God's RPG?

[DestinMancer]

I believe in this RPG, the self is the only playable character. The npcs are around the playable character(you) and the random encounters are the things you struggle with. Our boss battles are major struggles such as the death of one in the family. There is no ending to life, only game over, death. If we take care of ourselves than we "gain EXP". That's how EXP got its name in the first place. Every year we age or level up until its game over. God is the RPG Maker. The RPG Maker is God. So when we use something like RMXP than we are playing God.

 

[Grandor]

Yeah, if you can't percieve something it doesn't mean it's not there. It's not there to you but it's there to somebody else who can perceive it. I wouldn't give it to much thought. We think we know the universe, we develop the most solid theories, only to have them disproven a few years from now.

 

[Mujklob]

What is the source of the attraction and repulsion? I don't think it will ever be found.

Strings? Thoughts? Ideas? Concepts? Information?

So what is the difference between us and empty space?
Nothing. There's absolutely nothing there.

Well, think about what makes you 'you'. How many times in your life have you overturned every single atom in your body? Many, many times. Everything that made you up ten years ago is no longer inside you. Think about that. Every single piece of matter has changed, yet... you are still you, aren't you? Or.. at least you think you are.

There is no way to completely prove you exist. We could all be in tubes having our senses artificially stimulated through virtual reality. We could be the experiment of a highly advanced alien race. We could be simulations on a very powerful supercomputer in a 'real' universe. There's no way to prove it, yet, all are possible. At least, until we are able to understand what consciousness really is, how it works, etc.

 

[sixtyandaquarter]

we understand consciousness, what it really is and how it works. the question is do we have it. some people say we have free will - yet say god forced or made people act, which negates free will.

other's say we are a dream, a simulation, pawns in a chessboard, npcs in an rpg. every single possibility does not dilute our man made concept of consciousness, nor what it stands for and is... just some challenge if it exists.
if it is applicable to us.
and other completely alter what the definition is to fit a need, i already have today (but not here, did so in the back yard an hour ago).

i don't get this god rpg thing though.
i don't see how the thought is any different than what most religions teach. god made man... man did stuff...
god made man out of creative indulgence and curiosity... man did stuff...
same thing if you ask me, just a new tag on the package.
though i'd think it a cool concept to play out, but it sounds just like everything else.

 

[rpgfan_2007]

Symposium material it is, indeed.

On the topic of us not technically existing, that goes in with a theory I devised as I went through upper division college chemistry.

Truth is, I don't believe matter exists at all.

Basically, as we've gone along, all we've ever discovered is space. When we discovered atoms, we only really discovered the space between atoms, which we thought were solid, but were wrong because, of course, we later discovered protons, neutrons, and electrons - or did we? No, we discovered the space between them. Then comes quarks, gluons, strings - We didn't discover new matter at all people - we discovered space.

From every perspective, when you touch a keyboard key, you don't touch anything at all. The particles that make of your finger never actually touch the particles that make up the keyboard - this isn't theory, it's fact. If the atoms that make up your finger ever got close enough to another atom that their energy level intersected, the results would be catostrophic.

I don't think this pattern will ever change. The smaller we go, the more space we discover. Because of this, I surmise that no scientist will ever discover "matter," especially since it hasn't happened yet. What is matter made out of? It's made out of space.

I read an article about some French or Russian scientist, that explained his theory (that was similar to mine). HE believed that the smallest building block of all matter was composed of two revolving particles that, and here's the important part, don't exist. That's right - at the bottom of everything, is nothing.

So if all my keyboard is, and all my hand is, is a series of inexplicable repulsions, what's there? Nothing. Matter doesn't exist.

Now, call me an unreasonable christian, but this proved God to me more than ever. I began thinking that we must exist as a construct in some intelligent mind that transcends the universe and physics, but not in a FFX "Dream of the Fayth" sort of way, but, as I said, that nothing exists outside of the will that brought it into being.

