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Profile of a Hard-Core Gamer
brettlbecker writes "The NYTimes is running a story on Richard L. Stenlund, or, as players of MMORPG Anarchy Online undoubtedly know him, Thedeacon. Quote from the article: "Thedeacon is a celebrity. Mr. Stenlund, meanwhile, feels trapped - trapped in a town too far from big cities where big things happen, trapped in a hand-to-mouth existence, trapped in a mean little culture of cheap thrills and fast-food television." Infamy, perversion, bankruptcy, virtual protests, online counseling. How much do *you* accomplish in 7 hours a day?"
As in most things, it's all defined by hindsight. If the guy ends up whacking himself or others, he's an addict. If other pencil-necked geeks (RIP, Freddie Blassie!) still look up to him, he's "hardcore."
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After all, this is much of the draw of an online community such as an MMORPG-- it doesn't matter if you're from Podunk, where there's not even a stoplight and you know all hundred people in town, or if you live in the great metropolis where you don't even know the name of the looney across the hall. You can step out of the world you live in and into one of your own choosing.
Should we be surprised if this is a little addictive? Should we be surprised if people want to spend more time in the world they want to instead of the world they're forced to?
-JDF
and a buck-fifty buys you a cup of coffee.
I'm a fan of the MMORPG genre, but while it does provide a nice, temporary escape from mundane every-day life, in the end it IS truly a virtual (read, not real) world. Games like Everquest, DAOC, Shadowbane, AO, UO, etc. are great ways to kill some time and be relatively sociable at the same time, but if you took the average gamer's log of online gaming hours and re-invested those same hours in something like The University of Pheonix Online, they would have a Ph. D or two by now. It's easy to lose sight if reality, particularly when reality isn't too pleasant. Unfortunately we all should be wary of just how much our time is being skewed toward a Virtual existence instead of an actual one.
How are we to make a distinction between a hardcore gamer, and an addict? It seems to be a pretty fine line.
Or, indeed, how are we to distinguish between a hardcore gamer and a dropout? Because that's what the article says to me about this guy: he just wants to drop out of society. In another decade, he might have moved to a commune and taken a lot of drugs. Instead, he spends all of his time in a simulated world, with much the same effect: he's effectively withdrawn from society. Fair enough, but we should bear in mind that this is not representative of the vast majority of gamers, in terms of either their behaviour or their motivations for playing games.
It surprises the hell out of me that he's married.
If they guy just sat in a chair, drank beer, and watched sports during the time he plays the game, he would be considered normal.
Throw in that he players games on his computer and he is considered wierd.
I don't get it this guy is spending 7 hours a day diverting himself playing a game. Then he turns around says his life sucks and he has no money. If he spent that 7 hours a day in the real world improving himself he just might make a decent living and not live life hand to mouth. Though I can't say I'm terribly impressed with the guy. He ran a internet pc store and failed miserably then decides to flee reality. Unfortunately for him reality is catching up and now he decides he should flee to Las Vegas. He'll wind up in the same situation he is in now just a different city. And you know what? He'll probably still be playing AO when he should be improving his situation.
Call this flamebait if you want its just what I have seen time and time again.
In Republican America phones tap you.
Intrestingly enough the terms 'hard-core drinker' and 'alcohol addict' (or 'alcoholic', as we usually refer to alcohol addicts) are nearly synonymous. The term addict in common parlance largely depends on the taboos of the culture it seems. Someone who is into 'hard-core pr0n' is often called a 'sex addict.' But a 'hard-core coder' is almost never called a 'workaholic' or a 'work addict' because our largely Puritanical society defines 'hard-core work' to be a Good Thing(tm), while 'hard-core sex' is a Bad Thing(tm). Whether 'hard-core gaming' is a Bad Thing(tm) or not probably depends largely on who you talk to. In the Slashdot crowd, this would be a revered quality, but in the Soccer Mom crowd, this would probably be looked upon negatively.
