Mailbag: The Real Hidden Danger of Video Games

This is sad… and scary.
We were handed a report this week that shows video games may not be as “addictive” as we were once told. Instead, some experts now argue, gamers are simply searching for fulfillment.
Video games, apparently, are the newest way to satisfy basic human desires.
And here’s what’s craziest… the experts point to the science behind our Triad to prove it.
“In a world where terror haunts the streets of major cities, mental health problems are on the rise, and international relations have become worryingly strained, people are increasingly seeking escape in the vivid and thrilling experiences of online gaming worlds,” said Andrew Reid, a researcher from England.
“Games like Fortnite provide gratification in a way that the real world is currently unable to satisfy.”
Whoa.
We aren’t sure we trust all the research, but we do see a slight glimmer of truth in his message.
After all, the sorts of games he talks about focus on the same things we focus on every morning – Liberty, Know-How and Connections.
That’s right… popular games like Fortnite force a player to survive using the skills and connections they acquire.
It’s not that the folks who play these games for hours on end are addicted, Reid says. It’s that they’ve found a source of temporary fulfillment.
It makes sense. But it’s also flat-out dangerous.
After all, that fulfillment disappears as soon as the gamer steps away from the screen and enters the real world – hence the tendency to stay behind the screen for hours on end.
The researchers say it means video games aren’t as bad as we once thought.
We disagree… they’re far worse.
We now have proof that they’re acting as a last-ditch crutch for a culture that can no longer feed a person’s basic needs.
It’s scary stuff.
It’s proof that we launched our passion project at the perfect time. We’ve got work to do.
As we do it, we’re amassing a larger and larger legion of loyal followers. We could not be more excited about the growth we’ve seen over the last year.
But with growth… comes complications.
[mw-adbox]

What’d You Say?

The reader below hits on an important one.

Hi Andy, I’ve been with you from the beginning and enjoy your daily comments and helpful information. 
The question I have relates to the many investment service suggestions that you share. Some of the promotional comments from third parties seem too good to be true. Which of them are really delivering on their claims? 
Does the “Liberty Indicator” really work consistently? I would like to subscribe to one or two of the best services. Thank you. – Reader B.S.

Ah yes… the ever-sticky topic of advertising. Our readers are smart. We don’t need to tell you why it’s necessary. You get it.
But we do want to highlight our process.
We’re quite proud of it.
You see, if we wanted to share the tired, the mundane or the mainstream, we never would have embarked on such a project. We wouldn’t be up at the crack of dawn tapping our off-centered thoughts onto a keyboard.
We would have joined the masses… slept in until 8:30 and punched in at a job that didn’t matter to us.
But that ain’t us.
We vowed to create a conduit of fresh ideas. We yearn to share the strategies you may not have thought of.
We admit that some of the things we send readers are edgy and may seem over the top. But when we’re pushing fresh ideas that challenge the norm (a broken norm), isn’t that a requisite? Isn’t that the very definition of challenging the mainstream?
We sure think so.
Everything we send you is personally vetted by us. Sometimes we laugh… sometimes we cringe… but we must always scratch our head and think. If we don’t, you’ll never see the material. It’s not worth your time.
When it comes to trading strategies, of course we are convinced the Liberty Indicator is the best of the bunch. But a football team has more than one quarterback, and a smart investor doesn’t rely on one stock or one strategy.
After nearly two full decades in the money game, we know better than most that when it comes to our money, the more thoughts and proven ideas we can tap into, the better.
Bottom line… if we don’t believe in the merits of the idea, we won’t waste our time or yours.

School’s Back

I agree wholeheartedly with your concern that we are so busy teaching people how to program the computers that we are losing the skills to make the things we need. Unless one understands what is needed to do a job, it is impossible to program a computer to do it.
Knowing some of those old skills has enabled me to figure out what is needed to do many jobs over the years. It has also saved vast amounts of money for tools and equipment, enabling me to do and have things others could not. We are cheating our children by not teaching them about those things. – Reader D.F.

Amen. We agree. But there’s a line in D.F.’s comment that has us pumping our fist with pride. Because of his Know-How, he says, he’s able to do and have things others could not.
That’s huge. It’s vital proof of our concept.
Try that with a video game.
But that’s not the only note we received about our recent essay on the twists and turns of education. Far from it. Our mailbag blew up.
Readers clearly agree that something needs to change…

I blame the unfilled jobs on the very companies whining about being unable to fill them.
These companies need to get off their various butts and go to the schools to let them know what the companies need in the way of skills. They need to partner with the schools to form a program to generate graduates with the skills they need. Intern programs at the high school level should be set up to generate interest in future employees. There must be a multiyear plan so the schools can prepare people for the workforce. 
Companies must participate in the education system, or they will never get the skilled workers they need in the future! – Reader J. M.

Good stuff. We agree. But we’d take it a step further. Businesses mustn’t only go to the schools; they must play a vital part in running them.
It’s an anathema to the current mindset. But then again, what schools are doing obviously isn’t working.
We’d love to see more businessmen and fewer bureaucrats sitting on local school boards.
It’s the only way to ensure our next generation learns what it needs to learn.
With that, we’ll end right where we started… something is broken.
Too many folks are turning to artificial stimulation to get what they need. They’re using video games… the internet… and a broken education system to meet their basic human needs.
But it doesn’t work. The fix won’t last.
The only way to get true, healthy fulfillment – the kind that leads to a richer, happier and healthier life – is through a healthy dose of Liberty, Know-How and Connections.
We’ll keep spreading the word to anybody who’ll listen… even if means we sound a bit crazy at times.