Lex Fridman: AI researcher and host of the Lex Fridman Podcast. Here he goes solo, playing a video game on camera for the first time as a casual experiment.
What this episode covers
In this solo experiment, Lex Fridman boots up the freshly released Cyberpunk 2077 and plays through the game's opening hours on camera. He creates his character V as a nomad, drives through Night City, smuggles contraband, and gets cyberware eye upgrades from a ripper doc. Throughout, he narrates his reactions, admitting he hasn't played games in years and finds the heavy shooting and GTA-style gameplay not quite his taste, preferring RPGs like Elder Scrolls. The playthrough doubles as a reflection on growing older, missing real human contact during the 2020 pandemic, and the simple pleasure of being among people, even virtual ones.
Recommended on this episode
Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt Red
“this was a lot of fun if you have time on your hands you should definitely play this game”— Lex Fridman
Call of Duty
Activision
“if i'm gonna do shooting i'd rather do just a straight up shooter like i like call of duty all that kind of stuff”— Lex Fridman
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
The Stanley Parable
Galactic Cafe
“the next one i want to try is stanley parable which is the opposite of cyberpunk it's only like a 15-minute game”— Lex Fridman
Prince of Persia
Broderbund
“back in my day we used to play prince of persia didn't give you the job deeds exist in a two-dimensional world”— Lex Fridman
Duke Nukem
3D Realms
“maybe like duke nukem was the last game that had that kind of uh flavor to it”— Lex Fridman
The Elder Scrolls
Bethesda
“it's fun but like i said i'm much more elder scrolls kind of guy”— Lex Fridman
Grand Theft Auto
Rockstar Games
“so it's kind of like gta grand theft auto”— Lex Fridman
Big reveals from this episode
- Lex admits he sadly doesn't have time to play games anymore but wants to do this once or twice a month as a source of pleasure.
- He notes the game lets you select genitals and penis size, calls it a fascinating design choice, but will edit that part out to keep it family friendly.
- Confesses Cyberpunk feels like a lot more shooting than RPG and gives a Grand Theft Auto vibe, which is not really his thing.
- Says the playthrough makes him appreciate seeing people not wearing masks and being in proximity during the pandemic.
- Concludes the game is not really his thing and he'd rather explore the world in a different, less shooting-heavy context.
- Reflects that real cyberware upgrades would let the rich enhance themselves and widen the gap between haves and have-nots.
Worth remembering
- Lex picks 'normal' difficulty, joking that normal for him is what very hard is for most gamers.
- Reveals he got LASIK surgery and calls it the best thing he's ever done, comparing it to V's eye cyberware install.
- He's playing with a Kinesis ergonomic keyboard, which he says makes driving and controls really hard.
- Notes he's running the game on high settings at 1080p, not ultra, and is amazed you can see freckles on a character's face.
- Comments his in-game apartment is way too nice and the opposite of what his real apartment looks like.
- Says he wants to go hiking in the game's scenery and that wanting to enjoy the view rather than shoot is how you know you're getting old.
- States that if he plays shooters he prefers straight shooters like Call of Duty, and considers himself more of an Elder Scrolls RPG player.