Sense

[The Mad Jackyl]

I was pondering the meaning of sense the other day. It came about when my girlfriend asked me how I knew for sure that I loved her. And it was actually hard to answer that. How do you know you love someone? Love is not a scientifically measurable thing, after all.

Several days later, I was idly thinking about the upcoming MGS4: GOTP and my huge essay on the themes thus far in the series: Gene, Meme, Scene and now...Sense. No one has any idea how sense fits in yet, and I've been puzzling over it in the months since I finished my essay. I knew one day I'd update it to reflect the theme of MGS4 once I had chance to play it and fully digest everything it entails. Now, recalling the conversation I had with my girlfriend, I now thought I might have an idea about what "Sense" could mean.

Genes are prone to scientific analysis, as are memetics and their sociological functioning and influence, and the same goes for "scene" - it is able to be estimated and is also prone to historical analysis. But then there's "Sense". Sense seems to stand on its own when compared to the other themes. Unlike the others, sense is something that most likely cannot be physically explained like the others. It is something that you feel.

"Sense" could be referring to that mysterious other realm, just how my girlfriend and I were talking about how I know that I love her. I don't know it, there's nothing physically measurable to tell me that I love her, or anyone else. It's mysterious in the fact that you "know" something, even without knowing it by proof of physical evidence. This could also work into how Old Snake chooses which sides to take in MGS4. He (the player as well) has to develop a sense for this sort of thing, a sort of precognition that will determine which side to favor in order to survive. You will also have to use "sense" to determine what is right and wrong on the battlefield: do you side with Soldier A against Soldier B because it may be convenient in the future? Or do you side with Soldier B against Soldier A because what he's fighting for is morally the right thing to do? If this is true, do you embrace the philosophy that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend?" War is confusing like that, and I think "Sense" may show us that we have to use our own insight. There may be a situation in the game to challenge us. As an example, a hypothetical situation could arise in which if you follow your orders without question, the situation could be significantly worsened, whereas if you used your own judgement and decided that doing what is asked of you is morally wrong, you would risk being treated as a traitor.

I'd be interested in hearing what you all have to say.

[A.G.]

OK, I got a couple of points to make.

1. About you and your g/f. Two 20-year olds, c’mon!!!! Just like teens, we think we got it. We think that we know love. Let me tell you what love is NOT:

• Love is not physical attraction.
• Love is not going to movies and holding hands.
• Love is not taking out your honey to romantic dinner.
• Love is not flowers on Valentine’s Day.

Now let me tell you what love ACTULLY IS:
• Love is being able to be with your partner year after year
• Love is being able to go into the restroom after they took a dumb and not be disgusted by them.
• Love is seeing them the way they look in the morning year and year out and not turning away.
• Love is turning down a physically better offer because you have a deeper connection at home.

I have been with my g/f for over 5 years. We’ve been living together for over 3 years now. Love is not liking what you see when your girl is dressed up in a sexy dress with make up on and ready to paint the town. Love is liking what you see in the morning or when she is sick. Love is not idle dates where each puts on their best. Love is being able to live with the flaws and the shortcomings.

So personally, I have to say that when she asked you “how you knew for sure you loved her”... unless you two have lived together for a few years then you don’t. No matter what you might think or feel. And neither does she. TRUST ME!

2. As for the Sense part in Metal Gear, it’ll be far less of an impact than you anticipate. All of the Solid games make the theme sound very important but in the end it’s merely a vague reference:
* Gene: The explaination given was very impressive, but in the end it was a cloning project. Big freaking deal! Hardly a learning experience. “Don’t be tied to your genes.” LOL! C’mon! We are tied to our genes! What a stupid reference. Kojima mentioned an example of a fat kid not being good at sports. Yeah, and he WON”T be! Not everyone wins the genetic lottery. Just because the game mentioned cloning, and in a relatively cartoonish manner, doesn’t really make the Gene theme relevant.

