It would be funny if that was a tactic in real life. Imagine your therapist disarming your anxiety by dressing as a character who is comfortable to you.
Even Pomni had one at the start of the second episode. More specifically, in her nightmare she fears that if she goes crazy and gets sent in the dark void to her mental demise, the other players will forget her like an afterthought. Luckily, they prove her wrong by making a funeral for Kaufmo (the recently abstracted one). I also noticed some of her “interesting choice of words” during her dialogue with Gummigoo. The fact that she said things like “feeling like you’re nothing is normal” and “I don’t want you to feel like you’re nothing, and nobody deserves to feel that way”, makes me wonder if she already had some existential dread long before she got trapped in the game, and something awful drove her to wear the headset in the first place. I would like to learn her backstory.
At first I read through your second paragraph thinking: "She literally went through an existential crisis in the first episode. Of course she talks from experience". Then you mentioned "drove her to put the headset in the first place" and yeah, I think you're up to something. I learned game design and development. Currently solo developing a game. One thing to know about designing video games is "why do we play video games in the first place?". There are multiple reasons for people to play, and one of them is escapism. Playing as a mean of escapism is sometimes because the "real world" isn't comforting for the player. In a video game, the player "lives the life they *wanted* to live" through their avatar. These players feel happy when they play because the real world doesn't make them happy and the life their avatar is living are much more exciting. It isn't true happiness they feel, I don't believe it's healthy, but they are feeling better. This is one way to become addicted to video games. Pomni might be the same in that matter. She put the headset on as a mean to mentally escape the real world, not wanting to deal with it, and ended up in the one place she can't escape. She is currently dealing with her real issues through the video game whether she want it or not. First episode was about dealing with the fact she needs to face her problems. Second episode is about socializing and making friends. This is a journey about mental health.
@@FrostedMike but there are some games that are meant to be played using multiplayer. It’s still a way to not isolate players from the outside world. I remember when Pokémon Go came out, many people went outside of their house, and even made real life groups to hunt Pokémon, especially during the Community Days, and thanks to the game, most of them even discovered places they were unaware of for their entire life.
@@veronicapiccinini7956 True, however it doesn't contradict my point. Multiplayer games can still answer the escapism need. These are players (I'm talking specifically about "escapism players", not multiplayer players in general) who have many reasons to play multiplayer games rooted in escapism. It can be not liking their local social sphere so the look for someone who won't judge them the same. They can be people who have no place to belong to and they found it in multiplayer games. They can be people who simply have no one close to share their interest in video games. Not all multiplayer gamers play in a group, they play solo and there are just other people around doing the same thing. A lot of multiplayer games has this option. People who do stuff and the surrounding don't judge unlike real life. It can be a lot of things. Escapism is when my avatar is having a batter life than me OR when my avatar's life completes mine. Pokémon GO is designed for socializing. You can't play the game as effective if you don't socialize. In this case we reach the escapism point with addiction to the game. When you get lost. When you can't take off your eyes off your screen. When you stop paying attention to your surroundings. When it physically becomes dangerous to play. The average video game, both single and multiplayer games, are designed to suck you in and keep you playing. Pokémon GO is, in hindsight, designed to remind you the beauty in real life. Pokémon in general is designed for socializing. There are two versions every time and you couldn't catch them all of you didn't have a friend with the other version of the game. If you bought both versions to catch them all we get to another form of escapism: "I don't want to socialize". You would rather buy the game twice than socialize and trade with someone else.
I knew there was a reason I resonated with Gummigoo. I went through an existential crisis after my dad died. It was one of the absolute worst things I ever experienced but gestalt therapy as well as friends, faith and humor pulled me through rock bottom.
The tricky thing about existential crises is that, for a lot of us, there _really _*_isn't_* an answer to the question of "who am I?" -- our sense of identity changes over time, so even if you _had_ an answer at _one_ point in your life, there's no guarantee that that answer will remain _true._ What's roughest for G.G. here is that he's being forced to confront that he _never_ had an answer to that question. Everything about himself that he believed to be true was fabricated to give him a boilerplate sense of self, but strip back the act and there's _nothing left_ -- he doesn't even know what the answer would _look like,_ which is a more extreme form of identity crisis than most people need to confront. (I've been in a similar boat, having constructed a sense of identity based around what I thought my family wanted from me -- I was in my 30s by the time I had to confront the fact that I wasn't who I had been pretending to be.) I doubt we've seen the last of G.G., and I hope that we see his development continue. It'd be a waste of a perfectly good existential crisis if he's back to the factory default the next time Caine adds him to a scenario.
