I am particularly drawn by this week’s topic, not because I am a gamer, but in fact the opposite, I am not. I really don’t know very much about gaming, except the typical… “video games are a waste of time and way too violent for young children.” Little did I know there is so much more to it. Gaming has “penetrated mass media” and thus requires deeper analysis.
In particular I and the media often look at gaming as just that, a game, but it seems there is more to games… Stories, characters, conflict, competition, social interaction and networking. I think as technology has improved gaming has become more socially interactive.
The EQ article focused on the complex social networks that developed among players. I think that is an important distinction, not the characters, but the players. The game encourages and almost forces players into interdependent relationships in order to succeed. This made me consider that perhaps there were valuable components to gaming.
If you think about sports, running around after a ball… some could argue this is a waste of time. But then the rebuttal to that is the players learning to work together, interact, overcome conflict and be entertained. Could one describe gaming in the same way? Yes to some extent.
I would however, argue that gaming in a virtual world removes one from the face-to-face social interaction that is disintegrating primarily as a result of the internet. Friends online are good, but are “Real Life” friends being eliminated?
I think gaming, just as anything in life requires balance. My boyfriend (an avid gamer) goes to school until about 4pm five days a week and from about 4pm – 9pm he is gaming at a LAN in Calgary. This seems like a lot to me. He does not play EQ… but does know people that do.
Now I often find myself in awe of the fact that he spends so much time there, but he says he likes to go there because he gets to play the computer games he likes with other people online. Furthermore, he goes to one particular gaming place, because he has become friends with the other players who go there. So for me, this is evidence to what Jakobsson and Taylor discuss about groupings and interaction that takes place during gaming.
Gaming does have some limitations to a form of social interaction that primarily occurs starring at a screen in a virtual world… I asked my boyfriend about EQ, and he immediately stated “it ruins lives”. I became intrigued after the readings had just swayed my perspectives a little towards the positive… He explained in gamer talk “you become consumed by the beast” and play for hours on end to build up a character. Perhaps some players allow their online lives to consume their “offline lives”.
Well, this was also evidenced in the guild requirement from the article:
“You must play more EQ than you spend time sleeping. We need people who are dedicated and like to play a LOT. Our raid time is generally 4-12 PST in the evening. If you can’t make it for that, Fu isn’t the right place for you.”
This is a little extreme… And no different than someone who spends 8 hours a day watching television losing their social life…
What do I think?
I am looking forward to our class discussion on Wednesday because this is a topic that demands attention.
Personally, I don’t think gaming is as bad as I thought. It is simply another medium of social interaction.
