Very nice self-reflection, love it. I think Casen brings much levity to the podcast in this regard, he clearly doesn’t take himself so seriously, he’s always smiling and laughing. An honest, child-like smile. I wonder if the presence of so many children in his life make him more comfortable with this. You guys complement each other and I think you’re constantly developing your thoughts and voices by just absorbing more of the other in your own individual approaches.

One of the great lessons that I ever learned came from my girlfriend. I too have a vastly inflated ego, and like to write about philosophical analyses in games. In fact I met my gf through this process. And yet, as we grew closer, I became kind of in awe of how easily she could cut through all my bullshit and effectively say “you’re a sweet person, but you’re being an idiot.” In many ways she’s been my teacher in helping me recognize my own faults and practicing to keep them in check while also exploring my own passions, and I could not be more thankful for her presence. This process I think helps me become the best version of myself, one who’s willing to laugh at my own foolishness, and that’s a good thing

This video is so worth watching while on the toilet, thank you man

Philosopher? I hardly knew her.

I still believe that Yoko Taro made fun of all people who tried to go to deep.

The chad who talks about Xenogears deconstructing himself. Hey, great content as always, good stuff to think about.

"Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it." - André Gide

To take one's self not so seriously is to understand that people will take a dump on this video.

This channel has the best video game content.

Great video! We can really see how serious you are about not taking yourself too seriously ;).

Absolutely loved this video. I admire your insistence to take yourself less seriously, as well as your recognition that philosophy and thought itself are not infallible truths, but human attempts to grasp the world around us. Would totally love to see more short form, distilled thoughts from the podcast like this!

Great video, Mike! Throughout my teaching career, I've often found that you can often teach your students more by playing the fool than the all-knowing scholar.

If this video didn't contain so many spoilers in it, would share this everywhere as its a listen so many of us need. I'm so glad you uploaded it and I'm consodering watching it once a year to make sure I drill these lessons into my head since I too struggle with this.

I don't know about philosophy or whatnot, but I never thought of any of you as otherwise. You guys always come across as sincere, insightful and wholesome. Deep analysts, yes, but not gatekeepers of truths, always presenting topics with certain nuance. I'll say sometimes your passion for this and that game *do* cloud that judgment, but hey - we're all flawed here, right? You guys helped me see values in video games I'd never appreciate myself. Does that count? I hope yes. Love, as always!

You guys actually introduced me to Nier, and it's been on the top of my favorite game list (both replicant and automata) since . So thank you guys for your introduction and coverage of this series 😊

As someone who finished reading Campbell’s book The Hero With A Thousand Faces, I absolutely love who you used into to describe how each of us are our own hero and that influencers, celebrities, politicians, etc. are the mentors to push us forward individually to achieve our own desires/goals. This is one of my favorite channels on the internet and videos like this continue to inspire me. Thanks for all the amazing work.

Yoko Taro's public persona is definitely not who he really is. You see his real self and his real thoughts through playing the games. As you point out this is most likely on purpose, to separate the idea of himself as a public figure from what he's trying to present in the games. I don't believe him when he says he only reads philosophy on the toilet, or doesn't think ahead about what he's writing, or many of the public statements he's made about himself. But it's fine, because he just wants the work to speak for itself. It's also very likely the reason why he chose a mask that is the face of one of his characters.

I wish I could stop taking myself seriously. But if I stop, that means there's no one who will take me seriously.

There is something interesting about making such a sincere and deliberate confession about one's inability to be ironic and silly. But, since this is ironic in itself, I'd say you're well on your way! This was a great video! I think you've always been thoughtful and used your creator's voice on this channel for mentorship rather than self-elevation. I don't think you need to be too worried about the tone you use to convey that humility, there's nothing wrong with being serious, as long as you're not self-serious, y'know? Looking forward to seeing how you implement this attitude, either way!

Excellent video. Thank you for sharing.

I find that age has worked to my favor on this one. The older I get, the more I realize how little I actually know or understand about the world, and the more I've grown to be OK with that reality. Life is plenty complicated as it is, trying to force all of it to fit within rigid structures doesn't make it any easier to bear. You have to learn to accept change as well as new ideas.

