#Gambling addiction

[savethegrishaverse]

Something I think isn't talked about enough is the representation of what gambling really is vs. what it feels like. Ding ding ding it's a character essay.

We see gambling in movies like James Bond, Last Holiday, Limitless, and even in heist movies like Oceans 8. I'm sure there are a million other examples that could be listed here. Also I've never actually seen Oceans 8 so if there isn't actually gambling in it lol that's awkward.

But I think it's just as important when we see what gambling addiction is, and how addiction affects everything around you. On paper, I can say I know what gambling addiction means, but it's hard to truly understand the gravity of what living with a gambling addiction is like. That's why seeing it represented (ideally represented well) in stories helps bridge that gap.

Watching characters like Gi-hun from Squid Games and Jesper Fahey from Six of Crows, we see characters who actively have gambling addictions and how it caused their suffering.

Every decision they make, both the good and more importantly the bad, you can follow and understand when given the context of their addiction. They're both very earnest and kindhearted people who are quick to make decisions (impulsive, one could say) and that need to gamble when the stakes are high causes actual consequences in the story. It makes the reader/watcher upset because we know why they did it, and we know they didn't intend to hurt the people around them or themselves, but they did anyway and they can't take it back now. We understand their motivations, their fears, their wants and desires, and as the audience we can relate to them on a more personal level because everyone has times where they can't help themselves. But, we as the audience can also come to understand why gambling addictions ruin lives. We can see where Gi-hun's or Jesper's addictions directly cause their grief or their pain, and when they put forth effort to change and understand those addictions we can feel pride in them.

This (taps my screen for emphasis) this is why it's important to have characters in media that struggle.

As cringe as it sounds, because I watched Squid Games and because I read Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom I can honestly admit that I am kinder. I am more likely to stop and listen and think about the people around me and why they ended up how they did. I am more cautious, but I also make a harder effort to leave everywhere I go even just slightly better than I found it. Now this isn't to say everyone all the time is always going through life with the best of intentions. The worst characters you can think of are just as inspired by real life as the best characters. Some people don't want to get better, and they don't care about the consequences of their actions.

But seeing a queer, emotionally lost, well-intentioned POC farm boy with a quick mouth and a habit of getting in trouble struggle with an addiction that he is learning to cope with makes me feel more seen in return. Hearing Jesper's struggles and hearing how desperate he was to do good and despite that sometimes he still did something bad anyway in turn makes him more compelling. Seeing Gi-hun actively work to do good when faced with the worst circumstances makes me feel good and I feel in a bizarre way seen when I am doing the same small good. And it feels real. It makes addiction feel more grounded, in a way, and gives it a more tangible shape in my head. And that shape in turn helps me empathize with people I wouldn't ordinarily understand. It makes me feel more accountable of my own actions, and it makes me feel less lonely to know I have characters like Jesper and Gi-hun to relate to. Granted, I don't struggle with a gambling addiction, but I do struggle with anxiety and OCD. I am plagued with impulses I can't help and I have to fight hard to control them so I can live my life. I can sometimes have the best of intentions and still end up in a giant (metaphorical) dumpster fire of a situation anyway completely because of the decisions I made in the process.

Addiction has a million faces. Mental health problems can rear up in anyone's shadow. You never can fully know what weighs on a person or why they act the way they do. And because of that, characters who struggle in that same way will always be important because they both teach us that intangible shape we may not yet know and simultaiously provide stories for suffering people to hold onto when they need it.

TLDR Netflix CEOs stop letting all your decisions be motivated by capitalism/greed. You are entirely missing the point of the stories you are telling. Stop cancling shows when they have genuinely good characters and good ideas, and stop overworking a production just because it is successful. Slow the fuck down already and make genuinely thought out decisions.

Also if you haven't seen Squid Games yet it's a great (but devestating) watch. If you (somehow) haven't read Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom yet it is unironically one of the greatest duologies I've ever read.

[llyfrenfys]

My friend set up this petition and it's something that matters to her a lot. I'd be really grateful if you could sign and share it if you're in the UK. If not, please share it so it reaches people who can sign it. Thank you!

[pillowenthusiast]

aventurine should honestly come home, cuz, i also have gambling addiction ever since i was 4 (arcade games) and i play uh uh uh i play gacha games.. he should come home cus i love gambling

[headcanonforthought]

Warframe headcanon thing?

Koumei; "HEY KID WANNA GAMBLE!"

Tenno; *backing away slowly*

Koumei; "DON'T YOU WANNA ROLL MY DICE!"

Tenno; *sweating* "no, I'm, ok"

Koumei; "DO YOU WANNA FUCKING GAMBLE!"