I like the cosplay you did for Gummi-Goo. I forget what it's called but I've heard it's what folks do to cosplay as their favorite characters when they can't dress up exactly like the character. First I heard of it was people visiting WDW but Disney not wanting them to dress up exactly like their characters for fear of confusing the children.
i love that i made a joke to a friend like "wouldn't it be funny if they go to the circus and he just get deleted ?" well i wasn't prepared to be right but i was shocked and also laughing because of that
Jax video next. His moments of humanity are very "blink and you'll miss it" (saving Kinger and Gangle, anger at Kaufmo being put in the cellar, sadness at the funeral). I really believe he copes by acting like a sociopathic jerk and trying not to get attached to the others
I think the deepest existential crisis I’ve had was in elementary school when I learned about atoms and cells in science class. The thoughts of being made of billions of tiny pieces that are each so tiny that if you removed a few hundred I wouldn’t even notice was something I found deeply disturbing. I went from being extremely interested in science to trying very hard to not internalize any more science lessons in fear of learning something even more upsetting. Idk what happened exactly but once I was more used to the idea after a few years it just stopped messing with me. Philosophy lessons have had a similar impact on me more than once because it turns out that a lot of the ideas we don’t normally question but we have to in philosophy are things we don’t normally consider for a reason
This scene hit home very hard for me. I had gone through a full existential crisis on all levels back in Middle School, and watching how he reacted hurt. Thankfully, my literature teacher’s required goal of writing a poem per week helped me through it. I wish I had kept them though, cause they also caused the happiest guy in our class to also suffer the full journey of an existential crisis.
I just feel so bad for Gummigoo here and I know I’ve hit those low points of feeling like nothing or nobody cares about me when I’m alone or I get minimum/no interaction whenever I try to talk to someone.🥺 That’s been one of the good things actually of me making friends online since it’s expanded my network and there’s more people to share interests with, but I still try to fill the alone time with writing, drawing, etc.❤ I absolutely love Pomni here at showing her empathy, patience and kindness by trying to help Gummigoo want to try and live for himself and others again.❤ Also, nice Gummigoo outfit!😊❤
Her saying she could use a friend can also work by giving him a new sense of purpose and a feeling that he matters to someone and can make a difference in their life He wanted to help his mother, and now he gets to help her, and like you said this is likely something that’s important to him Edit: Oh yeah, another thing about her word choice regarding her talking about her world instead of “the *real* world”, which would likely just serve as a cruel reminds of the fact he isn’t real. I also love how she reminds him about how he cares about his buddies and they care about him. It doesn’t matter if they’re not ‘real’, they’re real to each other and so are the feelings that they have for one another
1:47 … Georgia, are you in my head? I never thought unsolvable problems can cause fight or flight, but I fear I’ve had an unsolvable problem for about two years now. I am a problem solver, and describing my feelings as constant fight or flight is pretty on the nose. This explains some things… maybe even my sky high blood pressure. 😂
Thank you Ms. Dow! I’ve been struggling with anxiety and existential dread for more than a decade, but your advice really helps me to get a better handle my life and my mind. It means a lot to know that I’m not the only person who deals with this stuff.
12:34 Oh, gosh. I wish my younger self were told that. I always felt like my worth was tied to what others saw in me: a "guinea pig" and "test subject" for an internship program, my school's "poster child", being labeled as gifted, etc. After my freshman year of university, I got accepted into a prestigious scholarship program that would have set me up for life. Then the pandemic hit and brought a nasty mental breakdown (which was bound to happen sooner or later). I felt like I wasn't living up to everyone's expectations because I was suffering, yet my suffering meant nothing but me being a "drama queen" so why would anyone care that I wasn't well. It's still a massive struggle, but I wish I could have told my younger self that the only person you needed to prove anything to was you and that you mattered.
