Artemis II Astronaut Observing Earth In Awe of Humanity, Still Hates Blue Players
OUTER SPACE- A phenomenon known as the “overview effect” is known to cause astronauts, such as the crew aboard NASA’s Moon-bound Artemis II, to feel a sense of oneness with the Earth and the humans that inhabit it when they glimpse the “pale blue dot” from space.
Traveling alongside the four widely-known astronauts is American gaming scientist Victor Nash, on-board to test theories about zero-G entertainment. He recently shared his own thoughts upon seeing the Earth.
“It may seem strange for a mission like this to have me up here, but gaming is important work; I’ve been helping the other crew members keep their minds sharp,” explained Nash in a video call while dealing with a bag which had come opened and began spilling dice slowly in every direction, “Also my work involves me investigating how people use leisure activities to deal with down time in space. We’ve been playing various games both physical and mental, and it’s nice for me that the rest of the crew can’t go anywhere when I’m explaining board game rules.
“It’s amazing being up here, getting to go where very few human beings have gone before. And you hear stories about how grand it is staring out the window at that ‘pale blue dot’ we call the Earth, and the feeling you get from seeing it. It is absolutely, staggeringly true, all of it.”
The “overview” may have had an effect on Nash, but he clearly had steadfast feelings about one segment of the Earth’s population.
“However, seeing that blue vaguely-water-drop-shaped Earth sadly reminds me how much I absolutely despise playing against blue mana in Magic: The Gathering games. There’s billions of people on the planet, all of us struggling together to make something of ourselves or, even better, trying to make the world a greater place for everybody, and yet some ‘people’ think it’s ok to play nothing on their turn, keep all their mana open, and constantly ruin everyone’s good time by countering every spell and ability they see. It’s detrimental not only to the game of Magic, it’s also tearing away at the very fabric of a good and just society, and being out here really helps me focus on that.”
At press time, Nash was in the process of getting approval from NASA to see what would happen if you Channel Fireball in zero gravity.
