#352: Josué, Lara, and Link discuss choice paralysis, how we make decisions, and the anxiety around making choices.

Link Keller 0:11
Welcome to GT radio, on the Geek Therapy network, where we believe that the best way to understand ourselves and others is through the media we care about, including video games, movies, comic books, TV shows, plays, loose change in a parking garage, anything, we can find it and find a way to connect it to the people we care about. I was doing so good, and I couldn’t I couldn’t handle that. So I ruined it myself. I just swerved right off the road. I’m, I’m so happy to be here with my two co hosts. I am link I am joined by Lara

Lara Taylor 0:56
hey,

Link Keller 0:57
and Josué.

Josué Cardona 0:59
Hello,

Link Keller 1:00
sweet Marc is taking a sabbatical

Lara Taylor 1:05
taking a break.

Link Keller 1:07
um, today. I’m not sure what our topic is entirely. But I think that Lara knows a little bit more about that. So I’m gonna toss it to her.

Josué Cardona 1:17
Do you not know what it is? Or are you not sure what it is? Because there’s so many options and you just have no idea which one to choose?

Link Keller 1:23
It’s probably that.

Josué Cardona 1:24
Yeah,

Lara Taylor 1:24
I mean, we face that every week coming up with a topic, right? I want to talk about decision paralysis or analysis, paralysis, whatever you want to call it. I’m not feeling it as much this week. Last week, I was definitely feeling it. This happens quite a few times where the games I am most excited about come out at exactly the same time or within a week of each other. And I think this one has been one of the the worst for me. Like okay, well, I really wanted to play horizon forbidden west burning shores. I was so excited. I got that. As soon as it came out. It was TAGGS weekend, and I still got it and did not play it till after TAGGS. And just like when horizon zero dawn came out Legend Zelda, there’s a game coming out very soon. But in between all that I have Star Wars Jedi survivor. What am I to do? Now this week, I’ve already made a decision. But last week, I was panicking because I had to choose between. There’s some queerness and queer content in horizon burning shores. I’ve been excited about a Star Wars Jedi survivor for I don’t know how long since I’ve beat fallen order. Basically. I love me some Star Wars. And also, I have played I think all of the Legend of Zelda games that I can play and still not beaten a single one. And so I need to continue that tradition. So what am I to do? What am I to do? I don’t know. What are y’all doing?

Josué Cardona 3:27
Did you did you tell us what you decided for this week?

Lara Taylor 3:30
Huh, well, for this week, I decided I’m going to play Jedi survivor because I did not beat Breath of the Wild and have not watched someone beat Breath of the Wild. Which is easy to remedy. But I feel like the way I’ve been playing games action adventure games. I could probably be Jedi survivor in a few weeks. And then I will I will probably see this is where I don’t know what I’m going to do next. Am I going to get tears to the kingdom? Or am I going to play through my Aloy queer story that I want to? I don’t that’s the decision I have I have to come up against next is a couple of weeks about it.

Josué Cardona 4:20
So so it hasn’t been easy for you to for you to make this decision.

Lara Taylor 4:24
No.

Josué Cardona 4:25
Are you sure you’re not going to play Zelda at midnight, like the rest of us and the rest of the world? We’re super hyped for all your friends are here. Want to play it?

Lara Taylor 4:35
I’m not. I’m gonna I’m gonna be playing when y’all are playing. Tears of the kingdom I’m gonna be playing Jedi survivor.

Josué Cardona 4:44
What if it’s a topic of next week’s podcast? Then you have to play it before?

Lara Taylor 4:49
No,

Josué Cardona 4:50
no? Okay. Okay, okay, so

Lara Taylor 4:52
I’m gonna play Jedi survivor because I know and I don’t want to do what I always end up doing when I switch games around and mess up the controls and forget how to do things like, I am in a groove with like throwing my dual wielding lightsabers and chopping off arms and all kinds of stuff.

Josué Cardona 5:11
What else are you chopping off? Okay, so so so the this I mean, you know, some people call it analysis, paralysis, decision paralysis, that can be a really significant source of anxiety

Lara Taylor 5:25
absolutely

Josué Cardona 5:26
for a lot of people. And it can also be, it’s in the name, paralyzing, right? Like, it just stops you in your tracks. And sometimes you don’t make a decision, either in time or at all. And that can definitely negatively affect you in a number of ways.

Lara Taylor 5:44
So here like, this is not the worst case scenario. Plenty of people have had worse, analysis paralysis. I bought. I pre ordered Jedi survivor months ago. I knew it was coming out the day it came out. And I forgot to play it until Sunday when I had access to it at 9pm on Thursday, because I was so like, what am I going to do? Which game? Do I keep playing? Forbidden, forbidden West burning shores? I didn’t play that either. So not worst case scenario, but also I do have to justify buying the game at launch for cost. So

Josué Cardona 6:27
this sounds kind of fine. Sounds kind of like watching Netflix. And by watching Netflix, I mean, you’re just watching the menu, right? Like going through, you’re not actually watching any, any show. that happens when you have too many options.

Lara Taylor 6:41
There are a lot of options out there. I was talking to a client this week. And they mentioned something about like, they would like to rewatch their comfort shows or whatever, and I don’t rewatch anything. There’s just too much.

Josué Cardona 6:54
It’s too hard. Yeah. So. Okay. Okay. So does this happen to you with everything?

Lara Taylor 7:04
I don’t know.

Josué Cardona 7:05
or just every Seven years when I when a new Zelda game comes out?

Link Keller 7:07
I have Zelda induced choice paralysis

Lara Taylor 7:13
you know, Aloy and link kind of they kind of they kind of got a beef apparently, because I mean, this is just DLC. But,

Link Keller 7:25
but still

Lara Taylor 7:26
it’s all such good content. And I just, I don’t know. I mean, I’m okay, missing out on some things like I didn’t play The Last of Us until like, a couple months ago. So I can hold out. And the hype is real. And I am sure I will try to hold out until I beaten Jedi survivor. And ya’ll be talking about how excited you are about Zelda. And I’ll buy it, but I may not play it.

Josué Cardona 7:54
So it’s interesting, everything you’re talking about your your decision is in prioritizing it. Because you, you still believe you’re going to do the other one, whether you do or you don’t. You’re planning on just do in the order that you’re going to

Lara Taylor 8:09
do buy a lot of books, and I do buy a lot of board games and games on Steam that I never play. But most AAA games that I get, I buy, I play

Josué Cardona 8:21
right, right, right. But but so I think something that makes it even harder to make a decision sometimes is when you have multiple options. And that’s your only chance to choose you may not be able to choose those other things,

Lara Taylor 8:34
right

Josué Cardona 8:35
Like a j...