What do you do?

[tinyitx]

I play .... roleplaying games (with dices)....

Decades ago I played tons of D&D with my university dorm friends.
There was no video games. No PC. No Apple (at least not one which is affordable). Only 'video' game was Pong by Atari. Pinball machines were the 'video games' in those days. So much fun back then.
Playing board games was a favourite way to kill time. Risk was the no. 1 choice...lol

 

[Valantar]

Do you have any links to those studies?

Not surprised people laugh, probably shows their ignorance more than anything else - simulators were used to train pilots since before WWI. I've seen video games used for pain management, memory and coordination training. I can't find a link now, but there was also a small study about people playing competitive, high-paced games (e.g. Counter Strike) - they were able to react quicker in seemingly unrelated tasks, e.g. dangerous situations while driving. I've also read that interviewers are increasingly interested in hobbies of potential candidates, example was that strategy games can be an indication that someone likes and potentially is better at problem-solving.

It's a great topic, hope it will go smooth with your studies. With games being targeted and addictive/gambling practices like lootboxes being added, feels it should be studied more.
If someone laughs, they should think about AI, AR and VR in training and medicine. Recent breakthroughs in chemistry were based on AI initially written to play a game - Go. Possibilities are INSANE, it's a great topic and definitely will be an important one in the future

Sorry for the rather late reply here. Sadly I haven't kept any specific references - though I guess I ought to, as they could come in handy in situations like these - mostly because even six or so years ago when I started getting into game studies for my masters, this was (thankfully) mostly a settled issue. Or perhaps more accurately, few researchers are interested in black-and-white, yes-or-no questions like "is X harmful" - there's more interest in figuring out exactly what might constitute harmful gaming, how it happens, which factors might be important to these processes, how they play out, how they might be counteracted, etc. (and of course a similar set of questions exists around positive uses and effects of gaming). That kind of nuance is rarely of interest to press or mainstream discourse though, and it takes a lot of time to move past simplistic discussions in more public settings. Having examples of positive uses and effects is of course very useful for forcing nuance on those debates. But mostly it's pretty simple logic - nothing is inherently and always harmful, and it's all down to how it's used. And essentially anything can be harmful if used wrongly, badly, or with the intention of harm. This is true for anything from arsenic and cyanide to baseball bats to cars to video games to bacon sandwiches.

This type of research is mostly the realm of sociologically or psychologically oriented game studies though. In the humanities we're generally not all that interested in broad generalizations, but rather detailed studies of specific cases - whether games are "good" or "bad", "useful" or "a waste of time" is kind of besides the point for us, as humanist media studies fundamentally requires the object of analysis to be accepted as a worthy of study, and we're mainly interested in the potential readings and uses found in the work itself, as well as the complex interlinked relations between things, their relation to the world, society, physical/material existence, etc. This is of course grossly oversimplified, and there is a lot of overlap, reciprocity and interdependence between disciplines - my own project leans heavily on sociological theories as well as philosophy and philosophy of technology, methodologies of media analysis, and a lot more.

 

[Tonkatsu]

Used to be in procurement/purchasing and product manager for a now defunct UK-based tech b2b/B2c e-commerce group ('twas during the smartphone boom, though I was also doing AV hardware, GPS/fleet, PC & consoles, monitors...)

Did all kinds of things after that from working in a pharmacy to doing basic computer support (mostly for the elderly)...and now I 'work-train-study' organic cultivation! yeah clean chems-free veg's fruits and stuff because it's trending and might become mildly profitable assuming politics don't ruin this newly growing market.
But man, this is way more complicated and draining than what I expected, feels like we have to learn how they were working back in the 17th century or something. Makes you easily understand why organic foods are so expensive.

So, though I've worked in a tech-related field before it was mostly commerce, I don't have anything close to serious technical/engineering or computing/programming skills, just an amateur.

