[thaumasiotes]

> Reminds me a little of Star Trek TNG's The Game[1], where the crew becomes addicted to an automated AR/VR game that just sits there autoplaying, directly manipulating the brain's pleasure sensors.

Huh. That appears to be a mostly-accurate summary of Wikipedia's description of the episode, which heavily features the term "addicted". But it's an awful summary of the episode itself, which doesn't use the concept of addiction at all. (Also, the game doesn't autoplay; it is shown on screen requiring effort from the player.)

The game is a malevolent agent which intentionally makes very specific modifications to the players' minds. The relevant concept is infection, not addiction. The plot of the episode is essentially identical to that of the TNG episode Conspiracy[1], or the Buffy episode Bad Eggs[2].

And while not completely identical, the plot is also very similar to Invasion of the Body Snatchers[3]. It's a very, very common theme. (As shown by the fact that TNG did it twice!)

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_(Star_Trek:_The_Nex...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Eggs_(Buffy_the_Vampire_Sl...

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_the_Body_Snatchers

[ryandrake]

Interesting take. As a TNG geek who's watched the episode multiple times, all I ever took away from it was an extremely overt, stereotypically early-90s "Drugs/addiction are bad" message. Particularly, Wesley and Robin's discussions about addiction sound like they are straight out of a DARE pamphlet.

[thaumasiotes]

Here are some plot elements associated with addiction:

- People neglect their responsibilities in order to indulge their addiction.

- People consume their resources (e.g., by selling their property) in order to indulge their addiction.

- People fail to achieve their goals because they are distracted by their addiction.

- People alienate their social contacts, either through neglect (see above) or through what is seen as excessive focus on their addiction.

None of these elements appear in the episode. No addiction-related themes appear in the episode.

Here are the plot elements that do occur in the episode:

- A foreign influence infiltrates the group and spreads uncontrollably. It is difficult to perceive directly.

- The foreign influence brainwashes and enslaves everyone who is exposed to it, substituting its own goals for theirs. Far from neglecting responsibilities, brainwashed victims will happily do extra work for no other purpose than to further the foreign goals.

- People who should be absolutely trustworthy, such as Captain Picard or Wesley's mother, are "replaced" by impostors who share their knowledge but whose goals are nefarious. (In this case, the person is not replaced in their entirety, but their mind is replaced with a new one.)

How would you describe that plot?

If you want a TNG episode themed around the perils of drug use, that would be The Naked Now, where the altered mental state of the crew threatens to destroy the ship. If you want one themed around addiction, that would be Hollow Pursuits, where Barclay's "holodiction" severely interferes with his performance of his duties.

[floren]

> Also, the game doesn't autoplay; it is shown on screen requiring effort from the player

I don't have the clip handy but at one point a character points out to Wesley something along the lines of "want to know the trick to this game? It plays itself!"

[thaumasiotes]

Yes, that is a line in the episode:

> ALYSSA: You know what the secret is, don't you? Don't force it. If you just let the game happen, it almost plays itself.

But at the beginning of the episode, you see Riker playing:

> ETANA: Concentrate. Make the disc go into the cone.

> RIKER: How do I do that?

> ETANA: Just let go. Relax. You'll do it.

> the first one misses, the second is a success

( http://www.chakoteya.net/NextGen/206.htm )

You could make the argument that everyone misses their first shot for no other reason than that it gives them a false feeling of accomplishment when they make the second one.

But it would make more sense to say that victory in the game comes from assuming a particular state of mind, presumably one that allows the game to do its thing.

You don't need to "let the game happen" for an autoplaying game to play itself.