Great honest video. Ive gladly been a subscriber since 2018. I love the professional format and deep concersations you guys bring from our beloved RPG games. Kinda like a book club format. Keep up the excellent work.

I haven't read Pascal yet, but all the points you explain can be found in Plato's texts as well. I can recommend reading Plato.

4:10 The issue with this is that sometimes, people, especially leaders, are very good at coming across this way but internally are very conflicted. It's a good point but I'd add that caveat to be considered when doing this worthwhile exercise.

I always like to believe in the joy of being wrong, the excitement of finding new dimensions to life. But the idea that someone could get hurt because of a belief that I followed is what really scares me. The original Nier is a great example of that. I think the best answer is to accept that being a person is sometimes ugly, and that we will hurt and be hurt. But we need to keep trying no matter what, and we can't let our philosophies become stronger than our empathy. Or maybe I'm wrong. Who knows?! Thank you for giving me something to think about :)

I love this interpretation of the Jean-Paul quest. I think we've seen a sad amount of people in many fields lately make the jump from "I like talking about these cool ideas" to "I have all the answers!" That being said, I think Mike's a bit hard on himself in this video. I don't see him or Casen as arrogant or pretentious in any of their discussions and they both keep an open mind to differing opinions and interpretations. That being said, maintaining epistemic humility is a worthwhile goal for everyone.

A good conept is levity. People underestimate the power of laughter and self-deprecation. The ability to laugh at one's self and to have such levels of self-awareness only adds dimensions to one's character.

Really love this style of commentary on gaming and philosophy combined with personal and cultural self-relflection. Bravo! Really refreshing with the personal and vulnerable angle.

Taking oneself too seriously also seems to have the risk of something that is scary morally speaking, which is being so sure in oneself. On another track, I find I can take myself too seriously and it makes it difficult for me to assert for myself to the point I cannot confront others to an unhealthy degree. Maybe tangentially related, maybe not related to taking things seriously at all. But nevertheless, thank you so much for sharing your very personal sentiments

"Beware those who gas on about "my lived truth" nonsense, and don't care about anyone else's" - Me (just now)

This is easy. Just make more peepeepoopoo jokes in public. Great video though, and godspeed on your journey!

Great vid, thanks for sharing! Finding levity or frivolity in absurdism is the way to go.

this kind of self reflection is something i value a lot. It helps to keep me humble so its very nice to see how much you've embodied that in this video

I've been watching several episodes of your podcast while in the bathroom, so I think you're doing pretty good XD

A great message articulated well. Thanks, Mike! Coincidentally, I revisited your video on cognitive bias and constructing fair criticism two days ago, which holds up well! I thought to myself that it'd be cool to see an updated video from you along the lines of that video. Lo and behold, this video strikes me as very much in that vein.

Great video, and definitely a more concise, and comprehensive way of summarizing the things you've said on the Nier Autamata podcast.

I love the work this channel is doing!

A great lesson we ALL need. Thank you for sharing!

I find that I experience the opposite in that rarely do I take myself seriously that I tend to question my own judgements or understandings. Long have I lived a life full of goofs and gaffs that when I listen to people analyze things or gush about how so and so is 'masterfully written or created' I feel as though surely they must know more than me or have a deeper understanding than I could have attained.

I love your videos so much because there are always new bits to learn and to broaden my own horizon ❤️

Love your channel man, such unique content! 👊 Keep going

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted"

Thanks for this. Really needed to hear it.

I don't know if it helps, and it's probably pretty grim to some, but the thing that always keeps me humble is that I'm gonna die. We're ALL gonna die. And be forgotten. So nothing we do has meaning. So fuck it. Create the world you want. With the people you want. Make it better. Make YOU better, and don't take anything seriously, because it doesn't matter. The meaning that I've chosen to create is the connections I have with others ❤ and art. In all forms. ❤ Thank you for what you do❤❤

Thanks for making this video and connecting the dots for me. Now I have something to send the many philosophical scholars of the internet that bash the game and Yoko Taro for only delivering/understanding the surface level of philosophy and not being as thought provoking or deep as other games.