My journal has hot
First, not every 12 yr old is a great gamer. I know I've got better skills than most of my friends, but a few of them will blow me out of the water in most any game (GT3 being the exception), but there's always been a group of players who will always blow my doors off in any game I try. There is a skill component. Sure the 12 yr olds can play them, but play them well?
Second, in a MM online game there's a social component.
Third, the value of the game is in it's dificulty. How much more do you have to think to do better in it? (This is a problem I have with Diablo, as it gets harder you just need better items and the ability to draw your opponents away one at a time, but it's my fix...).
Fourth, if you could wipe your ass with one square no matter how messy, someone would interview you.
Darthtuttle
Thought Architect
Why can't Slashdot get partner status with The NYT?
-Peter
I'd vehemently disagree with this. There is a clear distinction between a hardcore drinker and an alcoholic.
Somebody who is only a hardcore drinker is somebody who can drink a lot over a short period and not suffer severe effects. I have a few friends who will binge drink over 4-5 days and come out of that period in reasonable condition. But after that period they will return to a relatively alcohol free lifestyle.
An alcoholic, an addict, may also show the qualities of a hardcore drinker. But an alcoholic has become emtionally/physically/somehow dependent on alcohol and is unable to resist the urges and stop after any period of drinking. They will wake up and drink til they sleep until they get help breaking that addiction.
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And escaping into a computer game is somehow more noble or meaningful? Please give me a physical break, and dispense with the drama. He's not out feeding starving children, he's playing a video game.
I have no problem with people pointing out some of the negatives of our culture, but I'm afraid playing a video game doesn't elevate one above the 'sheep-le'.
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
" "It's a total release of the id," he said one Thursday last month as
he sat in a Japanese restaurant in Madison with his wife, Sarah A.
Werner-Stenlund, explaining his attraction to Anarchy Online. "I think
people are generally false. Even sitting here with you, we are putting
on a front. But in A. O. you can really let your true character out.
If I want to be a pervert, I am able to do that in A. O. and be a
pervert right off the bat." "
This man needs help. If you have such a distorted view of the people around you something is very wrong with you. It's a miracle that he is still married.
-- Cheers!
A lot of people escape reality by becoming completely engrossed in their day jobs. Except they're not filing bankruptcy like this guy did.
<a href="http://www.joblessjimmy.com">Work is dumb and so is Jobless Jimmy.</a>
Mr. Stenlund or his wife? What the hell is she sticking around for? This guy isn't hardcore, he's an addict. The scary thing is, we're going to be seeing many, many more people like him as these games become more popular and our society becomes even more disconnected. What a waste.
Far from being too far from "big cities where big things happen", Madison is in pretty much the perfect location.
Milwaukee is an hour away. Chicago is two hours away. Minneapolis is not much more than that.
The University of Wisconsin is in Madison, so you've got all of the resources of a college town. If you're into sports, the UW has excellent teams in a variety of them, and you're only a few hours away from professional sports in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Chicago, and the Twin Cities.
If you like bookstores, Madison has a ton of them, and not just big chains like Borders and B&N. There are a wide variety of used book stores downtown, including one that specializes in science fiction and fantasy.
We don't get earthquakes. In Madison, I've heard the tornado warning siren exactly once in the last dozen years. Flooding is pretty much never an issue.
Madison has a good symphony and a viable opera. We also have art-house movie theaters. Madison has or is close to several very good experimental and straight theater groups. We also have an award-winning alternative newsweekly, Isthmus.
To sum up: no disasters. Lots of books. Art. Theater. University. Cities close by if you want them, cities ignorable if you'd rather ignore them.
Frankly, if this guy can't find intellectual stimulation in Madison, he won't find it anywhere. Least of all in Las Vegas.
Most people in small towns don't know each other. They only yell at their neighbor for doing anything to their yard.
You step out of your house in a Podunk town, and you don't even have a sidewalk, so you need money just to go anywhere in your car.
God spoke to me
The most interesting part of the article is the pictures. About half show Mr. Stenlund in his apartment, in a restaurant, or with his wife. The other half are screenshots of his character in-game. Both are captioned similarly.
