VRodeo: 05: Rec Room, Minecraft in VR, and More

I really, really hope they do another VRodeo before Dan moves to NY. They need to play Onward, especially after all the complains that no games let you move normally. It's by far the closest thing VR has to a "killer app", if you will.

So the point of a trigger warning is to tell someone there's sexual assault (etc), but by doing so you're bringing up sexual assault which is also going to remind them of their trauma...

Shouldn't there be a trigger warning for a trigger warning then?

You are making wild judgements with that last part and to me that's more egregious than anything in this VRodeo.

@jasoncooke: I'm not a trauma survivor but I think it's a safe bet that victims find the warnings more valuable than not having them, otherwise they wouldn't exist and we wouldn't be having this discussion. But go ahead and think you know better than they do. That's some pretty solid internet toughguy behavior.

Holy shit! https://youtu.be/1AmjjtB--q8?t=134

That's a link for 2:15, one of the funniest things I've heard in years.

I didn't say I know better and even if I did why does that make me an 'internet toughguy'?

Stop reaching...

@jasoncooke: Trigger warnings are definitely a 100% real thing, and it's a shame that people like you apparently can't see that? I'm not sure what's so hard about understanding that some people have been through legitimately traumatic events in their life, and no amount of you telling them that "triggers don't exist" is going to make them feel better about it.

Yeah sure, a lot of people say it as a joke, but that joke is a shitty parody of real mental anguish.

I didn't say they don't exist, I didn't say they aren't a real thing.

My post states my surprise that people use them seriously as I've never seen it before and have only seen "triggered" used as a way to express annoyance, offense or anger caused by something.

I don't think saying you are triggered is mocking abuse, seems like a new Internet thing to say something is getting to you.

So I hope that's cleared up.

I think the problem is that trigger warnings have become a joke because they're used by many people when they don't want to hear opposing viewpoints. I understand that there are real and traumatic events but you can't live life without having to deal with problems; there aren't always going to be trigger warnings.

@horseman6: @jasoncooke: The thing is, they never really were overused. They were hardly used at all, and then they've only become overused in recent times because of people using it sarcastically. It's pretty much a fallacy that trigger warnings were commonly used to censor opposing viewpoints, infact they started as a way to warn fellow minded people that something might contain traumatic content.

Whether you think it's mocking abuse or not, it doesn't really matter? It's exactly the same deal as people who thing that racist and homophobic slurs don't matter because "Haha, I didn't mean it". It comes from a place of contempt, and whether you mean it to be hurtful or not, by using it you're just legitimising it.

Also, yeah dude. You literally said they were always used as a joke, with your own emphasis on "always". Just try to have a little empathy, it doesn't take a lot of effort to not promote negative stereotypes, just don't say shitty things if you don't honestly mean them.

EDIT: If you honestly didn't understand before, then I totally accept that. It doesn't make you a bad person to not know something, but now that you do know, I hope you'll keep it in mind.

Not that they were commonly used, they are commonly used. I'm not sure how you can say that's not a fact now. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/

Troll level: Handybot

@horseman6: They're really not, if you actually keep count of how often they're legitimately used you'll find that it's mostly selection bias. For obvious reasons you don't notice an absence of trigger warnings, unless you're the person being "triggered".

Also, come on mate. An article that begins with the assumption that they're being over used is hardly an unbiased look at this. The biggest problem with that article is the cherry picking of things that seem ridiculous while conveniently ignoring their legitimate uses. It's just another classic case of "hey things were bad in my day, and I'm okay". It's like a weird analogue to one of the arguments against vaccination where: "my kids weren't vaccinated and they're healthy, so vaccines are a waste, etc." Unless you're some kind of conspiracy theorist you can't deny that vaccination is something that helps the population as a whole.

I'm not saying that trigger warnings are necessarily the be-all-end-all of social consciousness, and they're most definitely not infallible. Yes sure, sometimes some people use them inappropriately, and sometimes people ARE over-sensitive, but by stereotyping trigger warnings in this way, you're hurting the majority of people who are using them earnestly.

EDIT: I should make myself clear that I'm not implying that people should have their "free speech" curtailed. People should be free to say whatever they believe, but at the same time, free speech does not and should not give you any kind of immunity from responsibility. If you're being a dickhead and you say some dickish shit, you shouldn't be "silenced", but you should be criticised for it, and you should have to suffer the negative consequences of your speech.

You said this much, much better than I am able to. I am just here to implore people to read and really understand the above points.

I don't have a problem with marking content like that but I do have a problem when people say that using "triggered" is "not okay", if I was to say "that terrible season finale triggered me" it doesn't mean I'm mocking abuse victims, it means something was so bad it made me feel something negative.

Some people are saying stuff like "haha triggered" too much but I think the above usage is devoid of cringe and malice.

@jasoncooke: Like I said, you can go around and say that if you wish, but it still makes you a self-indulgent dickhead. You don't get to void your own responsibility, and you don't get to tell other people what hurts them.

Seriously, no-one exists in a vacuum.

You have to understand that you can't opt-out of the way your speech affects other people. If you're actually aware of the way you affect others with you speech, but you still choose to speak that way, then you're making a conscious decision to do something with the potential to cause harm.

If you know what you're doing is hurting others, and you consciously keep doing it, then you're a dickhead. It's the same as using racial slurs in casual conversation, albeit to a lesser extreme. No, you're not aggressively attacking someone, but you're choosing to perpetuate and legitimise a stereotype that does actually have harmful consequences.

