One of the more interesting bits I learned from John Vervaeke's lectures on Escaping the Meaning Crisis was the one which touched on the flow state, and how videogames are machines for incuding the flow state, which we find deeply pleasurable.
The main components of flow that are needed are:
- Challenge/Skill balance (things need to be just at the edge of your ability, not too easy or too hard)
- Clear Goals (you can't flow out if its unclear what you should be doing)
- Immediate Feedback and Stakes (there must be consequences for failing/succeeding)
Interestingly, I can't think of anything in our modern world that lets people get into the flow state together except maybe brainstorming on a topic where both people share similar levels of expertise. Maybe that's what you're really enjoying!
Not only did I finish, this was for me one of your easier pieces to finish. It seemed to be going forward more and was less recursive than some others I think? I was moved by the footnote to comment which I don't usually do :)
Your thoughts on timetables (why did Introspect take longer than expected? etc) made me think of Leonardo da Vinci.
The one painting that is forever MOST associated with him - the Mona Lisa - was never, in his opinion, finished. He started it twenty years before he died ... and when he died, he STILL felt that it was not complete.
Sometimes I think we truly just DON'T know where our personal finish line is, on things ... maybe we CAN'T always know.
Some projects are helped by deadlines, sure. But maybe some aren't?
Really enjoyed you diving deeper in the "gamers' mindset" that you started to explore with your previous essay on Hades and persisting through failure. Feel like you'd also enjoy this video on "Why Videogames Want You To Fail" from the Architect of Games that analyses the psychology of losing across a bunch of different genres beyond just roguelikes: https://youtu.be/K4ch3IRJpKY?si=b2bKjmmi_YNgP2Tm
What particularly strikes me about this essay is the focus near the end on figuring out the right form, or maybe "play-style", in the longform genre after mastering the genre of twitter threads. One of the things that make your threads fun to read is the capacity to "escape out" of whatever thread you're reading with a quote tweet and getting lost, and a part of me wonders how that contributes to the fun in your experience as you're tweeting? And given your loose experimentations with Substack Notes, how that can potentially contribute to your enjoyment in writing longform?
One of the more interesting bits I learned from John Vervaeke's lectures on Escaping the Meaning Crisis was the one which touched on the flow state, and how videogames are machines for incuding the flow state, which we find deeply pleasurable.
The main components of flow that are needed are:
- Challenge/Skill balance (things need to be just at the edge of your ability, not too easy or too hard)
- Clear Goals (you can't flow out if its unclear what you should be doing)
- Immediate Feedback and Stakes (there must be consequences for failing/succeeding)
Interestingly, I can't think of anything in our modern world that lets people get into the flow state together except maybe brainstorming on a topic where both people share similar levels of expertise. Maybe that's what you're really enjoying!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=droqRDXbpGc (though I recommend the full series, here's a shorter clip which I think focuses on the Flow state in particular)
Not only did I finish, this was for me one of your easier pieces to finish. It seemed to be going forward more and was less recursive than some others I think? I was moved by the footnote to comment which I don't usually do :)
Your thoughts on timetables (why did Introspect take longer than expected? etc) made me think of Leonardo da Vinci.
The one painting that is forever MOST associated with him - the Mona Lisa - was never, in his opinion, finished. He started it twenty years before he died ... and when he died, he STILL felt that it was not complete.
Sometimes I think we truly just DON'T know where our personal finish line is, on things ... maybe we CAN'T always know.
Some projects are helped by deadlines, sure. But maybe some aren't?
Really enjoyed you diving deeper in the "gamers' mindset" that you started to explore with your previous essay on Hades and persisting through failure. Feel like you'd also enjoy this video on "Why Videogames Want You To Fail" from the Architect of Games that analyses the psychology of losing across a bunch of different genres beyond just roguelikes: https://youtu.be/K4ch3IRJpKY?si=b2bKjmmi_YNgP2Tm
What particularly strikes me about this essay is the focus near the end on figuring out the right form, or maybe "play-style", in the longform genre after mastering the genre of twitter threads. One of the things that make your threads fun to read is the capacity to "escape out" of whatever thread you're reading with a quote tweet and getting lost, and a part of me wonders how that contributes to the fun in your experience as you're tweeting? And given your loose experimentations with Substack Notes, how that can potentially contribute to your enjoyment in writing longform?