The real life picture:"CELEBRITY - Richard L. Stenlund and his wife, Sarah A. Werner-Stenlund, at home."
The in-game screenshot: "WARRIOR - Accompanied by three minions, Thedeacon, with gun, prepares to attack a monster, left, in the game Anarchy Online.")
The article makes a salient (if subtle) point -- the twin worlds of real and simulated are converging. The bytes on a stick of RAM, the packets flung across Cable TV lines -- these coalesce into a spatial world depicting personality and (in this case) lending illustration to a personal article.
Ummm... I lived in Madison for a few years while I was attending the College of Engineering there. I don't like the way they paint the city as this little town with nothing but adult bookstores and used car lots. The city is the state capitol. Aside from the capitol is a large University. The city has its fair share of malls, chain stores, as well as brand spanking new mulit-million dollar arts district being constructed down town. Hell, Raven software and a few other software companies are in Madison. I'll admit the city is no Chicago, New York or L.A., but it is hardly a po-dunk population 100 town with no oppertunites. I don't know what big city events he is looking for, but I can't imagine anything I can do here in Washington D.C. that I could not have easily done in Madison. There is just more traffic here. As far as him finding opportunities, I think there is problem with the person not the city. If he devoted 7hrs a day to the local university Iâ(TM)ll bet he would learn more and accomplish more than he does playing A.O. Based on previous posts, I would classify him as an addict rather than a hardcore gamer. If he is unhappy with his life then he needs to get out from behind his computer and out on the streets looking to better his life. Opportunity is won, not found or given.
I have friends that play that game. It's very addictive, and I've seen them waste their lives.
Online gaming is very tricky, since you're able to do most things you do in real life, so if you're having a hard time, the game is a way to regain your self-esteem. Problem is that it doesn't give you shit in Real Life (tm), so you end up playing the game, over and over (since the more you gain in the game, the more you loose in the real world). It's made for one thing: making money for the owners.
If you wanna be a consumerish fuel cell, fine by me.
More info.So go out and do something to wake them up. Don't retreat to the electronic anaesthetics. TV, computer games, music - all these exist in some part to desensitize you to the world around you and the people you live near. Wake the hell up and wake up a neighbor while you're at it.
the major advances in civilization are processes which all but wreck the societies in which they occur - A.N. White
You want some real skill learn to play an instrument [piano is fairly hard] or invent a longer lasting light bulb. Those are *real* talents.
It seems like it's been a long time since you've played any modern multiplayer title.
You think is is random chance? Is it random that a serious Quake/Counter Strike/Street Fighter player could beat you 100 times in straight matches?
If you still contend there is no skill, give it a try and see how well you do.
I'm sorry but most 12 yr old kids can play the same games and I certainly don't idolize them.
Most 12 years olds can plonk the keys on a piano and make sound come out of it too - nobody is suggesting they are _good_ at it though, or worth idolising. Most games are ment to be very accessible, like most sports.
As for for you comment about 'real' talents: What about football players? Or tennis players, or table tennis players, or golfers - do you think they are not 'real' talents? Why should the ability to be good at table tennis, or softball, or batting, pitching, fielding, or kicking a ball, be held in any higher regard than the ability to be really good at game like Quake, Counter Strike or a more complex and strategic title like Ghost Recon?
If your assumuption was correct then you should be able to beat Quake III on the hardest level with little difficulty, after all others can do it - and so if it takes no skill why would you find it difficult when they do not?
You are so amazingly anachronistic it's stunning. Games are not like Zork any more, titles like Ghost Recon have easily require easily as much skill as a paintball, and MotoGP as much skill as entry level karting, but online games are physically and practically more accessable (and cheaper).
I never liked Loser. I wonder why...
probably because you gave him a nickname like loser, never gave him a chance, before you really got to know him you made up your mind.... You still don't know him so try and make up any excuses. "well he... Well I did..." sure ya. if you did you wouldn't still be calling him loser.
What a load of crap.
/. actually doing work - I'm sure you could find a second job. You have a job, right? Again. Move.
