Life is a Video Game: The Movie

Arthurbodhi

This is something... interesting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZOs8LoULENw

Being more serious, what do you think about the philosophical implication of this and parallelism with some buddhist ideas?

person

With the rise of the industrial age, people were often compared to machines.

I've seen a BBC show on YouTube somewhere that covered this topic, I don't know if its true or not but I think people tend to draw comparisons with what they see around them.

SillyPutty

Arthurbodhi said:

Being more serious, what do you think about the philosophical implication of this and parallelism with some buddhist ideas?

I dunno, but if this theory is true, I really hope I'm actually a white wizard like in the Final Fantasy series. :rockon:

Arthurbodhi

SillyPutty said:

Arthurbodhi said:

Being more serious, what do you think about the philosophical implication of this and parallelism with some buddhist ideas?

I dunno, but if this theory is true, I really hope I'm actually a white wizard like in the Final Fantasy series. :rockon:

I prefere a black one, but one like Vivi

person

Here's that BBC documentary I was thinking of

What We Still Don't Know: "Are We Real?"

pegembara

"Just as when boys or girls are playing with the video game: as long as they are not free from passion, desire, love, thirst, fever, & craving for those video games, that's how long they have fun with those video games, enjoy them, treasure them, feel possessive of them. But when they become free from passion, desire, love, thirst, fever, & craving for those video games, then they smash them, scatter them, demolish them with their hands or feet and make them unfit for play."

paraphrased
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn23/sn23.002.than.html

Beej

How life is like a video game: There is an ultimate goal that is attainable through the trial and error process. The amount of lives it takes to attain this goal is irrelevant. Rebirth/respawn leads to more trials/errors, that can give you experience needed to teach you the skills to practice the process with more refinement until: wham!----> You save the princess/ become enlightened. Its begginer's mind in 2D..... :hiding:

Arthurbodhi

pegembara said:

"Just as when boys or girls are playing with the video game: as long as they are not free from passion, desire, love, thirst, fever, & craving for those video games, that's how long they have fun with those video games, enjoy them, treasure them, feel possessive of them. But when they become free from passion, desire, love, thirst, fever, & craving for those video games, then they smash them, scatter them, demolish them with their hands or feet and make them unfit for play."

paraphrased
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn23/sn23.002.than.html

Although I understand the simil of the Sutta. I don't see any Buddhist destroying his life or destroying the world when they try to lost passion or craving for it.

This is a simil, a metaphor, Is not to be taking literal.

Videogames like any type entertainment could be a craving, but not necessary, and could be enjoyed the same way that a good book or a movie, music or sports without the need to feeling attached to them. Including we can learn one thing or two in the process that can help our path like Thaye Dorje Karmapa said:

"So, for me sometimes it can be a relief, a kind of decompression to just play some video games. If I'm having some negative thoughts or negative feelings, video games are one way in which I can release that energy in the context of the illusion of the game. I feel better afterwards.The aggression that comes out in the video game satiates whatever desire I might have to express that feeling. For me, that's very skillful because when I do that I don't have to go and hit anyone over the head."

ZendoLord84

i like playing videogames...

with everything in life and buddhism, it's all about finding our own middle paths.

Daozen

Yes, it's a game. Now go for your highest karma points score!

person

I just came across this short film and thought of this post. Here life really is a video game.

Arthurbodhi

person said:

I just came across this short film and thought of this post. Here life really is a video game.

Wow, that was awesome... and creepy :eek2: . I hope to be a long time before we arrive at that level of technology intrusion.

Invincible_summer

What is your experience of reality? Does your experience of reality support the idea that life could be a simulation?

For me, the Four Noble Truths boil down the - sorry- truths of life well enough, and the work will take up many a lifetime. I don't know if it's worth getting into idle speculation regarding "the truth" about the universe. Even if you did know/find out, what good would that do you other than a temporary intellectual satisfaction? Even intellectually understanding the Four Noble Truths is useless unless you start to experience it.

Sorry if this comes off as brusque/harsh. I don't mean it to be. I just want to point out the importance of experience over intellectual satisfaction.

rivercane

These guys seem sincere but something tells me this would be a terrible movie.

Besides, to add to what @Invincible_summer said: what's the point? I think movies like The Matrix are cool but let's say we discover that we are living in a digital simulation created by an alien race or human beings from the future or whatever. How do you explain the alien race or future human beings? Or we to believe that it is a digital simulation "all the way down"?

I've known some people who were so enamored with all things digital that they love this kind of theory. To me, it almost seems like a cop out in a way to because it is like insulating yourself in a kind of intellectual cocoon.

The Four Noble Truths really are enough for many lifetimes.

Arthurbodhi

Invincible_summer said:

Sorry if this comes off as brusque/harsh. I don't mean it to be. I just want to point out the importance of experience over intellectual satisfaction.

That not was harsh at all, instead was quite insightful. Thanks.