Great video Mike

Great video mike!

When you have kids or spend more time around them, you begin to see the lightness in the world. Your hatred of Chu Chu in Xenogears versus Casen’s ambivalence, or laughter at her antics, showed us that there are few children in your life. At least that what I saw. This was refreshing to hear you letting go of the “rules” in the xenosaga 2 podcast. Rules are like money: imaginary.

Best video to take to our toilet. Thanks.

a lesson we all need to learn and help each other learn!

here here man. many years ago I got big into wine and my friends would always have me comment on it and I too got stuck too far up in there. Then I went to a party where a different set of friends had a stranger talk about the wine we were having and that's when I asked if I sounded like that and changed my ways.

I stopped after a while. Got bored of the combat and I never upgraded anything and did fine which I found lame. Just mash the attack. Maybe I will go back at some point. I found the hacking mini game to be really annoying and frustrating. Philosophy may have been different if the early practitioners were aware of the microscopic world. Good video.

What I think the big silly mask does, and the best way I have found to aid me in remaining more humble and less serious is having a tool that helps reframe you in the absurdity of life. I don't wear a mask, but I have a few other tools or behaviours that let me, what 'acceptance and commitment' therapists call dropping anchor. It's a little ritualistic, but it's got like a meditative quality to it, when you transition yourself, or shock yourself into feeling a feeling, or remembering a truth. It's not perfect, but it works. So for example, if you were to wear a silly mask for every podcast, what the mask represents to you would wrap around you when you do it. Because it would engage your senses of touch, smell and sight, you would be constantly reminded of what the mask means to you. In this case, letting go of your attachments to ideas, a willingness to be wrong or to let people be wrong in turn, or anything else that you need it to mean. For me, one trick I use in any setting, is the old saying that 'this too shall pass' if I'm under stress, or 'in 24 hours i will be home', etc. This helps me not get so caught up in what is happening in the moment, but still be able to live in it. Does this make sense? Just some of my own thoughts.

Commenting for the algorithm. Great video, Mike!

Are you farming YT with NieR videos? If so good job. I will watch it every single time. :) Btw, I really like these short form thoughts.

It's another Self Identity analogy, that's the reason for the Sartre quest you're describing. Pretty much everything in the game is just self identity themes through the plot and the characters. When you understand that his work is a lot less interesting, much like that of most Japanese auteurs, at least that's how I feel knowing that.

I have to know how intentional the footage used around the 1:00 minute mark was when bringing up what caught Mike's "attention." I swear this isn't a callout, because if intentional I think it's a great example of being a bit unserious for a goof.

great video thanks !

There may be a touch of irony in "try[ing] harder to not take [yourself] so seriously." Might I suggest the idea that it's actually an entered space of awareness and intent - rather than additional effort. It's more of a relinquishing of effort that you're looking for - which is not innate for you. And I mean that with all due hypocrisy on my end. Such a great video, btw.

Like Taro, I've also read Pascal whilst on the toilet. I'm also sympathetic to the late Stephen Hawking's thesis on philosophy.

Nier: Automata is game of the decade for me.

Ok im done we the people of deep crap about video game KZfaq seem to all think of the same things independently of on another i was just thinking of this don’t take your own ideas to seriously thing for the past couple of weeks and mike releasing a video makes feel like jung idea of the collective consciousness was not just analogie hahaha But seriously great video mike

if you do find a tip or trick to share, please do. I have been trying, sometimes too hard, sometimes not hard enough. Knowing is the first step, but that second one seems so far away

"Pride is the downward drag of all things into an easy solemnity. One "settles down" into a sort of selfish seriousness; but one has to rise to a gay self-forgetfulness. A man "falls" into a brown study; he reaches up at a blue sky. Seriousness is not a virtue. It would be a heresy, but a much more sensible heresy, to say that seriousness is a vice. It is really a natural trend or lapse into taking one's self gravely, because it is the easiest thing to do. It is much easier to write a good Times leading article than a good joke in Punch. For solemnity flows out of men naturally; but laughter is a leap. It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light. Satan fell by the force of gravity." - G.K. Chesterton

This game is so amazing

When I first started watching this podcast you wore a different mask every video.

