Young men dropping out of the job market to spend time in an alternate reality
I&#x27;m a 26 year old male and never got any deeper into video games than some intense rounds of Mario Kart in college.  I&#x27;ve played others but generally lose interest and move on quickly.  Doubt I&#x27;ve played a video game in a few years at this point.  What follows is likely senseless babbling and bullshit armchair pop psychology.<p>The prevalence of video games among young men frightens me, in two ways:<p>First, in the development of narcissism in teens.  In so many video games, you play the hero—the one man left who can save the world!  The fate of everything rests on you and you alone for those hours while you&#x27;re plugged in.  Pumping music, suspense, surprise and eventually reward.  How can this not fuel the development of narcissism amongst growing boys?  You play as the only person who can succeed and you&#x27;re rewarded for that success, but without real-world troubles like concern for others&#x27; feelings.  No, I&#x27;m not a psychiatrist, but can&#x27;t we imagine that at least some boys become addicted to that sensation?<p>My hypothesis is that video games in boys and teens can fuel narcissistic disorders.  Not in all, but in some.<p>That leads us to the second reason I&#x27;m frightened of the prevalence of video games.<p>I recognize that as a man in a burgeoning industry (software) and a dynamic city (Boulder&#x2F;Denver), I&#x27;m not subject to the same economic pressures as the average American male my age.<p>My concern is that (by my first theory) we have a growing group of young men with narcissism problems.  They are also coming of age in an economy which increasingly doesn&#x27;t need them.  Their job—and therefore romantic—prospects are poor.<p>A large group of narcissistic men unable to find recognition at work or in love, yearning for the reward stimulation they once got from their Xbox.  Most will muddle along, merely dissatisfied.<p>Narcissists, of course, do not blame themselves for their problems.  Those are the fault of <i>others</i>.<p>So is it that much of a leap to imagine how this fuels movements like the alt-right?  Certainly, unemployed men have been a source of strife throughout history.  When I read the rhetoric of the alt-right, either their leaders or those who subscribe to the philosophy, it&#x27;s impossible not to hear the language of revenge and envy.<p>Revenge against not just successful individuals—those with careers, love, success, recognition, fueled by petty envy—but also revenge against the entire system that now conspires, supposedly, against these men, preventing them from achieving their proper position and the recognition they deserve.<p>They see a society celebrating women, minorities, the educated, the talented and crave the same.  Society does not celebrate them.  So that society, therefore, must be abolished.<p>Men are growing up with a desire for recognition, they are failing to find that recognition and that leads them to lash out.<p>----<p>Thus endeth my theory.<p>It&#x27;s probably a load of crap.  But I&#x27;m also sure it describes some posters here on HN.  I know it describes some friends of mine.