Sorry, you're not getting my sympathy - you're getting some pity, but more for your parents than for you.
Hint - your parents don't want you living at home. They'd much rather you get out and get your own life.
There are thousands of computer jobs available in the US. Yeah, maybe you live somewhere where there aren't many right now, so freaking move. Don't have gas? Well, might I suggest that you cut out the online games, use some of the money you're spending on MMORPGs to get gas money, and vacate? Spend the time you're wasting on
You're an awesome programmer? Nothing you've said has proven it. In fact, you merely claim to have designed things that other people implemented. Sorry, doesn't make the grade - I've interviewed a ton of people who claim to be "awesome developers", have high knowledge about various languages, designed tons of stuff, yadda yadda yadda, and yet they utterly and completely fail our interview questions. All of which are technical, ranging from absurdly simple to needing to know the intracacies of the language (no, you don't have to get those, but you have to at least have a clue -- these "great" coders didn't).
Is this harsh? Damn straight. Sounds like someone needs to slap you upside the head and kick your ass into reality, because you don't get it yet.
I knew a similar loser in EQ... a pathetic dweeb that couldn't do anything with his life and just skimmed off his parents. And, as it turned out, his friends. Hopefully you're at least not doing that, but whining about how society has "wronged" you is bullshit. Welcome to the American Dream -- it is not society's burdon to make sure you succeed, it's yours.
WTF?
Like many natural extroverts, Mr. Stenlund actually seems a bit shy offstage. Though articulate and clearly intelligent, he skipped college because he believed that school stifled creativity. Even as a child, Mr. Stenlund was not very outgoing, according to his mother, Marge Jarrells.
Funny, like many of the undriven, he skipped college because he had an excuse. I could buy the whole stifled intelligence B.S. if he had done something with his un-stifled intelligence after skipping college.
"He was pretty close to home most of the time," Ms. Jarrells, a pianist in Madison, said in a telephone interview. "Growing up, it was kind of hard for him to find his niches, and that is typical for people of high intelligence. They are not as sociable as other people. They are just off to themselves in their little projects."
In this latest of Mr. Stenlund's little projects, Thedeacon has also made a name for himself as an excellent warrior. Fantastically wealthy, at Level 200, with the best, rarest equipment, Thedeacon often helps represent the rebel clans in their battles against the forces of Omni-Tek.
Projects? High intelligence? WTF?
High intelligence would be realizing that spending an avg of 7 hours a day on the computer playing video games is probably why your computer repair/building/card swapping business is bust and you're broke. What kind of project is playing a game? Leading others? The article made it clear he was a leader because he wasted his life more than most, not because he's anything special... No, no "project"...
Face it, he's a nerd playing a game. The only credit I want to give him is that he found a wife that obviously puts up with his unstifled bullshit. That, in my book, is creditworthy.
Snooze and you lose your sushi.
Sure, why not- in fact, why stop there. Jason Blair would be the perfect slashdot story submitter and editor(most story-posters simply copy, outright, the first paragraph of whatever story they're linking to; Slashdot editors do zero factchecking, etc.)
Please help metamoderate.
With a bit of reflection, I have to wonder...
Is becoming so engrossed in a game that one plays for hours on end any different than becoming engrossed in a good novel? They can both be methods of escape, social commentary literature aside. The same goes for watching a movie, or really any other form of absorbing and interacting with information that doesn't involve talking to another human face-to-face. While I realize books and movies aren't interactive, that just means that we're getting better at improving the escape experience. It used to be that one's only choice was what character to identify with (small set of game paths.. used to be pretty standard). Now, we've simply come up with ways of making paths dynamically, so there are more options.
Another aspect of this... pen and paper roleplaying. I think many people would find that less objectionable, even despite the long periods of time involved (months or even years for a set of characters to evolve), though I could be wrong about that.
Still, I find it interesting to look at the various similarities between these things, yet to find that this one particular thing is being so negatively received.
NichG
Middle of nowhere? Middle of nowhere???!!!