 

[Phuncz]

...and now I 'work-train-study' organic cultivation! yeah clean chems-free veg's fruits and stuff because it's trending and might become mildly profitable assuming politics don't ruin this newly growing market.
But man, this is way more complicated and draining than what I expected, feels like we have to learn how they were working back in the 17th century or something. Makes you easily understand why organic foods are so expensive.

There's a lot of demand for organically grown and produced food, I'm glad it is still growing (hihi pun). You are working at the agriculture level I guess ?

I've focused more on quality (not just a label) over quantity when I buy, but I've also begun to grow peppers (the spicy kind) because supply and demand issues. Maybe this will awaken something in me. I tend to go all-in on the stuff I feel passionate about.

 

[Valantar]

There's a lot of demand for organically grown and produced food, I'm glad it is still growing (hihi pun). You are working at the agriculture level I guess ?

I've focused more on quality (not just a label) over quantity when I buy, but I've also begun to grow peppers (the spicy kind) because supply and demand issues. Maybe this will awaken something in me. I tend to go all-in on the stuff I feel passionate about.

I assume you focus on the smallest, spiciest peppers? Anything else would be rather contrary to the SFF spirit

 

[Phuncz]

@Valantar I don't discriminate: small, large, mildly spicy, extremely spicy. But I do like the Bird's Eye pepper which are the SFF approved variant of a hot pepper: tiny and very potent. Though I also have seeds for giant jalapenos, which is basically the equivalent of many examples in the Space Inefficiency thread.

 

[Runamok81]

@GuilleAcoustic and @tinyitx - The global pandemic and lockdown is currently fueling a DnD renaissance! It's now hip to play DnD! So I'm having fun rekindling that using modern tools like dndbeyond, zoom, twitch, and discord. Would love to get a campaign going with fellow SFF enthusiasts! Right now, we're playing Rime of the Frostmaiden. Takes place in Icewind Dale (Forgotten Realms) just after Drizzt did his thing.


@IntoxicatedPuma For me, I'd say it's the other way around? My PC modification passion influenced my career?

I'm an 80s kid. Grew up with a hand-me down Atari. Loved video games. In the 80s, personal computers were uncommon and expensive. Something like $6K adjusted dollars? My family had a "work" PC, but it didn't take long for the kids to figure out it could play games too! And it was amazing! The graphics trounced everything else at the time.

But, this was a work PC, so the parents didn't see fit to spend more money on upgrades for gaming. The late 80s and early 90s were filled with breakthrough PC games like Wolfenstien, Doom, Quake, Myst, Day of The Tentacle. My brothers and I spent a LOT of time trying to keep that dusty old 386 PC alive to play the latest games on a shoestring budget: soundcards, more RAM, overclocking, cleaning and cooling. Eventually we hit the upgrade wall, and I distinctly remember modifying the X-Wing source code to remove textures and reduce objects in order to complete the game on an underpowered PC.

Today, I am a software engineering manager in the financial industry. I'm still out here modifying systems, and messing with code. We just do it at scale, in the cloud. As a kid, "lack of funds" was a challenging constraint that bred innovation. Today, "keeping it sff" is a chosen constraint that breeds innovation. I love the engineering challenge, and I love watching this community innovate.

 

[Tonkatsu]

There's a lot of demand for organically grown and produced food, I'm glad it is still growing (hihi pun). You are working at the agriculture level I guess ?

I've focused more on quality (not just a label) over quantity when I buy, but I've also begun to grow peppers (the spicy kind) because supply and demand issues. Maybe this will awaken something in me. I tend to go all-in on the stuff I feel passionate about.

It's a modest sized organic farm partnering with a handful of stores, that kinda doubles as a training farm (subsidized).
Few of the people I'm working with actually consider going into business after that job, and those who do don't think big.
It's really much, much more work than 'traditional' agriculture, with significantly lower yields and higher financial risk, so unless one knows exactly where he is going, like he's already Master-tier with a financial safety net, I don't recommend it.

