Response: Week 12

Prior to discussing the many issues tied to virtual worlds, I posed some questions about the relevance of these virtual worlds to the professional world of the future. While it’s interesting to speculate the potential pros that virtual worlds have to offer the workplaces of tomorrow, I think an even more pressing issue is the impact of virtual worlds on our present society. Programs such as SecondLife failed to revolutionize the interactive entertainment industry to the degree that many predicted. Still, these virtual worlds have had an undeniable impact on a significant number of lives.

I keep returning to the video clip we watched in class, in which a mother and her teenage son were featured in a “virtual world addiction” spotlight. The teenage son admitted to playing World of Warcraft up to 16 hours a day (16 hours?!) Virtual gaming addiction is a harsh reality among virtual world participants. This isolated anecdote certainly reflects an issue that affects a larger population, and highlights many underlying issues surrounding the realm of virtual worlds. Initially, you want to write off this addicted teen as an isolated member of society, as he spends the entirety of his day sitting in front of the computer screen. He is even so engulfed in his alternative world that he fails to raise his eyes from the screen throughout the entirety of the interview. Every sign points to an isolated member of society. Yet, when asked about this point, he says he doesn’t feel like he is missing out on life because his virtual world allows him to “explore new places” and “meet new people.” Touché. Along with the prevalence of “exploration” and “friending” within social networks, is our society slowly moving towards a preference of online, virtual interaction? To play devil’s advocate, maybe those who choose to spend the majority of their lives within their virtual worlds are really no different than those who have never touched a video game or computer in their lives.

It’s issues such as this that bring me back to a point Derek made in class: we have to look at these issues beyond what we see on the surface, in order to recognize that they are much more complex than we may think. On the surface, video game addicts are easily labeled as “lazy” or “anti-social” or “geeks.” But perhaps the constant interaction with other players around the world, and the exploration of new (virtual) places makes these participants even less isolated than the truly isolated members of society who practice no form of social interaction whatsoever. Regardless, the level of engagement of virtual worlds, though still difficult for me to relate to, could point to a very real form of human interaction.

Tags: response, virtual worlds