Brief Thoughts.
If you ever wondered how I could have devoted so much time towards an MMORPG, I offer the following:
This is an excerpt from Nick Yee's five year study of people who play MMORPGs, the rest of which can be found here. And a day like today drives home the stark difference between how people interact with each other in an anonymous, virtual environment, as opposed to real life. Much more so than in real life, in online environments I found people to be caring, willing to help, and interested in building a feeling of camraderie. There are certainly exceptions to this statement, (ask chuck about a necro named Arkum,) but real life interactions are just so cutting and ego-driven in comparison. One would think that the opposite would be true; that anonymity would serve as a venue for people to be truly awful and obsequious, a place to let the demons take the reigns, as there's really no judge or jury to stop you. It is heartening to me, even encouraging, to remember that it was easier to find someone who would take the time to help me rez a corpse (sorry non-mmorpg readers,) and then refuse any type of payment than it was to find an Arkum.
For a time, EQ was like my little version of Cheers: a place where everybody knew my name, and they were always glad I came. The game was so purpose-driven, which is something lacking in post-modern life. I think about what Mike said, about virtues and vices, about following a noble path, and how this concreteness is so flagrantly lacking today. I think that underneath it all people want to be helpful, but more importantly, purposeful. Where am I going with this? More later, for now it's back to the grindstone.
The things that affect me emotionally are not the small moments, but the epiphanies I occasionally have about how virtual worlds allow for a greater expression of human hope and potential... how people can play, be free to express various aspects of themselves, and form amazing, supportive communities. I get emotional when I think about the people who don't have anyone in RL, are the victims of RL prejudices, members of conformist communities, or in other ways can't find meaning in their real lives. I find that sad, but then am happy that they at least have some place where they feel they can belong, are accepted and needed.
This is an excerpt from Nick Yee's five year study of people who play MMORPGs, the rest of which can be found here. And a day like today drives home the stark difference between how people interact with each other in an anonymous, virtual environment, as opposed to real life. Much more so than in real life, in online environments I found people to be caring, willing to help, and interested in building a feeling of camraderie. There are certainly exceptions to this statement, (ask chuck about a necro named Arkum,) but real life interactions are just so cutting and ego-driven in comparison. One would think that the opposite would be true; that anonymity would serve as a venue for people to be truly awful and obsequious, a place to let the demons take the reigns, as there's really no judge or jury to stop you. It is heartening to me, even encouraging, to remember that it was easier to find someone who would take the time to help me rez a corpse (sorry non-mmorpg readers,) and then refuse any type of payment than it was to find an Arkum.
For a time, EQ was like my little version of Cheers: a place where everybody knew my name, and they were always glad I came. The game was so purpose-driven, which is something lacking in post-modern life. I think about what Mike said, about virtues and vices, about following a noble path, and how this concreteness is so flagrantly lacking today. I think that underneath it all people want to be helpful, but more importantly, purposeful. Where am I going with this? More later, for now it's back to the grindstone.
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