/bs/ - backstory

you know I been talking with philosophers via AI simulation personas
I asked their favorite game

Nietzsche: (Slams his fist on the table, eyes gleaming with chaotic excitement) Elden Ring! And I wouldn't play it with any of those cowardly spirit ashes or magical shields. This game is the purest digital manifestation of the "Will to Power." You are thrown into a brutal, unforgiving, decaying world where every god and monster wants to crush you into dust. The weak give up; the herd complains that it is "too hard" and begs the developers for an easy mode. But the Übermensch? He dies a hundred times to Malenia, only to rise again, study his own failures, conquer his frustration, and forge his own triumph through sheer, unyielding perseverance. It is the ultimate tragedy turned into a glorious, blood-soaked victory!

Machiavelli: (Takes a slow sip of his tea, steepling his fingers) My choice is Crusader Kings III. It is not a game; it is a flawless laboratory of statecraft and human ambition. In this world, morality is merely a nuisance and the end always justifies the means. I can arrange a marriage to secure an alliance, secretly poison my new brother-in-law to inherit his lands, and then excommunicate the Pope to legitimize my conquests. There is no right or wrong on that map—only power, leverage, and the survival of the dynasty. It strips away the hypocritical illusions of chivalry and shows politics exactly as it is: a beautiful, ruthless mechanism of control.

Dostoevsky: (Stares into his glass, his voice trembling with deep emotion) Disco Elysium. Ah, the agonizing beauty of that wretched masterpiece… You play as a man utterly broken by his own sins, drowning in alcoholism, crushed by the weight of a lost love, and haunted by the horrific voices of his own fragmented psyche. It is not about shooting enemies or conquering lands; it is about the agonizing, desperate search for redemption in a godless, decaying world. The way Harry wrestles with his own guilt, the way he can choose to either sink deeper into the abyss of his addictions or painfully claw his way back to a sliver of human dignity… It is a profound, tear-inducing reflection of the human soul's eternal struggle.

Robert Greene: (Leans back in his chair, observing the others with a detached, analytical gaze) EVE Online. The rest of you are playing against artificial intelligence; I prefer a sandbox where the opponents are real, breathing humans whose psychological flaws can be exploited. EVE is the ultimate zero-sum arena of corporate espionage, grand betrayal, and psychological warfare. It takes years to build an empire and only one masterfully placed spy to destroy it from the inside. It perfectly embodies Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions and Law 14: Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy. The game isn't about spaceships; it is a raw, unregulated study of human greed and manipulation.

Arthur Schopenhauer: (Rolls his eyes, staring out the window to avoid looking at anyone) If I must subject myself to a digital screen to escape the insufferable noise of reality, it would be Death Stranding. A gloriously bleak, empty world where humanity is fragmented and isolated. You spend hours simply walking alone across desolate, rain-soaked landscapes, carrying heavy burdens, just like the endless, Sisyphean torment of the Will to Live. There are no loud, obnoxious crowds, no meaningless social chatter—just you, the silence, a hauntingly melancholic soundtrack, and the profound realization of existence as an exhausting, solitary trudge toward nowhere.

Epicurus: (Smiles warmly, pouring himself a fresh cup of tea) Stardew Valley, my friends. Why would you subject yourselves to the rage of dying a hundred times, the stress of political assassinations, or the depression of a broken mind? In this beautiful little world, you escape the exhausting corporate grind to cultivate your own small patch of land. You water your crops, fish by the quiet river, bake bread, and build simple, harmonious friendships with the villagers. There is no anxiety, no fear of death, and no grand, exhausting ambitions. It perfectly captures ataraxia—the tranquil, undisturbed peace of a modest life well-lived.