Thoughts on "The Ethics of Affect: Lines and Life in a Tokyo Neighborhood"

So I've just read this book, essentially describing how people playing bishoujo games are affected by the games, and how they draw lines between fiction and reality. It may not sound interesting to the general public, it may even sound weird, but I enjoyed it.

While some parts of it sure is cringey, even for me who sees myself as a somewhat cringey person, and despite me not feeling the same way as people in this book do, I can't help but see something admirable in the way some of them love fictional characters (admirable as in I respect it and don't automatically view these people as lunatics).

Something in this book that really resonated with me was how the love for games (even disturbing ones) brought people together, despite the fear that they would create dangerous people (which is also discussed). Even in their loneliness these people were not alone.

What also struck a chord with me was how someone felt strong negative feelings about the number of physical stores declining. Very few people I talk to about this seem to care, so it was nice to see someone agree.

The study behind the book was done more than 10 years ago, so I definitely think some things have changed since then. While the interest for manga/anime and videogames may have gained an upswing, the community aspect of it feels very different from how it used to. Everything is much more individual these days. I think that is worrying, especially considering what was argued in this book to keep some people sane was exactly that feeling of having a place in a community and maintaining physical relationships with friends.

Anyway, these were just some of my thoughts while reading this book. There's a lot more to talk about, but since I'm probably just talking to myself here I wanted to keep it short.