* Meme: Even less relevance to MGS2. Hell, the whole theme is basically just stated at the very end, right before the ending credits and it has next to nothing to do with the game. All of a sudden Raiden goes from not knowing if he’s real to having a profound speach about what to pass on! LMAO! I always hated the ending of MGS2, so rushed and corny and basically irrelivant to the rest of the game.

* Scene: Things change with the times... yeah... not exactly a tough concept to grasp. Personally, I think it was a cheat. It’s easy to make a game that takes place in the 60’s and have some profound character make super accurate predictions about how things will work out. Try and do that now! Try and make a game that predicts what will happen in the Middle East. Yeah, exactly! Easily the easiest theme to deal with, hence MGS3 was actually the only one that lived up to it’s “theme”.

* Sense: Again, it won’t be a grand scheme that will be mind-boggling. It’ll be something technical like having your aim get worse due to anxiety. Or like he said, full interaction with the environment as everything can be destroyed.


I don’t put too much stock into these in-depth things as the games don’t really live up to them. Sense will be just some little in-game feature, similar to Stamina. You can’t make the human sense into a video game. Like you said, they can’t be described. Something like not following orders and going with your instinct... lame for a video game. Most people don’t anyway. And after my first run thought the game, neither do I!

[TheBrotherOfLight]

Oh my oh my...

[A.G.]

We need a good solid debate here... I'll take the role of going against the grain.

Bring it on!

[The Mad Jackyl]

admin said:

Unneccessary love stuff

Way to slam what a guy's got, Arsenal. Thanks. That was really, really unneccessary. I'm 24 and have prior experience in the love realm, so I know that vapid, transparent bullsh*t is not what love is.

Slightly back on topic, my gf asked me how I know I loved her from a purely philosophical perspective, not to test me or my faith in our relationship.

What you did there is a common fallacy of reasoning. You took claim X (love) and did what's referred to as the "straw man". You distorted claim X (love) and presented it as something that I believed in. Don't undercut me or sell me short in that way, and don't assume things about my relationship based on limited information. I never said anything about what I thought love was and you came up with a whole host of negative things and presented it as if I believed in it all!

[A.G.]

Way to slam what a guy's got, Arsenal. Thanks. That was really, really unneccessary. I'm 24 and have prior experience in the love realm, so I know that vapid, transparent bullsh*t is not what love is.

I'm not trying to slam you, by no means. I'm merely stating that she asked you a bullsh*t question given the state of your relationship. Not everyone at 24 has several years of living with their significant other under their belt. If you have been, then I applogieze. If not, then the statement is true and you have not tested the true limits of "love".

my gf asked me how I know I loved her from a purely philosophical perspective, not to test me or my faith in our relationship.

Not saying that she did. But the answer is what I wrote. If you can put up with all the shortcommings and not want to leave her, that's how you know you love her.

. I never said anything about what I thought love was and you came up with a whole host of negative things and presented it as if I believed in it all!

Did not. I talked about the common misunderstandings of the term, not neccessarily that you believe in it. Re-read what I wrote. Had you actually lived together for a while she would not have asked you that question, phylosophically or hypothetically. There would not be a need to do so. The common thing with young people, myself included, is that we tend to run on emotions and try to define things using most them. I'm not putting down your lack of knoweldge or understanding of the love emotion. I'm pointing out the level of "rediculousness" of her question. I made up a word, yay!

[The Mad Jackyl]

Okay, then...I understand your intentions now. Be careful when mentioning things like that; be specific. Someone like myself might construe that you're making it out that I subscribe to whatever pseudo-love things you described.

Do you think her question was an interesting one that bears asking, even? I thought it was an interesting concept.

[A.G.]

Do you think her question was an interesting one that bears asking, even?

Only if you are ONLY dating. When you've lived with that individual then you would not ask that question as the answer is clearly defined.

When you live with someone for a few years you know all the problems and flaws. If you resent the person after that and it seems like you're drifting appart... then there is no love. But if years later, after all the BS, you still wanna be with him/her and you still find your self attracte physically and emotionally... then it's love.

For her to ask that question is not uncommon. It's a very difficult yet a very easy and downright unnecessary question at the same time.