How was the decade of 2020's so far? We're in the middle of it now...

[CargoRoms]

Oh, the 2020's...

This decade blows, real hard... we had pandemic, internet sites/platforms doubling down on enshitification, machines replacing humans, by stealing their free content posted online, dead internet reality comparable to the Matrix.

Did you know 9th gen consoles like PS5 and XboxSomething got released? Anyone? Somehow, new consoles didn't make a huge entrance, 5 years in and still... bare bones library.

This decade has taught me a harsh lesson, of letting the internet go, and start appreciating free time alone, enjoying and trying to binge the media backlog, which I totally borrowed, I swear! Digital Minimalism, in other words.

How about you? How did it change your situation?

 

[Konatalzumi]

Oh, the 2020's...

This decade blows, real hard... we had pandemic, internet sites/platforms doubling down on enshitification, machines replacing humans, by stealing their free content posted online, dead internet reality comparable to the Matrix.

Did you know 9th gen consoles like PS5 and XboxSomething got released? Anyone? Somehow, new consoles didn't make a huge entrance, 5 years in and still... bare bones library.

This decade has taught me a harsh lesson, of letting the internet go, and start appreciating free time alone, enjoying and trying to binge the media backlog, which I totally borrowed, I swear! Digital Minimalism, in other words.

How about you? How did it change your situation?

awful, my aunt died of a OD, and the weather's too damn cold out here. but hey. steam deck

 

[DunkeyKong]

Well, one thing is for sure

 

[Denmdm]

Yup, basically what you said. Lots of chaos and uncertainty with the progress made on AI, PC gaming and Hardware market ruining the modern video game industry, corpos ruining music... Still, the only thing we can do is survive!

 

[Konatalzumi]

Yup, basically what you said. Lots of chaos and uncertainty with the progress made on AI, PC gaming and Hardware market ruining the modern video game industry, corpos ruining music... Still, the only thing we can do is survive!
View attachment 44389

so true fellow konater fan

 

[You're just perSOna ?]

I was already a very isolated person most days and haven't had much going on in my life. There is very little change to me, there are some good years and some bad years, but generally very close in how they are. I am basically doing as I always have, going through my backlog with some multiplayer, and still doing it on a GTX 1060 and emulation btw. I have avoided even attempting to buy most new releases unless they're incredibly good, can run on budget, and have a sale (Metaphor Refantazio, BG3, Abiotic Factor, etc). And also as for hardware, as much as I want a new PC, the prices for anything these days is ass, I always wait for a discount now on anything. I'll probably end up waiting till the near end of the decade (2027+) for hardware to mature a lil bit more and be actually priced decently. Things always seem to get a little easier near end of decade/start of new decade from what I can tell, for both games and the hardware pricing.

 

[fake-kun]

A total mess, if I'm being honest.

 

[Prism_Red]

Worst times of my life so far.

 

[You're just perSOna ?]

I was already a very isolated person most days and haven't had much going on in my life. There is very little change to me, there are some good years and some bad years, but generally very close in how they are. I am basically doing as I always have, going through my backlog with some multiplayer, and still doing it on a GTX 1060 and emulation btw. I have avoided even attempting to buy most new releases unless they're incredibly good, can run on budget, and have a sale (Metaphor Refantazio, BG3, Abiotic Factor, etc). And also as for hardware, as much as I want a new PC, the prices for anything these days is ass, I always wait for a discount now on anything. I'll probably end up waiting till the near end of the decade (2027+) for hardware to mature a lil bit more and be actually priced decently. Things always seem to get a little easier near end of decade/start of new decade from what I can tell, for both games and the hardware pricing.

Which is actually quite sad and funny for one reason... I'm only 21, and I already have similar sentiments to far older gamers at this point.

 

[Gorse]

And we're nearly 1/3rd of the way through 2025! How are everyone's New Years resolutions doing?

Speaking only with the experience of living through the first five years of this decade, I think that future historians are going to look back on the 2020s as being very similar to how we think of the 1920s now. At least in the western world, the first fifth of the 21st century has lined up shocking well with the 20th – widespread societal upheaval throughout the developed world, significant changes to pre-established social orders (compare the 1920s to the 1890s and the 2020s to the 1990s), an arguable sense of creative stagnation, and a sense of malaise in young people. North America, Europe, and the Middle East have all seen major wars, heavily impacting the economy and culture of the developed world.

