Gamified Life and Disconnection from the Self

Although only two months have passed, we are beginning the year with horror. Having previously mentioned the Epstein files and the Doomsday Clock, we are now poised to address the question, “What could possibly be worse?” A recent example of this is the attack launched against Iran in Israel's interests. Ultimately, however, we know that there are no winners in war, and it is always civilians who suffer.

Strangely enough, some people seek temporary gains. They take advantage of the situation. No, I'm not referring to the price fluctuations that war can cause, that's an economic matter. What I want to touch on here is the more sociological and psychological aspect: gambling. I would then like to focus on individuals.

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You know, there used to be two concepts: seriousness and shame. Thanks to social media, we have gradually become more intimate with each other and more intrusive in each other's lives. This has spread to serious situations, and people no longer hesitate to lie, they don't feel ashamed when they are dishonest.

This behaviour is deliberate, of course; it is necessary for the world to fall apart. After all, societies take their leaders as examples. Furthermore, more corruption is needed to lure society into the trap of the ruling class. In this way, the ruling class exploits our human and instinctive tendencies.

One example of this is the excessive increase in sexual content. Consequently, our understanding of morality regarding men and women has become corrupted. Another example is the increase in fast food consumption. Consequently, we have become a generation of people who cannot cook simple meals. Then there's the accessibility and gamification of gambling. Inflation has driven countries and citizens into poverty, leaving them unable to protect their earnings through savings. Institutionally, they were crushed by monopolies in their sectors and closures were inevitable.

This meant that citizens were unable to receive any compensation for their labour. The social class structure, defined in economic terms in relation to material wealth (i.e. poor, middle class or rich), underwent a complete transformation with the emergence of new subgroups.

The devaluation of money led to a devaluation of labour and time, resulting in increased levels of apathy, anger and despair. This accelerated the decay of society, particularly among those who were already vulnerable.

One way out was gambling. Of course, “gambling” is a very general term that can be interpreted in many ways. Even a simple game can have a gambling effect if financial gain is involved. The significance lies in repetition and the emergence of materialism, as well as the detachment from reality that comes with the quick wins and losses associated with it.

As part of the digital lifestyle, gambling companies advertised on football shirts to reach audiences of all ages. Governments also supported this through the occasional lottery. People developed a habit, and as the situation worsened, gambling moved beyond being an insignificant game or a quickly forgotten symbol of hope. Moreover, as with everything else, cheating became commonplace. There always will be.

Photo by Carl Raw on Unsplash

Today, people are choosing cryptocurrencies as a means of distancing themselves from gambling and its associated perceptions. They are promoted as reliable investment instruments that are beyond the control of the state and can generate profits while offering privacy. Indeed, they are investments, not gambling; this is a more accurate description. However, investing involves holding purchased assets for a period of time rather than constantly trading them. Nevertheless, people view cryptocurrency exchanges as games and conflate them with gambling. For unclear reasons -perhaps because they are technological, new, widely discussed, and modern-looking- people have embraced them quite warmly. In an attempt to convince themselves that they are not gambling, people have lost money, time and potentially even their lives.

You may be wondering why I'm discussing this topic. It's because I'm interested in another issue.

Here, gambling is merely an important tool; the real issue is individuals losing their willpower, identity, and moral compass. Moreover, the fact that it is so widespread is no coincidence; unfortunately, it is one of the most effective ways to turn someone into a passive consumer. A player without free will.

As you can see, we enjoy gamifying things and assigning them significant value. In gambling, everything happens very quickly and is carried out as if it were universally accepted. It can also lead to a psychological tipping point.

We have become so intertwined with gambling and normalised it that we are now making a conscious effort to diversify. A recent example that I saw before, which focused more on technical analysis and long-term predictions, now focuses on current events. Current events, especially those of global significance, are in the spotlight and known to everyone in one way or another. Take an ongoing war, for example. Remember, neither economics nor gambling has room for emotion. They don't care what nationality you are. They just set traps for money that look logical. “You may have opposing views on the same issue. Why not compete over it? We're open to everyone.”

An indicator of monetary estimates based on current events - Source

The table above shows the percentage probability of claims made in response to the question “Will the Iranian regime fall by 31 March?”, from 18 December until now.

You can discuss this topic with friends and share your predictions. As we know, everyone has an opinion about something. You may have your own assessments based on what you have read, watched, listened to, or researched. You may even share these with others, be seriously interested in the subject or have academic knowledge of it. However, none of these people do it for financial gain; they do it to express their views. To put it mildly, this is opportunism. It is one of the finest examples of corruption. Nevertheless, it is advertisements promoting profit from predicting sports match scores and governments selling lottery tickets that have paved the way for this. Nevertheless, taking advantage of this situation is unethical.

Is this situation limited to those who profit from such a serious matter, a war in which blood is shed and lives are lost? Of course not. Claims have been made about almost everything. The faster you “win”, the better.

“Will this person become the new prime minister?”, “Will this version of artificial intelligence be released on this date?”, “Will that rich person's assets exceed this amount by this time?”, and so on. Such questions can be asked in relation to countries, regions, sports, technology, culture or science. Frankly, I don't even want to provide any examples.

Photo by Dingzeyu Li on Unsplash

Some of you may think this article is exaggerated and ask, “What's the big deal?” I think that's where the problem lies. Adapting to the present and evolving does not mean accepting everything unquestioningly. Nor is it about clinging tightly to past values and turning away from innovation. But it is about acting consciously, isn't it? It's about recognising what's happening, analysing illogical situations, and acting accordingly. Just because the majority of society embraces something, we are not obliged to do so on an individual level. Consider this: in the past, no one had a telephone; then it became a luxury; as technology advanced, it became fashionable; and now, not having a telephone seems absurd. The issue is not “let's break our phones, throw them away and stop using them”. The issue is why we adopt thoughts that are not our own.

When we accept someone else's ideas as our new normal, we force them into our existing worldview. But this begins to destroy our individuality. When we accept everything we are offered without question, we prioritise sports teams over honour and political parties over families. We also become indifferent to issues that harm society. We become indifferent to murderers and fail to grieve for the dead. Our emotions become dulled, and we lose the ability to speak out. This is becoming the norm worldwide. Every year, humanity loses a little more of its vitality, and our minds and hearts become numb as if no balm could ever heal them.

You may have heard it said for some time now: “Social decay”.

We are all part of this society, and unfortunately this means we are all contributing to the decay, too. If we don't care about the content of the shows we watch or the lyrics of the music we listen to, if we don't boycott unhealthy foods, and if we shrug off bad habits with an attitude of “What's the big deal?”, then we will contribute to the social decay that we dislike so much. However, societies are not mountains, but sand dunes. This means that our contribution is greater than we realise.

The point is this: We must understand our essence and act accordingly. We should neither accept everything imposed upon us nor lose touch with our true selves in an attempt to be like others. The goal is not always to blend in with society, but sometimes to stand out and preserve our individuality.