It's up to you, and you alone to decide if you respect the harm your speech causes. You don't have to be perfect and obviously no-one is, but it never hurts to make a change for the better.

A trigger is something that makes something else happen. That's it, I don't know why you are trying to give it a negative connotation. It's not an insult, it's not a racial slur.

You are speaking in an authoritarian way and I don't know what stereotypes have to do with what I am saying.

No I'm not a dickhead, thanks. I wouldn't go around saying it because it would be overused and not everybody would get the implication.

I have a feeling most of the people calling it offensive are being offended on behalf of someone else that they think would be offended.

This is going to go round and round in circles so let's not.

@jasoncooke: You're being purposely reductionist. Yes a trigger is something that is something that makes something happen. But, don't pretend that being "triggered" was something people said in everyday conversation before the proliferation of trigger warnings. The way you're using it, it's a parody of PTSD.

Nothing I've said is particularly authoritarian. I specifically said that you can do what you want, and you should be able to do what you want. What I'm getting at is that you're responsible for the effect of your own speech, and there is literally no way you're going to get out of that responsibility without running off to live as a hermit somewhere where no-one can hear you.

You might "have a feeling" or think you know better, but for obvious reasons you don't get to tell others how they feel. Yes, that kind speech has a harmful effect. It doesn't matter if you think it shouldn't, because it's an undeniable fact that it does.

If you don't think the harm is worth your effort, then it's up to you to make that decision.

But, like @feedo said earlier: "Empathy is completely free and makes you a bajillion times cooler as a person." There's no reason other than malice or blind stubbornness to say shitty things, language is pretty amazing and it's easy to say anything in a million different ways that aren't shitty.

It isn't but you can think that if you want. Peace.

I nominate HandiBot for Best New Character

I vote that Handibot replace Dan when he goes to NY.

@foodmonster: I second that.

@jasoncooke: to reply to the idea that a trigger warning also raises the triggering subject; it's usually a lot worse to find yourself in a crowded movie theater when suddenly SERIOUS TRAUMATIC THING you didn't expect is sprung on you, and you sit and watch it happen on screen, then for you to have time to mentally prepare. My ex is a rape survivor who had a real hard time when Under the Skin (rather lazily) went for a shock sexual assault rather than the film's prior seduction/erotic thriller model. It's also not every depiction that is triggering; it's not the mere subject being raised for some people, but certain depictions, and having information is generally perceived as making it easier to plan and prepare and make decisions about what you watch.

(I'm setting aside their use in the classroom beyond saying that I think they're beneficial.)

As someone who actually is diagnosed with PTSD I just wanted to say thanks to you guys for discussing this whole thing in such a great manner, nailed it pretty much

@jasoncooke: Dude, come on. You don't get to define language, and you don't get to ignore it's history.

Of course it is, it's ridiculous to claim it's not. You might not personally be using it to actively parody PTSD, but the way you're using arose as a parody of victims of rape and domestic violence. You aren't using it any differently from the people who maliciously use it, and by doing that you're only legitimising it's malicious use.

That game was amazing, I guess VR has its killer app :^)

Also Dan's pronunciation of 'Westpac' was hilarious.

Anything with the unpredictability of Rec Room always make the best bits of content on GB. Especially with Jeff at the helm. He knows immediately how to react to the nonsense. So hilarious.

Handibot for best new character of 2016? xD

Yeah, I skipped all the Oculus stuff like they said, and the stuff on the vive was amazing. Rec room was insanely funny to watch. I just want 2 hours of rec room.

For 7 days I did not know why people kept talking about Handibot. Now I understand.

Jeff stops playing that first game after 28 minutes.
That's about 29 minutes too much footage of that game, seriously,......... it's the most generic thing out there.

@georgie85: Oh, wow, yeah I can kinda hear that.

Rec Room is a good indicator of where VR is heading. It's such a blast to play, and the great thing about it is that other great games are piling up all the while. Onward recently came out, which is pretty mindblowing and manages to pull off traditional FPS movement in a way that feels, quite honestly, more comparable to Airsoft than Counter-strike. Paddle Up is out, and feels eerily like real ping pong. Minecraft VR is the sort of revelatory thing where...I'll never be able to play it on a regular screen again. It's the exact kind of stuff I imagined VR to be, and I can't wait to see what's around the corner.

Sure there's a lot of crap at the moment, but holy hell, the stuff that hits really hits.

@flashflood_29: Onward has this kind of movement and it's pretty incredible.

HANDIBOT IS VERY SUSPICIOUS.

Next level RPing there. Best moment was when he said "Welcome to Handibot, I'm Recroom!"

Best new character 2016: Handibot.

So sad that Jeff didn't hit the touchpad while holding the shield in Space Pirate Trainer. He would have had so much fun. :(

@demus: Yes... stupid, stupid, ever so stupid questions.

Rec Room wins GOTY.

This Rec Room shit was absolutely incredible.

Oh shit look at that fresh ass VRodeo logo.

Handibot sucks.

Remember SurrealVR with the fun VR experiences? They are a nominee for Viveport Developer Awards! Show some love :)

http://community.viveport.com/t5/Viveport-Developer-Awards/con-p/vda16comchoice

Slowly catching up on 2016 videos.so far Rec Room is the best thing in 2016!

Brad being broken after beer pong around 1:28 is awesome

Jeff playing Rec Room. Classic stuff.