This guy lives in Madison, Wisconsin, one of the coolest places in the world to live (speaking as somebody who moved my family just so I could be in Madison). We have 200,000 people, the state capital, one of the largest universities in the country, museums, restaurants, music, malls, traffic (sort of), sprawl (a little bit), more community and more to do than anywhere I ever lived in east cost suburbia.
Say what you want about gaming or anything else, but please stop making a big deal (all of you!) about a throw-away line about "too far from big cities", to conclude that this guy lives on 40 acres in the middle of rural South Dakota. Geez!
</RANT>
OK, South Dakotans who want to respond, feel free to rant on.
He's "trapped in a hand-to-mouth existence"? Maybe if he got off his ass and worked hard, he wouldn't be living "hand-to-mouth". Anyway, the term implies that you have to work hard for every meal. This guy definitely doesn't fit the bill.
Software sucks. Open Source sucks less.
The scary thing is, we're going to be seeing many, many more people like him as these games become more popular and our society becomes even more disconnected.
On the other hand, who cares? It will reduce traffic density and free up the job market. I can't wait until "wirehead" electrical stimulation of pleasure centers and fully immersive virtual reality become commonplace - I look forward to driving through the empty streets, as 90% of America retreats into a quiescent and obese stupor.
It Is the Nature of Information to Transgress Artificial Boundaries
How are we to make a distinction between a hardcore gamer, and an addict? It seems to be a pretty fine line.
It's obvious! Everquest kills, Anarchy Online heals.
D&D
;)
A mental unblalnced guy, with parents who put him under tremndous pressure plays a few game of DnD, then tries to kill himself, D&D is evil and destroying lives!
However, A guy obssessed with golf, kills himself because he can't lower his handicapp, no one even mentions golf in a negativly.
Yes, I grew up in the 70s playing D&D, how can you tell?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Here's the rub - he's aware that he needs to focus on his financial well-being; he admits that they need a better income, yet he plays constantly. He's wasting time that could be better spent improving his income position.
Why?
It's obvious why, on a psychological level. He's a computer hardware tech without a college degree and minimal social skills - nothing could be less comfortable for him than going out and finding a job, humbling himself dozens of times in interviews and probably having to settle for a rank-and-file position that doesn't pay that much. In the real world, he can't command a lot of status and he knows it.
On Anarchy Online, he is an eminence grise. He has the respect and admiration of hundreds.
People (in the initial stages, especially) pursue addictions because of some reward-structure involved, and the reward structure here is completely transparent. He gets a lot more positive feedback in AO than he does elsewhere. He's cathected his normal need for social validation into a domain where he has disprortionate success. I would probably do the same in his shoes: I have an ex-girlfriend who did, too. It's lucky for him he has a wife and an internal compass that keeps him realistic (the "move to Las Vegas" plan might actually not be a bad one) and I hope for the best for him.
I'm not that surprised he's married, though. He seems likeable and thoughtful and reasonably self-aware.
.. when you are dealing with real people.
,you have to deal with them and in most cases you do things with them. The only difference is the mode of interaction. Instead of sitting down at a table talking to each other and playing a game of cards, game of chess, family or group game; you are individually sitting down at computers talking to each other, playing a computer game, any MMORPG or community based On-Line game. If you never interact with anyone while doing this then there is a difference, but the whole community interaction is almost exactly the same. You can make friends with people or learn that you really are not friends with someone when you are talking to them over a card table or over a computer connection. Are the situations identical... NO, but they are similar in the aspects of interaction... the major difference being what can happen physically. Both interactions can involve personal or intellectual content and can increase your personal "growth" if they are productive. There are a lot of "unproductive" conversations that happen every day that will never matter the next day regardless if your at a card table, at your computer or at your local bar.
With the advent of MMORPG, and On-Line gamming in general, there is another consideration for everyone who is talking about games. The definition of community. This article touches on the fact that the person as the character still interacts with real people and talks to them. This is not the fact that they physically interact, but the whole interaction of a community and communication.