A very small independent individual project though, bigger than the countryside Joe's large family garden though no more than 2~3 times that, part for producing your house's food, part for selling your produce and either just cover the costs, or make a little profit if the conditions are ideal and you know how to care for a little business...is rather what I'm aiming for.

The serious b2b is still very stressful, competition from phony organic brands (~20% of organic products we buy), and the still not-so-favourable laws (at least in the EU) - plus COVID of course - don't make anyone a n00b but rational want to take such high risks.
It is a growing market, sure, but it's not like there's tons of golden opportunities to seize, one should only venture there with much caution.


TL;DR it is better IMO, to aim for a 50% hobby, 50% very small independent farm pattern.
Because you'll build up experience, eat good food, maybe make a little profit, and if in years from now things become more favourable you'll already have acquired the mandatory skills and built up experience if you wish to go bigger.
For me that's the plan only because I have another source of income to support my existence.

 

[K2e2vin]

I guess I'm a few of the blue collar workers. Aviation structures mechanic but currently working on a naval shipyard as a sheetmetal mechanic. I move a lot so, something portable and easy to hide is nice. Looking to go into programming or something though

 

[AlexTSG]

I'm an IT consultant, and technical trainer (Microsoft 365, Azure, and Cyber security awareness mostly).

Although, since all the COVID-19 lockdowns I've started doing video editing, which takes me a really long time, but I enjoy quite a lot. I've been making "How-to" videos for clients.

Some day, hopefully soon, I'll get over my fear of being in front of the camera, and actually post more videos to my YouTube channel.

My love for SFF came about years ago when I first started training. Back then, all the Microsoft courses required multiple virtual PCs, and laptops just couldn't be specced with enough RAM and storage. So, I bought a Shuttle XPC barebones, and the backpack they made for it. I've never wanted to go back to a "big" PC since!

 

[lozza_c]

I'm a lawyer, for my sins!

I've been tinkering around with computers since primary school, everyone around me was pretty surprised I didn't go into an IT-related field. If I had my time again though I'd go back, do Novell and be a network engineer. You'd be surprised how many of the staid 'professions' have no idea when it comes to computers - they might as well run on interdimensional voodoo magic to most.

I only recently caught the bug for SFF, now I have no use for anaemic laptops or hulking ATX behemoths. Space in my flat, home office and desk is at a premium, and I've been enjoying learning something new, and pursuing that size-to-power sweet spot. Niches are fun.

 

[AlexTSG]

If I had my time again though I'd go back, do Novell and be a network engineer.

Damn, I haven't even thought about Novell for years. That was the first "proper" network I worked on back in the late 90s.

I studied to get my CNA on Netware 4 and then ended up working almost exclusively on Netware 3 until Microsoft networks took over.

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

@GuilleAcoustic and @tinyitx - The global pandemic and lockdown is currently fueling a DnD renaissance! It's now hip to play DnD! So I'm having fun rekindling that using modern tools like dndbeyond, zoom, twitch, and discord. Would love to get a campaign going with fellow SFF enthusiasts!

That's something I've been interested in doing for quite a while now. I know of a software or two that helps with maps (with a feature for the GM to reveal areas at his/her own will), dice rolls, private messaging, group messaging, inventory, etc. I'll try to find the name and post it here.

 

[Soul_Est]

That's something I've been interested in doing for quite a while now. I know of a software or two that helps with maps (with a feature for the GM to reveal areas at his/her own will), dice rolls, private messaging, group messaging, inventory, etc. I'll try to find the name and post it here.

Roll20, Tabletop Simulator, etc.?

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Roll20, Tabletop Simulator, etc.?

Much older than that my friend, much older. Those are modern compared to what I remember lol

 

[Runamok81]

That's something I've been interested in doing for quite a while now. I know of a software or two that helps with maps (with a feature for the GM to reveal areas at his/her own will), dice rolls, private messaging, group messaging, inventory, etc. I'll try to find the name and post it here.

We using the forge https://foundryvtt.com/packages/forge-vtt/
along with Zoom in our game.