Modern Day Gamer Documentary

Simon Bysshe writes "I'm a UK film student, and have recently released a freely downloadable video documentary called 'Modern Day Gamer'. In it, I use interviews from a LAN party I went to in Brighton to try to address the main pre-conceptions people have about gamers, ie: is it really anti-social? is it only for geeks? is it a non-productive use of time?" We've also rustled up a BitTorrent link at Gametab and another BitTorrent link courtesy Jamuraa for this 75mb DivX file.

Comments

pre-conceptions

[frieked]

In it, I use interviews from a LAN party I went to in Brighton to try to address the main pre-conceptions people have about gamers

I think it would be more productive to interview non-gamers to address these pre-conceptions but as a gamer, here are my thoughts on this:

Being a gamer I'd have to agree with many pre-conceptions people have about us in
most cases... There are however exceptions and not everyone falls into the category of geek, nerd or loser (as those are probably the most common pre-conceptions people have about gamers).

As for the anti-social part, it is and it isn't. Gotta have friends to play with but often that's the extent of one's activities.

And finally the unproductive use of time: Well, it may be less productive than say...building a house but if you're doing something you enjoy I don't see how you can be going wrong... at least gaming takes some thought and skill unlike some other forms of entertainment.

Gamers?

[grub]

I'd think multiplayer games are inherently social events. Some people (myself included) don't like multiplayer games. Give me anything from the Thief series or the redone Doom stuff @ DoomsdayHQ. That makes me an antisocial bastard, not the people that gather together to game.

BitTorrent really shines!

[override11]

When you get a bittorrent link on the front page os /., that is really when the whole model goes to do its work. I'm sure all the main download sites are not recieving any more requests, but bittorrent is clipping along @ a nice 90 k / sec! :) Go Bittorrent!

is it a non-productive use of time?

[stefanlasiewski]

is it a non-productive use of time?

If it's a game, I think it's not productive by definition :)

This is fine. Not everything in life has to be productive. If you're trying to be 'productive' 100% of the time, you're going to end up as a miserable shriveled heap hiding under the sheets all day.

I'm 30, and many people I know are starting to break down and have midlife crises' because their work is their life.

We all need to take a break and have fun.

So go play. Don't worry about being 'productive'.

But if you REALLY want to document Lan-parties, you need to include "Smell-o-vision" (TM)!!!

Maybe, No, Yes ...

[molarmass192]

is it really anti-social? is it only for geeks? is it a non-productive use of time?

1) Multiplayer games are social events, single player games are anti-social.

2) In it's heyday it used to be for geeks since we were the only one with the equipment/connectivity to host a networked (LAN/WAN) game but now everybody seems to be doing it.

3) As for being a non-productive use of time, it's about as non-productive as screaming at a wall both relieve stress. Still, a game of RTWC Enemy Territory beats screaming at an inanimate object in my book.

Re:Maybe, No, Yes ...

[read-only]

There are many shades of gray here regarding the social or anti-social question.

I would not go so far to say that multiplayer games are social. I would be inclined to say they are LAN parties are social, but as we know many multiplayer games can be played via the internet. Essentially, I could spend days/weeks/months alone in my home playing games online with other gamers, but I would not go so far as to say that is social. So I have to disagree with the assertion that all multiplayer games are social, all single player games are anti-social.

I see why some may say that online gaming communities are social (friendships can be formed, etc.), but this is no replacement for human interaction. We have to differentiate interaction with others via digital means (in this case, online games) and human interaction.

I guess the answer depends on wether or not your considering interaction via computer to be social. I would consider LAN parties to be higher on the "social-ness" scale due to the humar interaction.

we've all heard this argument before

[leekwen]

i am a video game addict so don't get me wrong.

it seems like every gamer wants to try and stress the good points about gaming, and the arguments are usually one sided because the sources and references are gamers themselves. you use interviews at a LAN party, have you tried using interviews from pissed off mothers (i haven't watched the video yet, still downloading)? it is anti social in the sense that there is no direct contact through a video game server, even at LAN parties most of the communication is done through monitors or by people screaming at each other. then again i can sincerely say i have met at least half of the people i keep in contact with today through playing video games.

only for geeks? i don't know how to argue this, the non geeks turned gamers eventually call themselves geeks anyway, jokingly or not. unless you define geek as a video game player it's not only for geeks.

gaming is non productive because most of what people do while playing video games is learn to play that video game better. you can argue this with training reflexes, logic skills, adding creative juice and all that jazz but it depends which is worth more or less to the gamers themselves. for example my time is definitely better spent not playing video games but looking for a job.

i have a feeling people here will edge more towards the side of gaming, what else would i use my wind.. i mean linux system for? i'm going to fight for the pissed off mothers just because i'm pretty sure they'll be the underdogs here.

