncertain, corrugated existence … The presentation of others that we see , and hear what we hear, certifies us the reality of the world https://iwild-casino.co.uk/ and ourselves … "
“… the policy, and therefore the public space itself was a place of the strongest and fierce dispute, in which everyone had to convince himself from all the others, an outstanding act, word and achievement, proving that it was he who lives as one of the best. In other words, the open, public, space was reserved specifically for the direct, for individuality; This was the only place where everyone had to be able to show how he was knocked out of mediocrity, than he is actually in his indispensability. "
Hannah Arendt, German philosopher and political scientist
And although the ancient Greek policy, about which Hannah Arendt is talking about, has long been the case of the past, his legacy lives and develops so far, and his specific function, oddly enough, manifests every day on the pages of network forums and, of course, Strimov.
Moreover, this desire to “distinguish yourself from all others” applies not only to avid users of chat. First of all, this is manifested in the motives of the streamer himself. He is one who flaunts himself before the whole world, to completely strangers, hoping to raise himself to Olympus. According to the same Hannah Arendt, public perfection is much more valuable than private, because the close environment of people could never convincingly confirm superiority.
► Due to the apparent "proximity" on Stream, conditional stars may not even seem like stars. Here they are, at an extended hand.
The image of a streamer can generally be called a completely new phenomenon of our time. And this is not about a specific representative, not at all. This is a unique image, distant, but at the same time representing real, alive, without any processing or censorship. Whether it is a person completely unfamiliar to you or everyone familiar with Internet knowledge, stream imitates intimacy, allowing you to be at the distance of an outstretched arm from each other.
As the American writer Harlan Koben said: “Technology! Now they connect people after they are divorced in different directions. ".
* * *
The Internet, including striming, has become a natural consequence of progress, and technical and cultural. Few people argue with this. And no matter what pessimistic forecasts voiced us – total passivity, global warming, uprising of cars, etc.p., – I still want to believe in the best future and enjoy a comfortable real.
And if we are offered to watch on the air on how the next “progemim” through tears screams at his mediocre teammates or blazing with a blue flame from the attack of the next boss in Bloodborne , Why not see? This is a unique opportunity to look at the world wider, open something new, get acquainted with people and open up to the whole world.