Tenno; *crying*

[wormzinmybr41nzxp]

0UR FAV0R1T3 gambling addict G4chap0n!!! 🎉🎊🍬

Was feeling silly so I drew a Silly!

[clazbly]

I just know hes in those damn casinos from night till dawn hunched over on those slot machines on his 10th margarita, saying to himself “ the next one for sure”

[audamix]

marikin playlist lol cover art by @yupmabel

[an-eldritch-being]

GUYS VENOM IS GAMBLING IN THE NEW TRAILER, HE'S OFFICIALY PART OF OUR GLORIOUS NATION

[egostrawberry]

I stg dude Balatro on mobile was a gift from god himself. This game is a delight. It’s like a virtual stim toy. Sound design yummy, gameplay tasty, makes me feel like Albert mfing Einstein. 10 bjillion/10 go play balatro or else

[powerfulkicks]

ppl really think of gambling addicts as a huge joke and idk if that's bc of the assumption that gambling addicts are all rich/have disposable income (untrue)?? or if it's bc they assume gambling addicts are Evil and lie and steal from their loved ones (like some do, but like so do all addicts?)?? or else maybe ppl just think they're stupid for gambling at all (like i don't know how to tell you this but even if you believe gambling addicts are stupid they're still human beings worthy of respect????)

either way i think it's weird bc gambling is a real addiction and gambling addicts are constantly taken advantage of by casinos..... like it's not a joke. its a real addiction it's even in the dsm alongside drug addictions...... like it actually alters your brain chemistry. and yet to people online it's a huge joke how stupid these gamblers are like.... i thought we all agreed making fun of someone's mental illness was not cool? but gambling addicts are all idiots so it's fine :)

[findingthekeyofreason]

At 9pm on Monday , it will be 7 days or 168 hours since my last drink. Too bad I have replaced drinking with gambling and smoking and now I’m fucked up financially for the bazillionth pay period in a row. Fuck

I keep telling myself “I can’t quit everything at once” but that’s a fucking excuse

I literally don’t know what I’m going to do, I’m stuck in a payday loan already

I’m so fucking stupid

[johnwardssecretninja]

Me and @blashdafish at the casino in 50 years

[tired-pidgeon]

I keep seeing ads that encourage gambling and I hate it so much

Caesar’s casino, DraftKings, fantasy football, or whatever else it is.

Companies are paying money to try and get me to gamble on their platform because the house always wins. And they frame it like it’s a fun little social thing. It’s not! People have lost everything to gambling and gambling addiction. I feel especially bad for anyone struggling with that addiction who is forced to sit through another stupid ad promoting a service that does ZERO social good

At least medical ads, while insane and annoying to this non-American, may give users some relief from whatever. If you’re going to spend money gambling, you might as well burn your cash. Or give it to someone who needs it more than you. Or use it for something you actually need.

Ugh

What I do want to see are anti-gambling ads

Now THAT would be a great use of ad dollars

[flightyquinn]

Here's a question...

Is Balatro actually fun?

I know, I know. You're asking yourself, "Are they serious? Of course it's fun! Just look how many hours I have in it!" I can hear you right now through the bug I hid in your laundry pile (you should really wash those, by the way).

And look, I'm right there with you...

I've been playing this game every chance I get.

But at a certain point I have to question, am I enjoying it? Or, am I just feeding a gambling addiction?

Because the moment to moment gameplay...it's just poker. It's poker, stripped of the aspect of trying to outsmart your opponent. You see a target number, and you start calculating multipliers, chip values, and the probability of drawing certain cards on a discard.

Is that really engaging gameplay?

...because I'm pretty sure it's just doing mental maths.

Sure, there's the shops and stuff, but here's the thing - you don't always get to take advantage of them. That's at the mercy of the RNG, even if you math good. Plus the further into the game you go, the more the mechanics serve to reduce your control and make you more dependent on getting good RNG.

There's a nice flow of unlocks and new discoveries early on, which certainly helps to get you hooked. And as is the nature of these sorts of games it slows the deeper in you get, and the harder the tasks become. At least there's an option to just unlock everything if you don't care about getting the achievements, but I still can't help but think about how many forms of gambling will use simple rewards early on to get people into that mindset that the next payout is just around the corner.

All of which leads me back to my original question...

Is playing Balatro actually fun?

[easykorean]

Online gambling is illegal in South Korea.

Although popular, online gambling is illegal in South Korea and the country has strict regulations prohibiting most forms of it. This includes betting websites and casinos with only a few exceptions like the state-run Sports Toto and limited forms of horse racing, cycling, and boat racing betting. The number of illegal gambling cases has tripled since 2019. Here’s our article on gambling and…

[ultramaga]

DnD became a gambling game. Should they really be pushing it onto kids?

"save versus poison - oh, you died - only ten Hasbro bucks to reroll?"