The Gundam Syndrome!

Do you know the Gundam Syndrome? Don’t smile, it really exists! Or maybe not… 🙂

The Gundam Syndrome is a funny expression that is mainly used on robotics forums (Gundam is a mecha robot, to find more infos, please visit the Wikipedia) but can be used in other ambits, necessary condition is the presence of “something to make”.

In fact, the Gundam Syndrome is the conviction that a person has to be able to realize with his own hands something real and functioning having poor, or no, specific knowledges but, especially, relying only on the help other users of the forum can/must give to him. After this explanation you can understand how the expression was born in the robotics circles: the newly designer thinks that he make a functioning mecha robot having absolutely no knowledge about mechanics, electronics or programming. This conviction often leads the designer to overestimate his knowledges and go over beyond his capacities, beginning to think that he can realize incredible objects, so the idea to use the name of “Gundam”, a very big mecha robot able to do amazing actions. The hilarious thing is that the newly designer feels that he can realize his project with the help of the users of the forum, little suggestions that, like magical words, can solve all of his problems.

The Gundam Syndrome victim is easily identifiable by the way he presents himself:

“Hello, I’m new in this forum. I absolutely know nothing about robotics/programming/electronics. I would like to make a flying robot/an intelligent computer/a quantum technology based circuit. I need the list of the components/the firmware for the microcontroller/the schematics/help of any genre. I know that if you help me, I’ll be able to do it.”.

But… who’s to make the project: he or the other users?? Furthermore, don’t try to point the absurdity of his requests or the knowledges required to realize his project because he certainly will answer you in a similar manner:

“I didn’t ask your help.”
“If you don’t want to help me, you can ignore this thread.”
“Surely I have the required skills, I’m a chef/lawyer/helmsman on a cruise ship!”

He churns out skills that has absolutely no relaction with the knowledges that are required. The victim doesn’t feel himself ill and keeps on his way, showing the complete symptomatology of the syndrome:

“Before to start this thread I’ve bought a water heating/a screw gun/a pound of capacitors. How can I use them in my project?”

Useless objects, stored in his larder like supplies for the winter, that the newly designer thinks they will be useful in his project in the future!

The syndrome darkens the victim’s brain. Don’t contradict him! Always say “yes”, be vague and quickly leave the thread before the sufferer infects you and persuade you that he could be able to realize his project if you only helped him. Wrong! This will lead you in doing his job, and you will also take his public reproofs because you won’t be able to satisfy his increasing requests! Because the Gundam Syndrome victim surely wants to terminate the project in haste!

So, the final lesson is: stay away from the Gundam Syndrome victims!

PS: the “Gundam Syndrome” isn’t an idea of mine, it was invented some years ago (its original author is unknown) and during this time has been published on several websites, with the complete “symptomatology”. This article doesn’t want to be an attempt to have the pathernity of such idea but just a little summary made with the aim of having a few laughs and help spreading the Syndrome 😉