Re:we've all heard this argument before

[Rahga]

I've spent a LOT of my time at a pretty good gaming center I'm associated with, so I have more than enough first-hand research at my disposal....

First, I'll state that among the patrons there, the social interaction is FAR greater than you see in the majority of other open settings, such as banks, grocery stores, parks, etc. Let's face it, if you really wanted to treat them as apples-to-apples, you could say shopping is largely an anti-social activity. I rarely talk to more than just the cashier, and I know I'm not alone in this regard. Howerver, at the gaming center, I'd say the activity often rivals that of your local raceway... The nearest rival would be local sports, but it's a bit different, as the social units usually hold more connections than usual, but sometimes are harder to become a part of because the roles are not as easily defined. Public raceways, gaming centers, etc..... Many people know who to go to when you have a technical problem here or an experience problem there, and that is often the cause for first contact among the participants. Raceways excell only in the fact that almost everyone can be identified by their car.

I define geek by the number of animal heads they eat... otherwise, it's a pointless classification.

Re:we've all heard this argument before

[Achoi77]

gaming is non productive because most of what people do while playing video games is learn to play that video game better. you can argue this with training reflexes, logic skills, adding creative juice and all that jazz but it depends which is worth more or less to the gamers themselves.

Gaming should be considered a recreational activity. What makes gaming different from, let's say:

Reading a book?

Playing poker with a couple of buddies?

Watching TV/ going out to Theater?

Listening to music?

Painting?

Playing an instrument?

dancing at a disco?

flying a kite?

going to a theme park?

weight-lifting?

building a trainset?

picnics?

They are all time wasters (some considered antisocial activity), and there's nothing wrong with that. I play all kinds of games (EQ, Diable2, CS, War3) as well as do all of the above. Would you consider my life nonproductive since I don't consider my job my life?

Answers to the guy's questions

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

is it really anti-social?

Obviously not, otherwise the entire documentary would be composed of guys turning their back and saying "piss-off I'm busy".

is it only for geeks?

My sister has a NES, she's not a geek.

is it a non-productive use of time

Depends on who's playing :

- If you play for fun once in a while, it's good entertainment. If you play online now and again, you also get to socialize in new interesting ways. If you're a game addict of course, it's no more productive than doing drugs.

- If you're a young lad who wants to get into computers, gaming can teach you a lot. I myself learned a lot about UI designs, sprites, bit blitting, joystick hardware, overscanning ... just by playing games, and I also taught myself assembly, the structure of Atari ST diskettes MBRs and much more just because I wanted some great games so bad and didn't have the money to pay for licit copies. Those things I learned due to my interest in games in the eighties are still the base of what makes me a good (I think) engineer.

- If you're not primarily into computers and you play too much, that'll teach you nothing at all. I doubt Einstein could have published anything worthwhile if he was a keen Duke Nukem addict for example.

The moderators are children apparently

[Anonymous Coward]

Want a 5? Post something about a server being blown apart thanks to slashdot! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Is Slashdot really a good comparison?

[redfenix]

It's probably not an effective way to convince the non-geeks of the world that gaming isn't a geek activity!

non-productive?

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure video gaming is non-productive, but so are other things. Watching TV for example. (and some might argue that TV is less productive, because you don't interact).

The reported average time that Americans spend watching TV is 4 hours a day. Surely this number can compete with the average time gamers play games.

So why are video games dismissed as non-productive wastes of time, but TV is ok? Because everybody watches TV, and video gamers are a minority.

Anti-social?

[AvantLegion]

A gamer is no more anti-social than an avid bookreader. At least some games involve a social aspect through multiple players.

Let's step back for a moment

[Tarindel]

Why do we as a society label everything that's addictive or causes antisocial behavior as intrinsicly bad?

First off, let me state flat out I'm a video game addict. I play a lot of games, it's what I like to do when I get home from work, and I occasionally do it to the detriment of other things in my life (like the dishes in my sink are about to get up and walk away if I don't clean them soon). While I do play a fair number of online games, I also play single games because sometimes I just don't feel like dealing with people. Usually this is after work, when I'm tired and maybe a little cranky. Trust me, my friends are much happier when I lose myself in a good anti-social video game than when I'm tired and try to hang out with them.

