As someone who has been following and respecting John Linneman for several years, it's fascinating to see him as a real-life "case in point" of what happens when you push someone too far.

I couldn't get enough of this live stream; it was like hanging out with a group of good friends. But for the first time ever, I heard Linneman take the gloves off: he explained how modern-day gaming, with its culture and style, is such a turn off that he can't even bring himself to turn on his PlayStation 5; it's old games, full time, all of the time for him now. It was shockingly and refreshingly authentic from someone who has always seemed to have this mask of mild-manneredness on.

For those who don't know, he got too caught up in the toxic waste dump of human interaction that is The Twatter. That prompted a melt down from him a few months ago, which seems to have morphed into a healthy acknowledgement that expecting meaningful connection to random, anonymous people over the internet is completely unrealistic, as well as a frank and overdue assessment of the state of modern games and culture. It's the former realization that's also probably driving the impulse to do these "let's connect with people who actually matter to me" streams.

More recently, the "Fuze Player" came out, and suddenly the "everyone gets a medal" regular Fuze users were having their games compared with the broader medium-- with some of the back seat critical takes being less than flattering.This triggered a hyper-emotional "come to Jesus" moment on the Fuze forums from people who just couldn't take the sudden heat in the kitchen. It reminded me of Linneman these past few months.

I'm of mixed opinions about all of this: I can see it from multiple angles.

On the one hand, I've been a member of the Fuze forum from almost day one, and I really enjoy the culture and people over there: it's easily the most friendly anonymous internet "community" in which I've ever participated. Meanwhile, most of the internet is detrimental to one's sanity and happiness, as studies regarding "social media" web sites have repeatedly shown.

Would it be great if anonymous people you don't know through a hole in the wall would be nice to others? Sure, who wouldn't want that.

At the same time, an entire generation of people have grown up with skin so thin it's practically translucent, and it astonishes me on an almost daily basis-- from college students needing coloring books and "safe spaces" to cancel culture threats of gulags for people who hurt someone else's feelings to people on the Fuze forum shedding tears because someone didn't like their game.

I just don't get it. Why so sensitive?

Maybe it's because of my personality: I'm practically a walking Android when it comes to data intake-- I process everything on a very analytical level, assessing things for factual accuracy, not whether it "sounds friendly". I guess that's why I've always liked people such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Donald Trump, and Randy Moss: they tell you exactly what they think; why would I want them to lie to me? But most people aren't wired like that: they place a huge emphasis on form-over-substance, and would prefer faux-friendliness over authentic disagreeableness.

It could also be because I've had a lot of practice: while I've also had a large group of friends growing up, most people have been nothing but a pain in the ass to me, saying all sorts of "mean things" to me from Kindergarten to present day; so what? I learned at a young age that bullies are going to bully, it's pathetic and pitiable that they need that kind of attention, and that if you just tell them which lake to jump in, they'll go away and bother someone else.

Most of the times it's not even personal: the haters are trying to cope with their own deficiencies and issues-- so don't take it personally.

I think the solution to this is exactly what the Fuze people and Linneman have been doing of late: find the random people who will be friendly and hang out with them, plus connect with-- via video live stream, to make it more personal-- and focus on real friends; meanwhile, unplug from the rest.