Much like N from Murder Drones, Gummigoo is both one of my most favorite characters and one of the most relatable characters that I really resonate with, since I do get moments of feeling existential anxiety, but I do have family love and support, which really helps out a lot. Plus, I do hope Gummigoo returns in a future episode 💛💚
Gummy not giving his brothers the same info was probably the biggest mistake since they might be deleted too. And he was leaving them behind in the candy lands where "there isn't a village"
When I saw that ep I KNEW you would tackle it someday :) The void comes for us all but how we deal with it is what matters most and by doing what we love with the people we love can make all the difference in the- *gets turned into a pile of confetti and streamers*
Back when Gooseworx was still answering questions on her tumblr, about one month before the second episode of The Amazing Digital Circus aired, a fan named "hatstick" asked "what new character is the audience gonna be LEAST ready for?", to which Gooseworx simply said "Gummigoo". Holy cow, was she ever right! There's just so much to talk about with Gummigoo, but I think what's the most fascinating aspect about his... existence, I'd say, is that Caine foreshadows him, saying he's testing out a new AI that he says will make the game 57 times more immersive. Caine trying to make the game more immersive would also explain why Gummigoo has more in-depth details about his backstory and is seemingly more thoughtful and introspective than his mates Max and Chad. Unfortunately, because Caine is more focused on on what would make things more interesting for the human characters and not so much on the NPCs he creates, not to mention the two adventures we've seen him prepare seem to be poorly thought out in terms of how the humans are meant to accomplish them, Caine leaves several holes, like how he programmed Gummigoo having a mother into his memory and backstory but didn't bother making a model of his mother because, for the purposes of today's "adventure", doing so is unnecessary. It feels likely that the villain Gummigoo is from also doesn't exist, which honestly makes me wonder if Caine considered the possibility of the humans sympathizing with Gummigoo's plight and wanting to go to the village to see Gummigoo's mother, or if he bothered to think out anything for Gummigoo's programming other than "this will make the adventure 57 times more engaging than if he were just a straight-forward one-dimensional villain!" I know I'm focusing more on Caine than Gummigoo here, but Caine really is the one responsible for Gummigoo's existential crisis, not to mention he's the one who ultimately (seemingly) kills him off in the end, for reasons that are understandable but still wildly inconsiderate, considering Pomni just formed a strong emotional attachment to Gummigoo. It also sends a grim message when it comes to Gummigoo's fears of the point of his existence; he wonders what's the point of of his existence is if he's only meant to be an obstacle in the path of the human characters, intended to, in his words, be "defeated and forgotten". Pomni tries to offer Gummigoo another chance to be more than what he was initially programmed to be, but in removing him, Caine is essentially saying that Gummigoo IS nothing more than a program, designed to be defeated and forgotten, or at the very least, not nearly as important and worthy as the human characters. And again, I can't really get too mad at Caine, because he doesn't seem to realize harm in what he's doing, or that he's essentially created a sentient and sapient being, nor does he consider the morality of essentially removing such a being from existence... Or maybe he does? He does give a thousand-yard stare over the possibility of confusing a human with an NPC, implying that he did something terrible to a human he thought was an NPC in the past, but again, while he tries to be considerate of the safety of humans, he doesn't extend that to NPCs who are intelligent enough to be equal to the humans, which again almost justifies his actions since he doesn't want to risk confusing humans with NPCs but it really does show where his priorities lie when it comes to the characters within this world. ...Damn, all that talk, and it was mostly about Caine, not poor Gummigoo. Too be fair, I don't know what else I could add that hasn't already been said, either in this video or in the comments section. I WILL say I was expecting Gummigoo to get angry and violent, or lash out or deny what Pomni told him. I initially thought it was odd how accepting he was of the truth, but I guess that goes to show how intelligent he is, and how he's not about to deny something that's staring right at him. And as for not lashing out, well, that goes to show how compassionate he truly is deep down; he acts tough, but he's not truly a bad person (this is also shown when he tells Pomni not to tell Max and Chad the truth, even though they're also NPCs, he still cares about them enough to not bring them down to his level). Rather than take out his anguish on Pomni or the models or anything like that, all he does is sit in despair. It does make sense that he'd lose the motivation to do anything after finding out the true nature of himself and the world he occupies. Also, I found it a BIT odd that Pomni didn't really put it together what Gummigoo was going through until she actually sat down and started talking to him; she does seem to not be especially good at reading people emotionally, not to mention tends to be more preoccupied with what she's going through most of the time, but when she does actually take the time to get to know someone else, she's surprisingly good at empathizing with them and reaching out. One last thing, Gooseworx DID say that "there will be something for Gummigoo fans eventually"... I'm almost scared to find out what she means by that, but who knows, maybe this isn't the last we've seen of Gummigoo. Only the future will tell.
Neurons that fire together...wire together! Words to live by Georgia! = ) Also...I particularly love this fetching ensemble! Great for either dinner, or danger! My formula for not lingering in existential inner danger is to have way too much outer danger.
all you videos really help me realized something. Not my fault Lonewriter kick me out of his discord server for being "Toxic" now after watching videos you made on self reflection and on toxic realationships i realized two things. One. I was not the toxic one i was in a toxic realationship and two. Lonewriter Hated me for being autistic after i look back on every "Toxic" thing he said i did.
