GMing without an inner monologue.

[HaroldTheHobbit]

Well, consider - an inner monologue requires language. Most animals don't have language. Humans don't have language until they are taught language. But they all can go about their days processing information without language, per se.

Is it now we start up the Sapir-Whorf vs Chomsky fight?

 

[Umbran]

Is it now we start up the Sapir-Whorf vs Chomsky fight?

Did they make an Epic Rap Battle for that one?

 

[Jahydin]

The entire time?

You seem to be stepping to conflating being able to have an inner monologue with having that monologue be constant.

Sometimes I have an inner monologue, and sometimes I don't. I can process information and make decisions without having such a monologue running.

I think you're right. I polled all my coworkers today and this seems to be very much on a gradient. For me, it's pretty much 100% of the time having a conversation with my self while others described thinking as pulling data out of folders.

For instance, there's a meeting on Monday. In my head, it would be "Hey Jahydin, remember you have that meeting Monday. What time should you get up? I think 6:30 would work, right? Yeah, wiggle room in case there's traffic..."
My coworker on the other hand explained he just sees a visual calendar and that's the end of it really.

Well, consider - an inner monologue requires language. Most animals don't have language. Humans don't have language until they are taught language. But they all can go about their days processing information without language, per se.

Also very true!

 

[Jahydin]

Wait, your position is that people who don't hear a constant voice in their head aren't thinking? Thoughts can only exist as spoken words?

No, not at all. Just curious how they think. Specifically those that don't use an inner voice whatsoever.

I was reading about people who thought "thought bubbles" in comics were just artistic license and didn't actually believe people thought to themselves that way. Curious how someone who think in this way runs their games and if it poses any challenges.

 

[Jahydin]

I'm a bit confused. Is this like a philosophical question? Or a practical one?

Practical.

On philosophical note, my mind is also very active at all time of the day. It's natural mode is to hop from idea to question forever. But that's not really how I'd describe it when I'm DMing or prepping something. In that situation it feels a bit more like being led on, or just letting the next thing lead me on. Like a trail of crumbs. My brain or my memory surely is the one to put the crumbs in front of my consciousness, the when I am in the moment, I feels like I'm just following the crumbs and they were there. I never ask myself questions, I just have an answer. It just comes up.

On a practical note, isn't that inner monologue GM bias? Couldn't you say that random tables and spark tables are tools used to rely more on the dice and less on your inner monologue?

I talked to a lot people today and think I have a clearer idea of how they might go about it. Coming from someone who's 100% verbal, 0% visual, this entire concept just blew my mind.

 

[Duke_]

I think you're right. I polled all my coworkers today and this seems to be very much on a gradient. For me, it's pretty much 100% of the time having a conversation with my self while others described thinking as pulling data out of folders.

For instance, there's a meeting on Monday. In my head, it would be "Hey Jahydin, remember you have that meeting Monday. What time should you get up? I think 6:30 would work, right? Yeah, wiggle room in case there's traffic..."
My coworker on the other hand explained he just sees a visual calendar and that's the end of it really.


Also very true!

This is interesting to me. I'm one of those people who has deep levels of closed-eye hallucinations (level 4 on the scale Wikipedia is talking out here after just a minute or two having my eyes closed, pretty often), but I don't think I've ever seen a visual calendar when thinking about tomorrow's schedule. It comes to me in words.

The visuals and the verbal thinking are completely separate processes for me. My internal monologue keeps running even while I go through CEVs, and what I "see" and the words I think are very often unrelated. My word thoughts will often briefly acknowledge a particular vivid or cool CEV, and then go back to thinking about what they were thinking about or go off on the next tangent.

On the other hand, I can think about a scene and get both words and mental images.

As a footnote, I've been assured that none of this is that unusual, and not indicative on any neurological or mental disorder. It can, however, make things like getting to sleep or meditating a challenge sometimes. Also, the wikipedia images are very clearly from someone who hasn't experienced it and is going off descriptions from people who have.

It's always interesting to see how very differently from each other our minds often work.

 

[Staffan]

My internal monologue also has the issue of not shutting up, particularly when I want to sleep. I even "polish" my internal monologue by thinking about how to phrase it to get it right, which is kinda weird. But here's a description from the opposite perspective:

 

[Duke_]

My internal monologue also has the issue of not shutting up, particularly when I want to sleep. I even "polish" my internal monologue by thinking about how to phrase it to get it right, which is kinda weird...

I don't think that's weird, I think it's a nice way to hone your communication skills!

 

[Staffan]

I don't think that's weird, I think it's a nice way to hone your communication skills!

Perhaps. But it feels like I'm trying to explain what I'm thinking to myself, which seems odd.

 

[Jahydin]

@Staffan
Too cool! Thanks so much!

Just watched it and that's exactly what I was looking for. That first comment from @jazzygaming420 had me rolling:

"As someone with an internal monologue this is the most incomprehensible video I've ever watched on Youtube."