I recently stumbled across a condition called Mass Gamer Stockholm Syndrome – aka MaGSS. Yes, it’s really a thing.

MaGSS is psychological condition that affects gamers – which can be video or role-playing gamers – who will defend their favorite game beyond all evidence and reason. Gamers are effectively ‘taken hostage’ by their game even if the game quality is obviously flawed. They defend their game so loyally that they become immune to logical reasoning.

Such people defend even bug-infested games, sometimes by arguing that the fault lies with the player instead of the product. If you complain that the game is sub-standard they will say things like, “It’s because your aim is off.”

This is like people who – when a certain vaccine is criticized because it doesn’t stop transmission of a virus, doesn’t stop you getting infected with the virus, doesn’t rule out severe illness or death from the virus, begins losing it’s protection after 5 months, requires indefinite repeat doses, has over 1000 documented side effects and barely works at all against the dominant variant that everyone is now getting exposed to – respond by saying, “Well, no vaccine is perfect.”

And if you persist they try to convince you your aim is off (“conspiracy theorist!” “anti-vaxxer!” “racist!”)

Welcome to VaGSS – Vaccine Gamer Stockholm Syndrome.