How do people stay normal with all this entertaining comics, videogames, and anime?

[bipolar danger girl]

I like select things from almost all nerd categories, but can afford only a few comic books a year, and the occasional trip to the movies. Luckily CBR is free! Weeeee!

... other than the cost to my soul.

[Slam_Bradley]

Slam, it's amazing that you stay normal amid all the great anime out nowadays.

It's oh so tempting. I could spend my whole paycheck just on anime.






I'm pretty sure I've never actually seen any anime. Maybe an episode of Avatar with my kid if that counts as anime.

[Michael P]

Well what I mean is what do you spend your money on all the time? Do you buy comics, videogames, anime, tv shows, clothes, food, etc.


How do people stay sane

If the Internet is any indication, many of them don't.

[Slam_Bradley]

My experiences with Spider-Man, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc. have legitimately shaped my worldview about what it means to be human.

It's sometimes only as an adult that I realize just how deeply my childhood literary loves shaped me.

To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, "I loved Peter Parker before I loved Christ." (Lewis said Balder.)

Obviously entertainment can help shape who you become. Fahrenheit 451 and Animal Farm both had a profound effect on me and helped shape how I think. But so did both my Grandfathers and my Father and my fifth grade school teacher.

But those are discrete instances of particular works. I have a hard time seeing how Spider-man could do that. Possibly a discrete instance of Spider-Man (with great power...etc.), but as a whole, who is he? Nerdy high school science dude? Stud with two hot chicks fighting over him? Photo Journalist married to super model?

Not trying to dismiss what you're saying, but I just can't see how a character that is malleable based on who is writing him can have that much effect.

[The Black Guardian]

Well what I mean is what do you spend your money on all the time? Do you buy comics, videogames, anime, tv shows, clothes, food, etc.


How do people stay sane

this might be because I have brain damage from a medicine I took I don't know

They have advertisements for videogames in comics and tv shows

They have advertisments for comics in videogame magazines

I don't know what they advertise with anime though

I'm not much for that clothing and food stuff. Bah. Who needs it.

Anyway... about 80-85% of my entertainment money goes to comics. I occasionally buy a DVD or a CD, but there hasn't been a whole lot of worth in those two categories in a while.

I haven't had cable for over a decade (and not complaining), so all my TV is from OTA broadcast. Most of that is old reruns (Perry Mason, MASH, All in the Family-- that type of stuff on ION, AntennaTV, MeTV, ThisTV), but I'm grateful for Monk and Burn Notice in syndication. Psych reruns used to be on ION, but they stopped them. This does threaten to drive me psychic.

My knowledge of console video games ended with Sega Genesis. The last video game I played was City of Heroes a long time ago. I'm not pleased, but not complaining about any of that.

As a general rule, I don't like much anime.

[Libaax]

I don't spend a whole lot of money on any of that stuff. My comic budget is moderate, I buy one or two video games a year. I don't buy DVD's at all anymore, although I've been considering the Bond 50th anniversary set.

You sound like me, im taking my masters degree in library science i cant afford 20 comics a month like before on student budget,part time work. I buy only big fav like MGS,Mass effect,Pro evolution soccer.

Lovefilm account is a great way to save money for me, i can rent 70 odd films per year of my favs without collecting expensive DVDs.

Plus it cost alot of money to go out with friends, eat,drink coffee type things.

[dupont2005]

You sound like me, im taking my masters degree in library science i cant afford 20 comics a month like before on student budget,part time work. I buy only big fav like MGS,Mass effect,Pro evolution soccer.

Lovefilm account is a great way to save money for me, i can rent 70 odd films per year of my favs without collecting expensive DVDs.

Plus it cost alot of money to go out with friends, eat,drink coffee type things.

Yeah I spent $80 on dinner and a movie a few weekends back. Now I remember why I don't do that.

[Libaax]

Yeah I spent $80 on dinner and a movie a few weekends back. Now I remember why I don't do that.

I have friends who work full time and they forget i cant spend that much on dinner,films on weekends. It takes self discipline not to overindulge in comics you cant afford eating out often.

I have books i have bought recently and brand new comics GNs that i dont have time to read that for the first time made me feel guilty of buying too much......

[dupont2005]

Yeah I get like that. I've seriously slowed down my buying until I've caught up on my reading. There's probably $70 worth of trades I want to buy right now, I'll probably buy one $30 trade before the year ends and that's it though.

[The Black Guardian]

As for staying normal... Metamucil and prune juice.

[svp]

I don't think of the question in terms of physical, or even financial base lines.
I thought since all these different forms of entertainment
allowed for a brief escape from reality. How do we keep normal, normal?




Spoiler alert
*as I type this I am watching TWDead with Rick stabbing the head of his loved one while
the head resides in the stomach of a zombie. I m sure he is doing it out of love to make sure
she doesn't become zombied.

[Aaron Kashtan]

I'm pretty sure I've never actually seen any anime. Maybe an episode of Avatar with my kid if that counts as anime.

Avatar is not anime because it was not produced in Japan, but it's heavily influenced by anime. It's also an absolutely brilliant show. Your kid has good taste.

For me, at this point in my life the problem is not so much money as time. I already have huge stacks of books and comics that I haven't found the time to read, and I keep buying more. I wish I had two heads so I could read more than one book simultaneously.

[Kees_L]

Well what I mean is what do you spend your money on all the time? Do you buy comics, videogames, anime, tv shows, clothes, food, etc.


How do people stay sane

this might be because I have brain damage from a medicine I took I don't know

Easy peazy, even when I first set foot into this world there was already a lot of stuff to like and a lot of people liking their stuff, both as either less so, all simultaneously, to be aware of, or not so much.

For any genre of anything, within my scope or quite beyond it, there will be a lot to like both as a giant buttload of CRAP.

It is my duty and my cause and my special skill to seek out what I like and then be to like it.
Which genre or type will be having absolutely ZERO to do with, both as even popularity or likability to it or such.
Be it mass entertainment or art or music or literature or whatever the heckin' darn.

Whereas creativity or creative authenticity or imaginativeness for me MUST be forming a part of it, a significant part.