tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post2836142482980570453..comments2023-10-05T23:00:32.066-04:00Comments on Dreambound: Society and Life: Gaming and AlternativesKaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16164718601021220108noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-58501984818002114472010-06-17T15:25:19.504-04:002010-06-17T15:25:19.504-04:00I totally agree with what you have written, especi...I totally agree with what you have written, especially someone at my age. I personally experience majority of my friends, if not all, spend many nights drinking, clubing ( which involves some unwanted behavior) and smoking (all sorts). I don't like to be such activities. <br /> Since I've played the game I have been called an addict in regards to WoW. Also, at the same time I keep straight A's in school, held jobs when I had them, socialized with my friends and volunteered with church/school. <br /> My parents are very active and hike, run and bike constantly so my lack of interest in doing these things as often as they adds to my proof of addiction, so to speak. <br /> But alas, I still play and my parents and friends go through moods. Surely one day they will understand where I am coming from. *sigh*Nellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15178716048824609880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-57067482029365284782010-06-16T11:43:16.624-04:002010-06-16T11:43:16.624-04:00I guess I am just confused by the inference that I...I guess I am just confused by the inference that I'm making gaming out to be a solution to the various bad things. Now, if I were saying "grab the miscreants off the streets and force them to play WoW rather than buy drugs and steal," then that'd be suggesting a "solution" :) <br /><br />I am only making the case that gaming is a viable, and in some cases better, alternative to many other things people do with their free time, as leisure activities. <br /><br />I can certainly give a nod towards your wish to use a weekly happy-hour to network for your job, but that's less of a leisure activity and more of a work-related activity, and certainly not in the same boat as those I see getting smashed multiple nights per week, resulting in hangovers while in class or heading to work the next day.<br /><br />After all, how can you network and look like someone who deserves a job when you're emptying the contents of your stomach on their shoe? There's a big difference :)Kaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16164718601021220108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-35141695990392745972010-06-16T10:43:58.632-04:002010-06-16T10:43:58.632-04:00First of all, thanks for the reply.
I really shoul...First of all, thanks for the reply.<br />I really should refrain myself from using inaccurate and generalization in the same sentence. The two words really didn’t make any sense together. I guess this is what happened when you try to read through your RSS feeds and post a reply at 6pm Friday just before happy hour… :D<br />Joking aside, I did read through your post again and I should say that I never meant to say that your personal experiences are not accurate. I never meant to say that the things that happened to people that you know did not happen. If it came out that way then I apologize.<br />What I was trying to pointed out in the end is let’s not make WoW the solution nor the culprit. It’s a video game and should be taken as what it is and not a solution.X-Morinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-6677872567998121192010-06-13T19:39:28.999-04:002010-06-13T19:39:28.999-04:00FYI to admit my own bias: I hate alcohol and smoke...FYI to admit my own bias: I hate alcohol and smoke (nixes bars from being pleasurable places for me), and have seen alcoholism (and drug use) completely destroy families. :(Kaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16164718601021220108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-53739159125022793652010-06-13T19:22:10.940-04:002010-06-13T19:22:10.940-04:00All of my "inaccurate generalizations" a...All of my "inaccurate generalizations" are not at all inaccurate. They are very real and exist. I see them. Just because you may have never done them--or been friends with someone who did--does not mean they don't happen. I am related to some of them. I also never said that "all" people do all of those bad things... I made a point to outline some of the "good" alternatives I've seen, as well. <br /><br />Read closer ;)Kaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16164718601021220108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-46750464246544508642010-06-11T19:26:01.482-04:002010-06-11T19:26:01.482-04:00Very interesting post and read considering the sta...Very interesting post and read considering the stale pre-expansion times. One of my favorite post on my RSS feed so far <br /><br />I do however want to remind you, that inaccurate generalization of people who do not play the game is also not good. I believe the WoW community to a certain degree also have this defensive mechanism where they would try to ‘justify’ why playing WoW is not wrong.<br /><br />Most people that do not play the game or any game for that matter, do not spend their time in a bar every single day. <br /><br />Most people that do not play the game do not sun tan every day.<br /><br />As a matter of fact I do not know anybody that spend a consistent 16-18 hours a week inside a bar or on a tanning bed. Now some of us have that amount of time to invest in something they like. Some don’t.<br /><br />My college experimental drug days are long over but if memory serves right, I don’t remember spending that much time or knowing anybody spending that much time doing drugs.<br /><br />The drunkard, the Jersey Shore cast, the drug addict and the gangsters that you are describing are not a good comparison of what you can become or do if you don’t play a video game.<br /><br />The one thing I completely agree and share your view is how society view video game. But then again social norm and values are notoriously known to lag behind technology.<br /><br />In closing, I’d like to share a couple of my own experiences.<br />By going to happy hour I net more results compared to raiding. I've had business relations made and projects offered through the people that I met during those 'happy hour'. My current job is a result of a resume I sent to my poker buddy. None of my raiding or leveling or chatting on vent activity has ever net me any of that or anything more than what’s in the game. Maybe this reply is a little biased since I know what ‘value’ I give for logging into the game and what value I give for a Friday night happy hour. I just don’t think any solid argument was ever made about the concept of gaming itself. The argument from the non-players has always been about the line between excessive or moderate. At least from the people that I know.X-Morinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-40349553341798197302010-06-09T14:35:14.250-04:002010-06-09T14:35:14.250-04:00The worst part, I think for me, is the "hey, ...The worst part, I think for me, is the "hey, let's hit happy hour!". I am one of the only people in my office that communtes any amount of distance...and I have a schedule that I like to keep.