I know I resonated strongly with Gummigoo because I went through an existential crisis in high school. I was always trying to work hard in school, moving onto the next thing and trying to get good grades, which would then lead to going to college and getting a good job. One day though, I went through an existential crisis when I realized that I would go to work, eat, sleep, and repeat until the day I died. I realized that my life didn't have a meaning and it distressed me that everything would eventually amount to nothing, and it would mean nothing, in a world filled with billions and billions of people. I wished I had something like this when I was younger because I had gotten depressed for a very long time. I sometimes still struggle with it, but I try to combat more so than when it first occurred to me. In the end, I hope to make the world a little less lonely and that's what keeps me going. Also, Gummigoo will always be real to me. I have a plush of him and it brings me comfort.
When October 7th happened it felt as if I woke up into a completely different world. Suddenly finding out that people are not inherently good, and that life can just end out of the blue like that. That war changed everything, how I look at the world and the world itself. I am still shaken and am questioning the point of humanity when people can do such horrors.
With the most recent episode of The Amazing Digital Circus having been released, I'd love to see Georgia talk about Cains ADHD and Zooble dealing with depression and not liking herself, not to mention what happened with Kinga.
I think it could be interesting to see you do videos on more Digital Circus characters. Also, I think it could be fun to see you do videos on Frieren Beyond Journey's End at some point in the future
Hey, Georgia. You're so soothing, so... I wanna say tactile in your explaining. I am currently going through a crisis. I have heard of near death experiences that are very very disturbing and I'm afraid of experiencing one of those for eternity after I die. Not healed but you Help. Thank you.
I've been dealing with an existential crisis of sorts for the last few years since I left a religion I grew up in. Now I've got to figure out what life means and what I am after having those answers shoved down my throat for most of my life. It's a big step
The biggest existential crisis I suffered was when I was 19. I learned that my bio family was abusive and never actually loved me and abused me, used me and forced me to play family therapist, personal punching bag and house wife, my friends left me at the drop of a hat (sometimes rightfully so), my coping mechanisms and behaviors were toxic, bordering on abusive, not just to myself but also to those around me that I loved, very few people actually loved me, liked me and cared about me and that I couldn't rush, run away from or delay recovery (being a very "rip the bandaid off" type of person has served me well in life). I also learned nothing I'd do would ever be good enough to those that only pretended to love me/like me/be my friend and even if I wasn’t a burden, they'd always find ways to make me out to be a problem, at fault and punished. I learned I was dealt a bad hand in life, but through no fault of my own, but I am responsible for how I act/react as an adult even if the traumas I suffered weren't my fault. I learned fixing people and being a caregiver will not make people like me, nor will I be respected. I learned that not every authority figure or medical professional will have my best interests in mind (I cannot be left alone in a doctor's office/ER due to mistreatment from doctors). I learned my former life was a lie. And I think the worst part of all that was knowing that I could do nothing about it except learn to live with that reality. I'm 26 now and I've learned a lot and started therapy back in March. It helps take the edge off, but I'm still extremely distrusting and closed off, reserved and careful, calculating and analytical of people, but at the same time, I never lost the big part of me that loved to make people smile and soothe what hurts. My journey is far from over and I know my wounds will never fully heal and the pain will never go away (despite popular opinions....), but I can live with it and I'm not afraid to face it.
You're always so articulate and help us understand people's thougths better...i feel like everything has multiple angles that need to be looked at, and you cover them a lot. On that note, have your tried watching/playing OMORI? There are several character archetypes that I feel you would be great at analyzing!
Hey Georgia, loved you in The Getaway (and congrats!). Been going back through and watching yiur Arcane a d Wednesday reactions. I would love to see your reactions and analysis to songs by Ren. They are deep, meaningful and talk about serious subjects in mental health and society which need to be talked about more, in a very hard hitting but insightful way. I've listened to many mental health professionals and they have the most interesting content. Do them as first time live reactions and commentary, rather than prepping in advance. You absolutely should start with Hi Ren, but his catalogue goes deep in many subjects and you will want to react to Sick Boi, The tale of Jenny and Violet, Chalk Outlines, Troubles and Dominoes as well
Gummigoo's experience here reminds me of an OK-KO:Let's Be Heroes episode, “Your World is an Illusion,” where the main character KO goes through something similar to Gummigoo here, just reshaped through a 2-d animation lens. It’s maybe my favourite episode of the show, really recommend watching it. Spoilers for the episode: KO meets HoloJane, a sentient hologram lady, who asks for his help to get somewhere “real” as she can see that the show is in fact a show. She points out some things like how interactable objects are drawn differently from background objects and the like, and then leaves when KO won’t accept what she’s saying. But this causes him to realise the animation tricks like perspective, limited animation, impact flash frames, and other things, until eventually he jumps out of the 4th wall and wanders through a void in between realities. While there he looks for HoloJane and finds her, who was watching him and explains that watching him changed her perspective on his tv show world. They may not be real, but the friendships he has, the love of and for his mom, they’re real to them and to him. Just like how Pomni uses Gummigoo's friends as a “your love for them is real” moment.
