http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1577502-3,00.html
Mr. Coates has described what his life was like when he played MMO's, taking the most time to describe his experience with, and aftermath of, playing WoW. This article was your pretty average essay on the MMO experience until he comes to the point where he says he felt like something from his life was missing. It's a strange, almost sad juxtaposition of his enjoying the little things in life, and the hole that these wholly engrossing games have left in him. Perhaps some people may be predisposed to wanting to stay in some virtual world. Although he had never met them personally, he stil missed the comeraderie of his guild, the awesomely named Gnomeland Security.
One of the most powerful quotes from this article, "What I came to understand was that WoW was not necessarily an escape, but a surrogate for a community that is harder and harder to find in the real world," provides some insight into what truly attracts some of the hardest core denizens of the WoW universe.
As an afterthought, I am also posting this article about the potential for addiction to gaming.
It's pretty short and to the point.
http://arstechnica.com/journals/science.ars/2008/02/04/video-games-the-male-brain-and-addiction
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
It's not such a strange thought to me if someone feels they are missing something by not playing games. There are several of reasons, and one of Mr. Coates' reasons is the community. Another one may be the exploration of the MMO world. Morrowind and Oblivion are not MMOs, but they're worlds that I find myself missing and thinking nostalgically on. I can see how people may feel that way about persistent worlds, especially if they had experiences with other people.
For those who may not have seen it, I think this is the funeral event Mr. Coates refers to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHJVolaC8pw
Re: the second article, I wonder if it's an innate desire to compete and win mates/food that drives males' response to video games.
Does being competitive help when you're just playing with/against the computer?
That is the first time I have actually seen the funeral event, thanks for posting it. I can understand what he means by saying he is missing something. I know strong friendships can develop overtime when you spend that much time together, especially when you may be playing with someone like your brother. The second article was also interesting. I believe the competitive nature would be very helpful in video games. It provides motivation for someone to play their best.
Post a Comment