<br /><br />But I also turn it down not only because I don't want to go, but because I've made a commitment to my guild to be there. Sometimes I get grief about it.<br /><br />But then I can't help but wonder, and have brought up before, if I had said "I have to go get my kid and take him to the soccer game" or "I have yoga tonight" people wouldn't give me near the crap about it.<br /><br />Mostly, I've decided that my private life is my private life. I don't judge how others spend their time, I don't feel I should be judged for how I spend mine. Now, if I'm asked to do something, I generally just say "Sorry, I have other plans" and leave it at that.<br /><br />But, like you, I really don't think I'd be doing much different if I didn't have WoW :)Beruthielhttp://www.fallingleavesandwings.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-9856761924516724562010-06-09T08:26:29.223-04:002010-06-09T08:26:29.223-04:00You laugh, but it is very real. :(You laugh, but it is very real. :(Kaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16164718601021220108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-90272704553351207192010-06-09T00:13:51.549-04:002010-06-09T00:13:51.549-04:00Gang and turf wars. lolololololGang and turf wars. lolololololBeranabushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02405946379270456095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-4465420633062379162010-06-08T21:15:40.637-04:002010-06-08T21:15:40.637-04:00I work in distance learning... the needs of cyberc...I work in distance learning... the needs of cybercommunities (including those of a large online class) is certainly something not many people understand. So many instructors seem to think they can tape their lectures from the back of the room and post the videos online, and ppt notes, and leave it at that... it's given online classes a bad rep.Kaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16164718601021220108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-3757295175068014912010-06-08T19:07:33.696-04:002010-06-08T19:07:33.696-04:00This is a great post. I've heard a lot of thi...This is a great post. I've heard a lot of this sort before (some of it from my own lips/fingers), but you've put it both comprehensively and concisely. And I agree with the other commenters, too.<br /><br />I don't know to what extent players are aware, but WoW - and 'cybercultures' in general - is slowly being subjected to greater amounts of academic study and general scrutiny. The findings of academic research are almost entirely what you might call positive with respect to the *potential* of the game and its community... but the conduct of some members of the game community still causes concern.<br /><br />As Blizzard and other game developers continue to make their games more and more "healthy" environments, the wider world is going to have to face up to the fact that yes, these presently emergent cybercommunities are becoming a more and more significant and important part of our lives - and that as a result, people need to learn how to live within them in a way which emancipates instead of harms. I fear the biggest consequence of the present attitude of the wider media to gaming and cybercommunities is that, because they are seen as something of a social stigma, the genuine needs of the context are ignored just as much as the benefits.<br /><br />(Um... I don't know if that ended up saying what I meant to say, but I think you probably get the gist and I can't really be bothered to go and rewrite it.)Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10203705792244498958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-81058821030028400282010-06-08T13:44:21.990-04:002010-06-08T13:44:21.990-04:00I spend a lot of my time trying to convince my RL ...I spend a lot of my time trying to convince my RL friends (pretty much none of whom play WoW) that raiding is really no different than any team activity like hockey (which I also play). There's a team of people all working hard to achieve a common goal, and the absence of any number of those people could greatly affect them all.<br /><br />I work hard to maintain a balance between my raiding obligations and my RL friend obligations. ("Obligation" is a poor choice of wording in either situation, but it makes the point.) I think, all things considered, I do a pretty reasonable job. I just wish my friends were as understanding with "can't go out tonight, gotta raid" as my guild is with "can't raid tonight, guys' night out".Sanielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13721178387445086503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-83371586352129847962010-06-08T13:32:13.720-04:002010-06-08T13:32:13.720-04:00The commitment you make is a choice, however. If ...The commitment you make is a choice, however. If I say "Yes, I'll join your raiding guild" then I am making a commitment to be there for those 9 (or 24) other players, certainly... but that's my choice in how I play. Not everyone needs to make that commitment when it comes to gaming, especially if it's a single-player game like Dragon Age or Baldur's Gate or Assassin's Creed, or something on a console... and those games are lumped in with WoW when it comes to the generic label of "gamers."<br /><br />I definitely agree with you in terms of the ignorant viewing another's raiding commitment as some "addiction," however. An addiction is when you physically can't survive without something, and that word gets misused a lot to throw something in a negative light :( It's like saying "you have an addiction to your baseball team."Kaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16164718601021220108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273077195457377371.post-83279031071129585622010-06-08T11:49:02.066-04:002010-06-08T11:49:02.066-04:00Here's where things go wrong in terms of peopl...Here's where things go wrong in terms of people understanding WoW (Or certain other games). I agree with everything you said, but I think you forgot one rather important point. <br /><br />Online gaming, and especially a game like WoW for a lot of people, is all about commitment and responsibility. So what happens, is that someone asks you to go out or do something specific, and it's nah can't, I have plans. What are you doing? Well we're going to try and learn this new fight now..<br /><br />Hmph. Nerd-boy addict. <br /><br />I honestly think that's the sticking part that people can't get around. The fact that most hardcore players are making a commitment to do thing X and time Y, and we don't want to let them down, even though we probably have never met them "In Real Life" (Which is, IMO another misconception of people..that other people on the internet are tools to be used and disposed of as needed). <br /><br />So when people ask me about "WoW addiction" that's what I tell them. What looks like an addiction can be also a simple commitment to friends that you want to keep.Karmakinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04004985081615301056noreply@blogger.com