He's a computer program. He doesn't have the need to socialize or form relationships; his purpose is to run the circus. He's doesn't have the inbuilt capability of sympathizing with people in the first place and therefore incapable of being INTENTIONALLY cruel. Caine literality can't choose to oppose his programming because he's essentially a machine. Also, the consequences will be catastrophic is HIS perception and considering he's obviously biased toward his programming, we'll never know the truth from a human perspective.
I loved gummy goo. I bought the official plush to keep in my room. My daughter and I have been watching She-Ra the Princess of Power on. Netflix and I think it’s a series that you should cover. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the show and listen to your analysis of the characters.
saidthis before, but i wonder what she would say about something like gundam seed that deals with trauma, ptsd, how the enviroment manipulates people into doing things that goes against their own principles, or even how war affects people.
Really hope you look into centaur world. It’s surprisingly deep. You should definitely check it out if you don’t know it. Also listen the song hush now, he’s such a tragic villain that was never meant to be a villain
Hi! Could you maybe do the characters either Joni De Groot from the good doctor about her ocd---or Jack Sloane from ncis about her past? (Btw thanks for reading this if you did)
Gummigoo! This makes my feel alittle better becuse my dog bit a kid I've been crying like for the past hour becuse I don't know what will happen😭😭😭😭😱😱😱😱😱😭😭😭
May I make a recommendation/request: Please review the show: The Promised Neverland. It is a thrilling and complex show with a great antagonist Isabella, who I request your assistance, with diagnosing her behavior with the children AND her situation. It is an anime of 12 episodes and I highly recommend it. Please and thank you! Love your channel breakdowns btw
Optimistic Nihilism. Objectively nothing matters... Subjectively however, we hold the power to give anything meaning in any way we see fit. I like to use this metaphor. The universe is an objective reality. Like a blank canvas. No meaning, nothing. It's just there. And with our subjective experience and existence, we hold a paint brush. With which we are free to paint on that canvas whatever we like. Give it any shape, color.... Meaning. We'll all paint something else. And that painting, will reflect who we are as a subjective being. So go out! And paint your best painting! Give the universe the best subjective meaning it can have! Cuz objectively, it doesn't matter, giving us ABSOLUTE FREEDOM! To give it meaning ourselves
Caine could prevent npc mixup if he had the ability to stamp them with a mark that tells you they ate. I mean, it could be a reminder TO the NPC about their exstosetential nature, but they won't die... unless Caine has another reason that he wants to hide.
Dont know if you'll do it or not since the show has ended, but I'm going to ask anyway. Could you maybe do an analysis of characters from The Owl House?
you can watch the sir pentious is free i dont think it is behind a paywall of any sort. The one that is members only just has some extra images in it. but they are the same besides that
Could you also do the super mario movie (new one)? Mario is very interesting with his arc and so are the other characters like Donkey Kong and Bowser.🤔
Giving ourselves our own reason or identity feels hollow without knowing or coming to understand objective truth regarding ourselves--our origins. This is why I don't know personally how to happily put off religion, and this is why I value the subjective experiences that have led me to understand my role as a child or heir to God the Father. Before I discovered my identity in the tenets of my faith, I could only ever distract myself from the reality of not knowing who or what I am. Family and friendship is a valuable distraction, but to observe that each of our identities ends in this existence is a profoundly invalidating thing regardless without a higher meaning and persistent or eternal identity.
This show does a good job of portraying existential dread, giving us a sense of found meaning, and then reminding us that the universe doesn't care, in it's own twisted sense of humor. 🥲 And I love the show for it.
It seems almost silly to discuss existential dread (maybe the most serious topic discussable) but with our hero having a silly/ridiculous name Gummigoo.
When I had an NDE at age 11, one dreadful line of thought I had was from examining the prospect of being stuck there in a dimension-less Void forever... Gummygoo was certainly relatable, and I can never get over Caine zapping him at the end, grrrrr.