As a self identifying Beird, I take myself very seriously 🧐 But nay worries Mike. Since I first saw you re-upload your FF8 review, even when you didn’t have to, you’ve always seemed to be kept honest. We all have our moments but for the most part you’ve been more than reasonable. One day tho . . . You’ll come to see the light on The Hobbit trilogy 🙂😁😆😅😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Who is this Chad talking about philosophy? Joking aside, great reflection on Automata's themes.

I still need to learn this lesson myself. I took Pascal’s Wager (I’d rather believe in God and find out there isn’t one than not believe in God and find out there is one) WAYYYYYY too seriously. I was raised super religious so my beliefs were everything. Over the years I’ve lost my faith more or less and I don’t think I’ve been able to look at philosophy any other way than dead serious. My beliefs were always something that I was taught to take THE most seriously and defend. To be fair, my schooling was more cult-y than everyone who went there wanted to admit, but 🤷🏻‍♂️ Ironic that a philosopher who said “don’t take this sh!t too seriously” also came up with a real logic loop of an idea based in fear 🙃 makes the events in Route C make more sense… Yoko Taro’s a real one for that 😂

I don't think humility is something anyone can achieve. Things like status and power will always be tempting to even the oldest and wisest, so the only thing we can do is to see if our ego is in check or out of control.

I will say Mike over the last few years you have become more self serious and maybe more self absorbed. But not without reason. Because you and Casen do such a fantastic job. I understand the feeling very well though. As I've gotten older it's been easier for me to not take myself so seriously. Love you bro!

Take what is needed, and move on.

When I was a kid, I used to get really upset when people would insult or make fun of me, to the point where I got into a lot of fights. I think what changed for me is that over time, I learned to develop a self-deprecating sense of humor. I think the more you learn to just poke fun at yourself, it makes it easier to hear it from other people and not take it to heart.

Great Insightful video. Good luck with this. I recommend now playing Rebirth. Lol jk

"S*** Square Enix" Yoko knew what SE would become well before it happened.

i pretty much agree with the entire sentiment of your video, but i do take issue with the idea that there's no such thing as an infallible truth in philosophy, because, well, aren't you presenting that as an infallible truth? you cant really make that conclusion without contradicting the premise

🙄

Was playing the game while watching your podcast series. Great discussion. Unfortunately, I think that the ending of the game dropped the ball hard as it was way too rushed. Ended up feeling disappointed

I've never played Nier, but I really like the game's philosophy, especially how Jean-Paul Sartre is portrayed. I think he's a genius, but a shitty human too

I think its great that you had a bit of self reflection on taking things a little too seriously. To be honest, I was quite turned off from listening to the channel after the FF16 podcast series because I felt you were a bit too harsh on the game and by the end of it totally dismissive. So I hope this is a step for being better at giving writers and creators a little bit more credit and that maybe what they are going for is just different and that we as consumers may or may not totally get it at forst viewing.

He played rebirth yet?

Just stop with these cringe videos, people obly like the game cause 2b is hot ,thats it.

I dislike this game so much and the pseudo intellectualism and pretentiousness of its fans. Even when people are learning lessons not to sniff their own farts they are STILL smelling their own farts. Bro sometimes people appropriately analyze a situation, and apply some level of objectivity to it. No need to psychoanalyze people's preconceptions as irrationally influenced JEEZUZ!

Mike, you have alot to offer to other people and I wouldn't sell yourself short and say, don't take yourself so seriously, but perhaps rather, listen more than speaking. I really don't like pointing this out because I respect you greatly but I notice as I'm listening to your xenogears cast again, when retrograde amnesia was on you would ask them if they have anything and they would say something and I wish you would/could respond to what they brought up more because after a while I noticed you would just move on to the next part once they were done speaking most of the time. My personal outlook on dialog is listening %100 responding %100 speaking %10. I do not know exactly where you fall compared to this because I try not to judge but I try to announce what works for me simply put. Plus I am a born again Christian which heavily influences my motivations, but with genuine concern and love for others. Not sure if I ever comment but I wish I did more because you guys deserve it. Thank you for all you guys do.