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Destiny

Discuss all things Destiny.
Edited by Durandal: 6/24/2013 2:30:48 PM
47

The Probable Philosophy of Destiny

As it should be clear to all of us, every great story has a kind of lesson to learn from it. Undoubtedly, Destiny will be no exception. In this thread I'm going to show you a video, a lecture, and I'll briefly describe the philosophy. If you watch the video and listen to the lecture, you may not even need to listen to me. So before I go, I want you to first watch [url=http://www.upworthy.com/some-strange-things-are-happening-to-astronauts-returning-to-earth]this video[/url]. It's about 20 minutes long, and it describes a certain feeling some astronauts experience that, in short, can be described as [b]awe[/b]. ... You're back? Good. Now I'd like you to listen to a particular lecture given by Brian Moriarty, a game designer, back in 1996. [url=http://ludix.com/moriarty/media/thepointis.mp3]The Point Is[/url] The lecture is about 50 minutes long. In the lecture, Moriarty makes a few predictions about how the internet will affect games. The shocking part is that these predictions are all highly accurate. ... Good, so you've watched the video and listened to the lecture. Or you haven't. If the former is true, then proceed. If the latter is true, then I highly recommend you scroll up and catch up with the rest of us. [spoiler]Ok, so by now you've noticed and comprehend the abundantly clear motif of "one-ness." To be frank, I don't think the goal of Destiny will be to simply "regain the solar system," but rather it will be the awesome recognition of humanity's one-ness, and our impact on the earth. Remember when David Beaver quoted an astronaut right at the beginning of the video? "When we originally went to the moon, our total focus was on the moon. We weren't thinking about looking back at the earth." This idea of protecting our planet is so highly relevant for this generation. Everyone knows that humans haven't exactly made the best impact on the planet, and a lot of people live with the fear of self-inflicted global annihilation. Now, Destiny's earth was mostly destroyed by "something," not us, but it is easy to relate to the concept of our own extinction. Destiny takes that concept and slams it right in our face. Remember that line in the video almost 14 minutes in? The one that stood out? [i]"This view of the earth from space, the whole-earth perspective, I think is the true symbol of this age, and I believe that what's gonna happen is there's going to be a greater and greater interest in communicating this idea because after all it's key to our survival; we have to start acting as one species with one destiny.[/i] Yeah, that one. See, I believe that "Destiny" does not mean a kind of "manifest destiny" that drives us outward, but something that brings us together as one: our destiny being our ultimate conscious connection to each other and beyond. Sounds pretty "out there," I know, but just look at technology. As predicted in the lecture, we are so technologically connected it's scary sometimes. And now, Bungie plans on pushing the boundaries once again by bringing more people together in Destiny. Again, as Moriarty predicted, future games biggest selling point are the customers themselves; developers are selling their customers to each other. So, what I'm saying is that I believe Destiny's point is to bring people together and to portray, and hopefully make some of us experience, that awesome feeling of connectivity; of [b]one-ness[/b]. Or it'll just be about regaining the solar system. Alright, thanks for trudging through this one, I hope you enjoyed it. If you want to hear more about the importance of awe, you can listen to [url=http://ludix.com/moriarty/media/MoriartyPsalm46.mp3]this lecture[/url], also by Moriarty, which will be included in the upcoming game The Witness. To download either of these lectures, you can right-click the links and click "save link as." And remember: Be Brave.[/spoiler]

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  • Oh man, was I wrong...

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    • Yeah being one with humanity while you can't talk to them....

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    • Bump

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    • Edited by pdw92: 6/30/2013 7:13:44 PM
      This is rather brilliant. Excellent post! Another thing to consider (albeit separate from your own point): when looking at the whole of Destiny, of humanity fighting these alien hostile forces consider it from the perspective of Hegel's Master and Servant and their clash of consciousness. Basically, when two individuals encounter each other, they attempt to dominate each other. When an outcome is met, one exists as the Master (which is an existence for itself) and the other is the Servant (an existence for others). However, both existences yearn for two things: independence and recognition. After the struggle, it is only the Master that captures both. The Servant is left, well, serving. As time goes on, though, the Master faces a crisis: both his independence and recognition is entirely dependent upon the Servant. To make a long and complex philosophical concept shorter and simpler, the Master remains in a static state, while the Servant, through his own work (for his work is a direct reflection of his self-existence), achieves independence from the Master and becomes a true self-conscious. If you look at Destiny, you could probably look at it through the Servant (humanity) coming into their self-existence and breaking away from the Master (aliens) through their work (which is really just literal conflict). So in some cases you, there is a sense of "oneness" through Hegel. Although that words also opens up a whole other can of worms with Taoism. Here's a link to Hegel's work in regards to the Master and Servant: http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/ph/phba.htm

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      • The thing I love most about bungie games is that they inspire people to come up with and share ideas like this.