I suppose you could say I'm a christian who believes that God imagined us, and we exist in his mind.

Controversial? I dunno. But nobody can prove that matter exists - we've never seen it.

Of course matter exists. Physics proves matter exists. According to your statements, then NOTHING is real. Are you saying nothing is real? You don't exist? Neither do your parents? Nor anything you see, and touch?

You make the mistake when you say if we look deep enough, we can break matter down into vast empty space and therefore, matter itself doesn't exist.

You can break down the outer space into vast regions of empty space, but this Earth surely exists. So does the Sun, and the moon.

 

[Cruelty]

wow. you know youve played WAY too many games when you're referring to existence as 'one big rpg'.

i don't really see why this is symposium material.

 

[Reives]

If you take a 2D flatty man out on a 3D joy ride, he wouldn't know what happened - things wouldn't make sense to him, because he does not have a concept of depth. (Not speaking of the RPG thing in particular.)

When you speak of things beyond our logical comprehension, such as "the world of God" relative to us, for example - our logic does not apply. Things beyond our world does not need to have the same rules as us; and because everything we rationalize is based on our logic and boundaries, every "theory" of such grand schemes means nothing but entertainment to our mind, even if it makes sense according to our physics and science.

 

[sixtyandaquarter]

Remove the words Role Playing Game and RPG and replace it with chess game and pawns. Cobbles of wood and leather. Clay figures. Stringless marionettes. The painted stones among the reeves. Guess what?
You have pretty much the very first topic of discussion if our greatest of ancestors with abstract thought had a symposium to post in.

This is symposium material, and RPG is just a new trend on the old thought. It may bored on the religion topic, but let's just call it a spinoff from a subplot in the faith/religious/theological/philosophical symposium feature. A "how are we here" to "why are we here" to "are we here" are all different topics, just with similarities.

Abstract thought is a tough thing as Reives just mentioned, because it has no rules or boundaries - much like the real world. Generally there is no binding when it comes to debates on the intangibles. Perhaps there is a God or god or gods and he/she/it is out there playing a game. Some could say its a game that isn't being played well - but that's assuming we know the rules. But almost all schools of thought that have stayed preserved in our social and cultural beings on the merit of thought and not impositions almost always have one very major aspect. Free will.

Perhaps we're that advanced of a hobby that we are the AI to the non linear free play. But I don't see the difference between that and we are the random intelligence to the non linear free reality.

 

[Yum]

Isn't this kinda too circular a question to ask?

I mean weren't RPGs supposed to be opportunities to play alternate lives to begin with? So it's a life portrayed as a game now portrayed as life again - ?

chess game and pawns. Cobbles of wood and leather. Clay figures. Stringless marionettes. The painted stones among the reeves.

Chess game and pawns - God's RTS

Cobbles of wood and leather - what does that even mean. God's mosaic?

Clay figures / Stringless marionettes - description's of people, not life itself.

Wow. I digressed.

I agree with Cruelty and am of the opinion that this topic is a big load of beeswax.

Either that or I just think it's really lame.

 

[sixtyandaquarter]

Yum, the circular question is a good point.

As for the rest of your post:
Chess game. Ever watch Clash of the Titans? Essentially the powers that be move their respective pawns around, ultimately having control. A simulation game style thing - I move you, but what happens when I move you could be chance. Perhaps you best the foe you come across, perhaps there are predefined rules. An extremely old philosophical concept that lends credence to free will being a myth, an argument still used today.

Ever hear of a story called Martin the Cobbler? Or the older explanation of the human soul? It is like that of wood and leather, two separates bound together. The stiff but supple wood is our human side while the leather is our Godly side. Without the leather we fall apart and are in constant need of repair, but only God can do so. A similar Chinese story has various powers directing a tree to grow a certain way, then cutting it down and carving out specific tools. All three ideas being that the powers have influence over us that we can't deny.
Martin didn't want to fix a bible, yet he does because God makes him. The human nature in us doesn't want to, but God can force us as if we were in leather binds. The tools are a way to describe a persons actions, all being shaped by the gods. Either way this idea shows that humans have free will but are incapable of denying the gods unless it's a plan.