That said, while I too feel that there are a lot of problems with society today, I think there are also some reasons to be positive. Health science is coming so, so unbelievably far – I hate to say this, but I'm almost certain cancer will be cured in my lifetime. (AIDS 100% will be, which in itself will dramatically improve our world.) AI, though it has its issues, does show a lot of promise, too – maybe you'll have a beautiful robot maid doing your laundry next decade. (I, of course, might need to think twice.)

Also, though it's controversial to say, I think we're getting over the hump of 2010s-era political correctness. (DON'T START A MASSIVE ARGUMENT OVER THAT!!!!) The people who still believe in that are changing their minds day by day, and I'm pretty confident it's going to be significantly dampened by the end of the decade. Remember 10 years ago, when we weren't supposed to "objectify" women in the media? That attitude is all gone, now – even the people who touted it at the time now try to brush it under the rug. I think a more open, creatively-free mainstream mindset will lead to better, more interesting media of all kinds. I think it'll improve a lot of people's mental health, too.

I know that right now we're all still really angry and miserable and hate each other. I know that nobody has any money any more, and that our governments – regardless of side – are failing us. I know that a lot of people live in a place where they might get a rocket exploding their house sometime. But we've been through all this before as a human society, and last time when we came out of it, we created television and Oreo cookies and put a man on the moon.

Maybe I'm naive, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic.

 

[SorenFireEmblem]

"One must imagine Sisyphus happy," is what one Albert Camus once said.
I feel attachment to that guy! I've been doing the same shit for the past 5 years, and frankly beyond that, and at this point I'm beginning to feel satisfaction in the sheer act of not giving up. Unlike him however, I did not betray the gods. Anyway.

It's been rough, but recently it's been improving. I reconnected with an old friend I met in 2021 and he's been sending me over the moon. Replaying old games with him, showing me new ones, I tried VR for the first time (hella cool, mind you) and more. Sure, one may call it distractions from the noise around, but that's all life is at the end of the day. I try to stay positive!
AND DESTROY MY BRAIN WITH FIRE EMBLEM- YES INDEED I DID START A NEW PATH OF RADIANCE PLAYTHROUGH, AND GOD AS MY WITNESS, NO ONE CAN STOP ME.

 

[CargoRoms]

Forgot to mention, I've beaten my record of mental breakdowns streak.

1st: 2020, a tragic life changing event happened, not revealing due to privacy.

2nd: 2022, NFTs and then, Pandora Box has been opened, AI machinery swarming everywhere... art community reaching new levels of toxiciy,

3rd: Early 2025: More toxic art community BS, more aggressive AI cancer spreading.

Somehow, I recuperated from the last one, and still am. That disillusionment was the hardest in my life. Knowing, I won't be posting art online, and continue it offline.

 

[You're just perSOna ?]

And we're nearly 1/3rd of the way through 2025! How are everyone's New Years resolutions doing?

Speaking only with the experience of living through the first five years of this decade, I think that future historians are going to look back on the 2020s as being very similar to how we think of the 1920s now. At least in the western world, the first fifth of the 21st century has lined up shocking well with the 20th – widespread societal upheaval throughout the developed world, significant changes to pre-established social orders (compare the 1920s to the 1890s and the 2020s to the 1990s), an arguable sense of creative stagnation, and a sense of malaise in young people. North America, Europe, and the Middle East have all seen major wars, heavily impacting the economy and culture of the developed world.

That said, while I too feel that there are a lot of problems with society today, I think there are also some reasons to be positive. Health science is coming so, so unbelievably far – I hate to say this, but I'm almost certain cancer will be cured in my lifetime. (AIDS 100% will be, which in itself will dramatically improve our world.) AI, though it has its issues, does show a lot of promise, too – maybe you'll have a beautiful robot maid doing your laundry next decade. (I, of course, might need to think twice.)

Also, though it's controversial to say, I think we're getting over the hump of 2010s-era political correctness. (DON'T START A MASSIVE ARGUMENT OVER THAT!!!!) The people who still believe in that are changing their minds day by day, and I'm pretty confident it's going to be significantly dampened by the end of the decade. Remember 10 years ago, when we weren't supposed to "objectify" women in the media? That attitude is all gone, now – even the people who touted it at the time now try to brush it under the rug. I think a more open, creatively-free mainstream mindset will lead to better, more interesting media of all kinds.

I know that right now we're all still really angry and miserable and hate each other. I know that nobody has any money any more, and that our governments – regardless of side – are failing us. I know that a lot of people live in a place where they might get a rocket exploding their house sometime. But we've been through all this before as a human society, and last time when we came out of it, we created television and Oreo cookies and put a man on the moon.

Maybe I'm naive, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic.