We are talking about the change of a "Real" society to a "Virtual" society. In both cases you are interacting with real people. You talk to them
Lots of hobbies that people have are just to give someone something to do.... some of them are self gratifying some are just to "waste time" and some 'might' be used in the future. I actually look at computer games as a hobby of mine... sometimes I spend a lot of time on them and sometimes I don't. Minus the personal interaction, the people I know from around the world and the country, there is a lot of things that will not help me with my day to day activities, but I can tell you that interacting with people is a lot easier on-line than in IRL and interacting with people on-line has helped me with interacting with people IRL. I have seen people work through problems talking on-line as well as IRL, both ways its mental change.
With the introduction of the internet to the world the whole definition of community has changed, or multiple definitions are being created, and I personally see a lot of people just really don't like that or don't want to deal with it. Some benefit from it and some donâ(TM)t. Real life is that way also. I see little difference in the end.
I do agree we shouldn't idolize them (unless, you know, they are _really_ good ;).
Karting, Paintball, Snowboarding and learning Magic Tricks aren't in themselves that useful either, but they still have skill involved.
Doing them to an acceptable 'competative' level is not the hardest things in the world (not as hard as say, learning a musical instrument) but it's quite similar to getting a good level of skill in a multiplayer game (like Unreal Tournament or Counter Strike), in that it can take a similar amount of time.
I think games are going to keep being more interesting, you can already hide in the swamp/rubble/long grass/on the cliff, choose weapon types that have different weights, reload times, clip sizes, impacts and armour types with different stenghts and styles - the weight of which effects your overall movement speed and aiming time [i.e. the time it takes for your recticle to stettle]). It can take quite a while to find your personal favorite weapons and develop tactics for a game (both generic tactics and map specific ones).
Both Ghost Recon and True Combat (the Q3A mod) are good examples of this (the are much less 'run around in your face quick fire that rocket' than Q3A, UT or even CS, and they rely really heavily on team work).
I think this summarizes the NYT view on everything outside of New York City. I happen to be a little confused as to why they don't think it applies to New York City as well... I guess they live in a different "reality".
Some people have been questioning the difference between gaining skill in a video game, and being somewhat obsessive about gardening, or some sport. I realized it the other day, and that's when I stopped playing PSO.
Barring some tragic accident, the instruments that I play, the cooking skills that I learn, and the martial arts that I practice will continue. They have been around for hundreds of years (at least). These skills will also continue to be a part of me for the rest of my life, assuming I keep up with them a little, and again, barring a serious accident.
Games like PSO and UO are different. These games will be around for a few years at most. Since the Dreamcast version of PSO is still limping along, we could maybe even call it 5 years. Yes, some of the skills you get in playing one game transfer to another, but you still have to start out at level 1 with nothing. Your "skills" and "accomplishments" are relevant only as long as the whims of (largely) a bunch of schoolchildren deem them to be so.
Don't misunderstand. I love to play video games...too much. I love a good story, and view a video game as a valid means of getting that story to me, just as much as a good book. But I realized that PSO was not like that; it was breaking my "rules", my reason for playing a game. I had seen all of the plot long ago (save for small updates made only very rarely). It was just repetition now, similar to practicing martial arts (outside of class), but it would all be gone in a few years.
So rather than spend 1600 hours getting to level 200 (actual numbers for one guy on a message board I used to moderate), I stopped. It's easier since the GameCube is in my brother's room (he bought it). I told him to use my characters as he sees fit. I was tired of PSO invading all of my thoughts, keeping me from sleep, and generally making me a less interesting person by absorbing my life.
For those who are deep into such territory, try taking a week off. Totally disconnect; no message boards, no talking about it, nothing. And don't just watch TV instead. Try to remember other things that (used to?) interest you. You might find it's something like waking up.
WMBC freeform/independent online radio.