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        • You have violated the code of conduct, prepare to face ninja justice

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        • Its funny because in the end, the game had no story whatsoever.

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          • That's something I already understood as being a part of the spirit of the game having absorbed so much information already... working together in a massive cooperative movement to achieve a new beginning for mankind and saving it. Hell, that's what I aim to do as an engineer. I'm going to solve problems that humanity needs solving before our lands are flooded and our disrupted climates render the land unusable. Destiny will be a reflection of my will to preserve the future of humanity in the real world and my hope that others are doing the same elsewhere.

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              The goal of Destiny is to screw over gamers silly!

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            • Edited by Ostensibly: 9/19/2014 4:53:12 AM
              There's also a ton of similarities to the Legend of Prometheus. Not really philosophy, but it has the inspiration. And that legend is my favorite when it comes to thinking about our capabilities as a species.

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            • Hey come check out our pre-destiny clan!! Here's the link: http://vanguardians.enjin.com/home We welcome you with open arms! Please make sure to give a shout out to Corrosive Honor for getting you there! Chancellors names appear in red on the site so feel free to ask them any questions you may have!

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            • That was clever

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            • This has got to be by far one of the best posts Ive had the pleasure to see, review and watch the community here talk about. A very fine thing to think about and makes me excited all the more to see exactly what Destiny has in store for Humanity.We should be so lucky as to see something as great, and luckier still to really feel as one.

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            • I think this is a better word to describe what those astronauts feel. Awesome thread though, I really enjoyed the video and lecture.

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              • One comment really, the "regaining the galaxy" is incorrect. The videos so far all state that humanity did not go beyond the solar system during the golden age. The only thing to regain is the solar system, not the galaxy.

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                • I think their Law of the Jungle video along with the game style of encouraging group play and being active in public events rather than run from them pretty much speaks to the heart of what you're saying

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                • Edited by the panzie man: 6/20/2013 4:47:41 PM
                  This has some merit, possibly even to the extent that it is an inherent truth. The factions of which are attacking the last bastion of earth are as bites, eroding away that which we are. Reducing us down to nothing with time. It poses the question, not if we are strong enough to win, but if we are strong enough to survive?

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                • Equal mix science, my personal beliefs, and Bungie badassedness. I think you nailed it.

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                • I love these finds by the community, showing the game's relativity to the rest of the world. ■

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                • Thanks everybody for the nice comments!

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                • Amazing!

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                • This... :')

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                • If Destiny is as engaging as is justified by the projected 10-year arc, when all is said and done and the Earth is finally given a second chance at prosperity, we all will have completed an enormous adventure the likes of which have not seen before. We will encounter strange new lands. We will discover strange new enemies. We will dive in to a near-limitless arsenal of weapons and armor. We will unravel countless mysteries of this amazing universe we call Destiny. But most importantly, we will have experienced each other. We may find ourselves entrenched together on Mars or Venus. We may pass each other and share a wave as we explore Old Russia. We may even share a gaze at the setting sun from atop the highest tower in the Last City. When our adventure finally ends, we will have seen the massive world Bungie has set in place for us. We will have numerous tales to tell. We will recount the times we have spent with our friends. But we will always remember our interaction with the strangers. The mute emissaries that can save us, leave us to fend for ourselves, or merely give us company on a terrace at sunset. We will have witnessed the true bond between fellow players. And yes, we will have reclaimed the galaxy as well.

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                • I love the idea of being a big happy alien hunting family

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                • Very thoughtful and well written. Excited to play with everyone. :)

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                  • Spot on. I think you might have just nailed exactly what Bungie is going for.

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