I can agree, there's a chance it'll be better after we come out of it

Post automatically merged: Today at 3:52 PM

Forgot to mention, I've beaten my record of mental breakdowns streak.

1st: 2020, a tragic life changing event happened, not revealing due to privacy.

2nd: 2022, NFTs and then, Pandora Box has been opened, AI machinery swarming everywhere... art community reaching new levels of toxiciy,

3rd: Early 2025: More toxic art community BS, more aggressive AI cancer spreading.

Somehow, I recuperated from the last one, and still am. That disillusionment was the hardest in my life. Knowing, I won't be posting art online, and continue it offline.

I'm not an artist, but seeing how people react to any art online no matter how benign, I don't blame any artist for just not posting anymore

 

[moonbits]

The pandemic taught me to cherish my life. I became more casual about my hobbies and have enjoyed them immensely.

 

[Jediuser]

Oh, the 2020's...

This decade blows, real hard... we had pandemic, internet sites/platforms doubling down on enshitification, machines replacing humans, by stealing their free content posted online, dead internet reality comparable to the Matrix.

Did you know 9th gen consoles like PS5 and XboxSomething got released? Anyone? Somehow, new consoles didn't make a huge entrance, 5 years in and still... bare bones library.

This decade has taught me a harsh lesson, of letting the internet go, and start appreciating free time alone, enjoying and trying to binge the media backlog, which I totally borrowed, I swear! Digital Minimalism, in other words.

How about you? How did it change your situation?

Well, new consoles are slowing down probably because people don't see much reason to get consoles over regular PC games. Especially now that Sony has expanded to PC.

 

[Antilocal123]

I’m alive so I think the decade’s been fun, that’s really all it takes.

 

[GardeniaSky]

Terrifying. I live in the US. Our city has one of the highest crime rates per capita.

Sending my daughter to school every day freaks me out. Everyone has this 'oh it'll never happen to me' mentality and I'm just waiting for the day disaster finds us.

It's hard remaining positive while facing so much uncertainty. At first I thought it was just my anxiety, and I was having a really hard time separating it from how I should 'normally' feel, but this is just normal for the circumstances.

We had a pandemic but companies and parents are still just pushing to have people leave their houses when they're sick. I refuse to send my daughter to school if she has anything remotely transferable. Companies keep penalizing responsible people for staying home when they have a spreadable sickness.

It's like we don't learn anything. We keep thinking that doing the same thing and resisting positive and responsible change will make things better somehow. It's insanity.

Idk what to do, so I just go about my days normally, praying everything will normalize and that nothing terrible happens to anyone. I don't know what else I should do.

 

[Tonberry]

Maybe I'm naive, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic.

I was going to type out essentially the same thing, but you worded it way better.
There are a lot of reasons to feel disillusioned but overall I also feel optimistic.

 

[Nebulon_Galaxy]

Im enjoying what im doing right now. it's been smooth sailing since i graduated high school many eons ago. As for 2020s its fun

 

[pr0xy]

Well, it's having its ups and downs. Mostly downs, to be honest. But it could always be worse, at least that's how I see it. I'm alive and healthy, so I'll just continue to move on and have fun while the clock is still ticking.

 

[Parasite_Steve]

I don’t really look back fondly on the past that much but there’s no denying the 2020s were total clown shoes so far. I first thought that was just me because I’m going through a tough time myself (transition, divorce, trying to get sober, soon to be unemployed, etc.) but basically every single person I know has been struggling since the pandemic. Either financially, personally, mental-health-wise or usually a combination of all of them.

We’re now on the forth reboot of the year 2021 and it doesn’t look like things are gonna get better anytime soon. I’m trying to have a more positive mindset but I can’t mindset myself out of the geopolitical realities of this decade.

 

[TheDuke_11037]

Terrible man, all the shit you and other people said and more for me due to some personal issues. Feels like the world is moving backwards. The only positive thing is me leaving social media and going onto the 'smaller' web. Oh figuring out some personal shit with my identity and all.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Won't be surprised if New Year's Eve ends with a giant message in the sky saying "Conglatulations on beating the tutorial"

 

[Graw]

The 2020's have been the most ridiculous clown world decade in my life so far. What an absolute shitshow between watching the entire world losing its mind because math is hard and big numbers are scary and constantly being forced to play make believe to cater to people's delusions and feelings, because, feelings are now apparently the only thing that's important in the world. I truly cannot wait for the perpetual current year to end and for common sense to return to the world.

 

[freebie#47]

For the person who said "The future is Brighter"....F### that guy, F### the future. Personally, I am waiting for the apocalypse...I was promised an Apocalypse....