Wrong, actually. The Meta-physicist profession has more game breaking mechanics than any other by a large margin. Many professions have their quirks and problems, but they can still function and function according to their profession. Most of the tools metas use have been broken since AO's launch. As far as content though, the class actually peaks at 130. Post 130, the class goes downhill unless the player alters their character to that of a soldier/agent role which then leaves them less bad, but still not good. I'd say that's pretty damn broken. But moreover, it wasn't until two weeks ago that he (after being a level 200 Meta for quite a few months) finally admitted to himself that his class was so messed up past 130, that he had to "sell out" to a non-meta playstyle just to actually function. The profession has been complaining about this ever since the first meta peaked at 130. But it took a charismatic, well-known figure like Thedeacon to rally everyone together and really make the case known. Jayde was a similar figure for Adventurers even though the concerns that he addresses have been around even before I recomended the game to him.
Imagine a country where someone declares bankruptcy, then goes to the mall with his wife to buy some treats (that's when he bought AO). Then, the person is a week from eviction, but has a modern computer, internet access, and the disposable income to pay $13 a month for a game. Is it any wonder that communism failed?
This is going to be a lengthy but serious discussion of MMORPGs.
Usually, when I read these kinds of articles about game addicts, I always think, "if only we could use his powers for good!" If only we could make it so that people get more out of games than just fun. If only we could actually get something genuinely useful at the same time (so we don't end up with stories like this one from The Onion).
My canonical example is Crazy Taxi. In this game, you drive a taxi, taking people from place to place in a pseudo-San Francisco city. You get more points for driving recklessly, getting as close as you can to crashing things without actually crashing into them. What if...you could actually learn the streets of San Fran while playing this game? I hate driving there because I don't know what the streets are, because of all the one-way streets, because of all the cars and pedestrians. But what if you could actually learn the streets incidentally while playing the game? You would actually be learning something useful beyond the game console.
Now, analogously, what if we could get something useful out of MMORPGs, more than just entertainment and player-killing?
Here's a crazy idea: what if we could actually simulate real problems of society in MMORPGs and harness the power of players in solving those problems? For example, homelessness or pollution?
What if these MMORPGs were modelled such that they actually reflected real aspects of the world, creating an environment where we could actually experiment with different public policies, or even have the numerous players (who are clearly very intelligent people) try to figure out different solutions to these problems? Try out different ideas that may eventually influence what we actually do in the real world?
One example that's pushing in this direction is University of Washington's UrbanSim, where they try to predict what the impact of different public policy decisions will be on the environment. (They also run tests on old data to make sure their model matches the actual results).
I'm aware of how difficult this would be, all of the barriers in making convincing and realistic models, in making an appropriate reward system to incentivize people, in actually convincing academic scholars in sociology and public policy as well as policy makers that these ideas can be realistically and feasibly implemented with the expected results. (I'm in the Phd program in Computer Science at Berkeley, I have a pretty good idea of how difficult it would be).
But think about the potential here as well. A simulation with thousands of people interacting with one another, where we could try out radical new ideas in solving problems. Think of it as SimSociety. Think of it as a variation of Doug Engelbart's vision, where we need to get better at solving problems because the ones we're facing these days are far harder than anything we've ever seen before. Players could be doing more than just having fun. They could also be making a difference, for the better.
The reason we haven't been posting is that most of us have moved on to other stories. Then there is the fact that few people will try to have a discussion with someone who resorts to insulting people and acting like a child. Just like the with similar insult spewing /. trolls, don't think much people would care or bother to reply to you anyway.
Why don't you do something about your financial problems instead of wasting your time here? Better yet, why not escape your responsibilities by going back to your MMORPG and try not to damage the MMORPG community's image any further with your stupid postings? Not only are you giving MMORPG players a bad name, your foolish actions are just making more people believe this story, and claims like this.
If you want to keep providing the world with proof of the stereotypes such as MMORPG players being addicts, socially irresponsible, ignore basic life necessary needs, ignore all responsibilities, spend most of their living and free time escaping reality, get pissed and take it out at others for their problems instead of being mature, etc then go right ahead.
We are not afraid you, we have just moved on to other stories and things. You sound like the type of person who acts tough due to the anonymity of the internet but are really a spineless coward in real life.