Week 11 Response

This week I would like to comment on the two videos that we watched about video games.  In the first video, a keynote address by Jesse Schell, he goes into great detail about how one day in the future, our whole lives will consist of a big game that brings us points– and satisfaction.  To me, this was a very scary, and unrealistic, thought.  First of all, it reminded me of things that parents say to their little kids to get them to do things that are good for them– like eating Brussels sprouts and brushing their teeth.  In fact, he even gives an example of earning points by brushing your teeth with a specific toothpaste.  Now as someone who rarely plays video games, this whole concept of life becoming a game seems absurd.  Instead of playing the game of Life (the Milton Bradley version, with the pink and blue pegs as your “avatar”), there are no avatars and you are playing for real benefits, like college scholarships.  Now, I can see the advertising benefits of having a world that is set up like this, but I don’t think it is a good thing if advertising starts to have that much control over our lives.  Oftentimes, it seems like ads are everywhere now, but in the world that Schell described, they were not only forever present, but providing direct incentives for using certain products.

We also watched a documentary on gaming culture yesterday in class.  First, I was struck by the segment about the generation gap when it came to technological understanding.  It reminded me of a video that we watched in Interactive Media Strategies of a usability test of a website being conducted with a child.  The four year old girl had no problem navigating, and even told the administrator that there should be a fill bucket.  I was shocked at a four year old could accurately name a the fill bucket tool– not just recognize it.  Secondly, I disagreed with the segment that discussed virtual environments as being a direct substitute to human interaction in business.  I personally cannot see a difference between having coffee with a bunch of avatars while we talk on the phone, versus having a telephone conversation.  To me, having coffee in a virtual cafe does not add to interpersonal relationships.  I wonder what it is about meeting in a virtual space that adds intimacy.  In addition, I do not hear of this happening a most businesses– will this be the business meeting of the future?

Video games are a very interesting subject because they have the capability to open up, literally, whole new worlds.  I still have concerns as to what this will mean for interpersonal relationships.  But, maybe the idea of interpersonal relationships will simply morph to include online relationships.

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