Clay figures is an older story that meas that we are the toys of the gods. Stringless marionettes was used by dozens of Spanish monks to describe our relationship to God during the Plague. We may tangle up but he has full control, and if he cuts the strings we are useless.

All of these basis have one theme in comment, a power to be's plan for us and how we are used. For some it is a game or a hobby, Chess and the Cobbling fit under both but also show the strategy involved between a power and their own control. In others we are merely playthings that can be tossed away.

As for the whole 'not symposium worthy':
"Why are we here?"
"Do we truly exist?"
"Freewill? Really?"
etc. etc. etc.
All major cruxes in philosophical debate, the oldest "great questions" in theology and philosophical - one still debated by great religious (atheists too) on their own ground and others.
This essentially by the points made by several people in this thread has touched each of those "great questions".

If the very essence of our existence is too much or too lame, that's fine - but I don't want to see another post that aims directly at going "this toipic sux stfu".
I will delete such posts, they are spam.

If you think this should be moved than please report it and see what happens - maybe you'll have a fine reason and it'll get removed. This isn't the place to discuss if a topic is debatable, but rather to debate over the topic, thanks.

 

[Brosek]

I agree... I usually stop to think, is there a true path in life that is the correct path? What will all of our hard work accomplish.. a patch in dirt in names in text. We're but bees in a colony that try hard to appease to the queen (In this case being god.. or some being or person we see as a higher authority.) It is an endless cycle to try to reach the stars.. in the end what is the point of it? We're lonely.. man is alone (figuratively) so we try hard to entertain the fact that if we try hard enough we'll be rewarded. We are constantly trying to prolong our lives.. for what purpose? It is as you said.. life is but an RPG.. we all try to fulfill roles that have no tangable pay off.. but the praise and the feeling of completing a task. Striving to level up.. to defeat the feeling of helplessness inside us all.. what is life? A mere ripple in the ocean of time.. not really of great benefit but beautiful to look at up close.

How long is 1000 years really? .. How far away is 5 million years? We compare things in our view to see how long things are.. What is a foot but the size of an object.. what is language but an assortment of sounds.. what are humans but tool using primates.. What is evolution..? We can not think about these things because its sad what it really is.. a laugh.. a joke played on us. The truth we know deep down.. the real reason we're scared of death.. because we dont know anything close to the truth to the questions. We must play our roles.. the only comfort we have.

 

[PeteD2S]

If we are God's RPG, God's a bitch. I mean, he kills people daily and makes many more suffer, while others have everything they wish. No we are not God's RPG, we were created by chance, if something had gone "wrong" while the primitive life forms were evolving, we wouldn't look like this, we probably wouldn't exist.
You also can't even imagine how many events happened before Earth was created and if only 1 didn't go the Earth creation way, Earth wouldn't exist today.
So we should consider ourselves very fucking lucky to be present in the universe, even thought we just live to die (eventually).

 

[shiroun]

What if the universe is more of a grid.

Example to prove it:

You are awoken at 1:00 AM by a sound, you a still drowsy, and go to check it out. Your [Insert family member/mate here] hears you wake up, and sees you leave the room. They ask you where you are going, you answer then saying you are going to check out what made a sound. You go downstairs, and see broken glass, and a branch stuck in the window, thus no one got in. You walk towards it, and cut your foot, scream in pain, and treat it quickly. You walk upstairs, and go back to sleep.

In the morning, you wake up feeling horrible, you ask your [family member/mate] if they felt ok, they answer yes, and then explain what happened.


Now then, you don't remember anything from that night...

Did it happen? Prove it.