There are lots of different kinds of people. Some people are totally energized by social interactions, others aren't. I'm somewhat in the middle -- if I don't get much social interaction or spend too many days in the house, I start to crave it. But if I spend too many days out and about with friends, I wear down. I get tired of it. I need some time off to myself to refresh my batteries.

So what am I getting at? I'm a games addict, and I'm antisocial at times. I've turned down requests to go out with friends because I was too busy being caught up in a game. But taken as a whole, I'd consider my life to be pretty normal. I work a full-time job, I go out with friends at least 3 times a week, I'm dating a nice girl, I find the time to cook myself dinner a couple times a week, I make it a point to do exercise at least every other day, etc...

The point is, while these activities may not be particularily healthy in and of themselves, they're a vital part of my fairly balanced life. They make me happy, they keep me going, they keep me wanting to go out and be social and do all the things that are considered stereotypically healthy.

It's all about keeping the balance. If addictive or anti-social behavior isn't throwing your balance totally out of whack, then so what?

Are gamers anti-social? Some are always. Some are sometimes. Is it only for geeks? Probably not, though a lot of people will bother to try. Is it a non-productive use of time? Are doing activities that help keep me happy considered non-productive?

There are plenty of other well accepted anti-social, potentially addictive activities that don't have negative stigma: reading is a good example.

It seems to me interviewing geeky lan-party-going gamers about these things is the wrong way to go. You'd be better off interviewing non-stereotypical gamers and presenting that to non-gamers to reinforce the view that such activities aren't limited to one subset of the population that happens to be anti-social addicts.

"anti-social" vs. "asocial"

[dr_canak]

I see this *so* often that i do my best to correct it when I see it. There is a giant difference between calling someone "asocial" and calling someone "antisocial."

"Antisocial" is a clinical, psychiatric diagnosis. It's considered a personality disorder, and in fact is one of the personality disorders that essentially relies on contacts with others (although in an exploitive fashion), for the diagnosis to be made. It is also often confused with "sociopathic." While a sociopath always carrys a dx of Antisocial Personality Disorder, it's not always true that an antisocial personality disordered person is a sociopath.

Nelson on the Simpsons, "Cigarette man" on the X-Files, Gordon Gecko from "Wall Street," and "Animal" on the Muppets would be considered "Antisocial."

"Asocial," which is what everyone usually means when they say "antisocial", is an indifference to social relationships. It's alot harder to think of good asocial examples, cause they don't lend themselves to good storytelling ;-).

It's that simple.

hth,
jeff

Asocial != Antisocial; a nit + an open question

[blenderfish]

I think most people saying "antisocial" actually mean "asocial"-- anti-social tends to imply a destructive tendency (such as in a sociopath,) whereas a lot of gamers I know are more "asocial"; they'd like to join society, (and are decent citizens), but aren't particularly blessed with the social grace to do so.

But, nitpicking aside, do you think many gamers _would_ participate in social activity if only they were better at it? Or might "antisocial" be the right word after all?

From m-w.com:
Asocial:
not social: as a : rejecting or lacking the capacity for social interaction

Antisocial:
1 : averse to the society of others : UNSOCIABLE
2 : hostile or harmful to organized society; especially : being or marked by behavior deviating sharply from the social norm

Scary

[zzzmarcus]

Am I the only one who got the chills when that guy said that he plays 5 hours a day and 8 hours on weekend... that's 41 hours a week! That is a very significant portion of your life spent sitting at the computer doing nothing productive (social or otherwise).

Whether it's TV or playing games, that is just way too much time.

Don't get me wrong, I play a bit of CS here and there too, but wow... I'm rethinking the 45 minutes a day I play after watching that documentary.

News for nerds?

[t0qer]

What makes you think non nerds are going to see this video?

(btw, clicked the bt link, ran off to take a shower, came back and it was done! Go BC and BT :D)

please define antisocial

[Alien Being]

In the sense that some games glorify crime, I think it's reasonable to ask whether they lead the player to antisocial behavior.

But, I don't think it's fair to say that a person is antisocial because they choose to spend their time alone playing games. Asocial maybe, but not antisocial.

And to claim that lan parties are antisocial or asocial seems absurd.

Re:Eeee...

[thetamind_pyros]

Bittorrent is a great idea. So is Slashdot subscriptions. By the time I get to read the story the subscribers will have finished downloading which means there will be plenty of seeds for me.