 

[PeteD2S]

It did happen, just because you can't prove it or know it, doesn't mean it didn't happen. If somebody you know dies, but you don't know about it, you can't say he/she is still alive just because you don't know he/she died.

Wait, where do you wanna go with this, I didn't get it. :P

 

[Tdata]

I tend to believe in "The world is myth" theory.  Pantheistic solipsism...  Fun stuff... 

 

[shiroun]

It did happen, just because you can't prove it or know it, doesn't mean it didn't happen. If somebody you know dies, but you don't know about it, you can't say he/she is still alive just because you don't know he/she died.

Wait, where do you wanna go with this, I didn't get it. :P

Prove they were dead before you found out?
Screw the science, it is easily manipulated.
Just because someone is sad, doesn't mean something bad happened.


Hypothetically:

I shoot someone, and run away. Later I find out they lived through it, but the bullet was never found. I haven't seen them since the shooting day.

5 years later I see their grave, but the date of death is like so

1944 - 20~~ (~ means it isn't readable)

Prove that date isn't 2007.


This is rather confusing, even for me.

 

[PeteD2S]

You can't be sad without a reason. There must always be a reason for sadness or happiness.

And shooting someone doesn't mean killing them. After your crime, they could have had an accident and died. You didn't know about that, but you couldn't tell they are still living. Like, I can't tell if all my friends will show up tomorrow in school and everyone survived the night. You don't have to prove anything, you need to know.

 

[shiroun]

This is getting confusing.

Lets put it this way, knowledge is power, but knowledge is also a weakness.

 

[Taylor]

This is interesting, although I never thought along the lines of RPG/NPCs and whatnot, but more an experiment. Like if scientists place rodents in a box with some artificial plant, food etc.
In our case, we are the rodents and everything was created by God, or at least the planet we live on. The experiment was simply to see how creatures based off Himself (if we are at all), but without the divine abilities would act in an environment separate from their creator, or at least in a different environment of however Heaven works.

This was just a random idea that popped into my head one day, I'm not religious myself but I'm surrounded by it - going to a Catholic school and all. (But no more. Off to college... woot?)

Someone mentioned the "there is no spoon" from The Matrix. I haven't seen the first Matrix myself, but this raises an interesting point that was made in a book about parapsychology based on sci-fi movies:

We cannot be sure that anything is real, nor that we can prove it. We can't even begin to conclude what "real" is. The one thing we can be sure that exists is thoughts.
Slowly, parts of your body could be replaced with robotics and you'll still exist. Your brainwaves could be uploaded to a computer in some way in the far future - and you may still exist.
The book pointed out that thoughts most likely exist, but they may not come from the same origin. They may all think (thoughts thinking?), okay... "act" as if they all come from a boy named Sue. These thoughts act as if... say, some act like they're tasting cake for Sue, some act as if they're talking for Sue and so on.

We don't know how these thoughts could be linking up to interact, which brings us to a problem: What about these so called "NPCs"? Or... "people who are not Sue"? If the above theory is correct, who is "real" in this world and who is just thoughts thi- "acting" as if they can see, or can talk with a girl named Bob, or someone known as the "mother" of Sue?
A major issue is death, what happens when the "real person" dies? What happens to the illusions of "other people"? These NPCs?

... ...

... ... did I go off topic a bit much?

 

[Ninjitsu]

I thought about this when i first started making my game.
It sucks cause I can't talk to my parents about it, cause they're uber religious.

Just think of the "scripting" required to create one human body.
Just one process, eating, is more complex than my entire game.
Take breathing, circulation, the immune system into account, and it puts all of Seph and Trickster's stuff to shame.
Take the brain processes in, and almost nothing in the world can compare to it.
Just sight, my favorite topic, is so insane to understand.

And that was just the human body, not the rest of this "RPG."
I wish I could save, and reload the game file when I make mistakes.

Sigh... I wouldnt have so many stitches.