For two comments above. Will you even remember yesterdays news? I wont remember the game, but the skills I learnt will stay with me longer.
I think the film simply leads viewers to think that gamers simply spend as much time attached to their keyboards as possible, without considering that many of us have girlfriends and hence have to find the time to spend with them, have hobbies outside of computing, and that a LAN gaming event is more concentrated gaming than we see until the next one and as a result compound the mysticism of gaming rather than shed a pure light on it to the uninitiated. As a documentary, I feel it fails, but as an interesting insight into the number of hours a hard-core gamer spends and what actually happens during a LAN, it deserves all the success that it will gain, and more.
At this point I just wanna say that Nadine, my partner, is actually more important than my computer, and I think that clip may have been out of context - but without seeing the unedited footage, I cant remember.
Finally - I just wanna say that my eyes don't normally look like that, but after 36 straight hours (at that point) and the scene where I was playing with power leads for some reason or other... - that was a quick fix, I don't normally work like that, and I was statically earthed with all the test beds in use. I am a professional no matter how bad that looks, lol!
PS - those of you interested in attending my LAN parties can email me for details and projected dates - Based in Brighton, UK.
Sorry for length and poor formatting
I need to be careful about what I say here, since I may be seen as bias, being the host of the LAN...
I think the film was well made - full credit to Simon. I think I would have done a significantly poorer job, if I'd even had the vision to start it. I also appreciate that Simon was short on time when making the film, so had to be selective on his approach.
But... you knew that was coming didn't you! But, I think the film featured too heavily on the side-aspects of gaming, mainly the number of hours spent gaming, and not the original brief of the pre-conceptions, namely anti-social behaviour and the effect of the time absorbed by Gaming (capital G). Therefore the comments here are purely about the editorial side and question if the film reached its goal, rather than direct criticism of the way it was made.
Predictably enough, I'm pro-gaming. I hold LANs maybe every quarter or so and see it as a highly sociable activity while single-player games are not. Let's compare LAN and to a lesser extent online gaming to various activities that society holds as social. In a LAN - you get lots of communication between players, as they yell and shout at the activities onscreen - normally directly influencing another player - very similar one may say to a football match. Or maybe to an evenings TV viewing - where you sit in silence, mostly, partially digesting material that you chose from a small selection of pre-prepared, pre-selected material. Or maybe Hockey, where two teams use their skills to out do the other team.
But that's just the aspect of time spent gaming. Gaming also gives a common ground to discuss before and after the actual event, where you plan or practice tactics, afterwards when you laugh and discuss the better moments. Gamers often spend a great deal of time away from computers talking about the finer details of an aspect of a game or talking excitedly about an imminent release of something new, or why a particular game is crap. And then gamers are often into computers as well - leading to non-game related conversations or events such as computer hardware itself, fixing problems, finding new ways to use computers - ultimately becoming an all-round computer geek such as myself;)
Then there's the side effects of all that computer interaction - you can make a profession out of it, and earn your crust - you make new contacts who specialise in similar areas and gain tips - or new ideas which you can turn into tips. You pick up good hand, eye, ear skills which leads to skills in other areas such as driving (which in its own way is a form of computer game, simply without a computer), planning and visualising, holding multiple thoughts in memory at the same time, memorisation.
Only one side of gaming was shown - and that was of first person shooters (FPS) and some real time strategy (RTS) / rapid role playing game (RRPG). Simon admits he didn't have the time to discuss the real time killers - Everquest and similar. Or games like Planetarion (planetarion.com) where you can spend days playing in a persistent world - and of the community that has evolved around them. These communities are far more active than your neighbourhood community!
Then the effect of time aborted by gaming cant be measured in hours - it must be measured in what would be done if the player hadn't turned on the PC. I would count Chess as a valuable past-time. You enjoy the time playing, and come out a better person, having used your brain and learn some skill - planning, logical thought. Likewise with most sports - better coordination, fitness. But what about a horror book? Or the news? Will knowing what's happening in Iraq effect your day-to-day life? Knowing that petrol prices may rise, does not allow you to change that fact. Is the news simply entertainment like Eastenders? Will you even remember yesterdays news? I wont remember the game, but the skills I learnt will stay with me longer.
I think the film simply leads viewers to think that gamers simply spend as much time attached to their keyboards as possible, without cons
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For two comments above. Will you even remember yesterdays news? I wont remember the game, but the skills I learnt will stay with me longer. I think the film simply leads viewers to think that gamers simply spend as much time attached to their keyboards as possible, without considering that many of us have girlfriends and hence have to find the time to spend with them, have hobbies outside of computing, and that a LAN gaming event is more concentrated gaming than we see until the next one and as a result compound the mysticism of gaming rather than shed a pure light on it to the uninitiated. As a documentary, I feel it fails, but as an interesting insight into the number of hours a hard-core gamer spends and what actually happens during a LAN, it deserves all the success that it will gain, and more. At this point I just wanna say that Nadine, my partner, is actually more important than my computer, and I think that clip may have been out of context - but without seeing the unedited footage, I cant remember. Finally - I just wanna say that my eyes don't normally look like that, but after 36 straight hours (at that point) and the scene where I was playing with power leads for some reason or other... - that was a quick fix, I don't normally work like that, and I was statically earthed with all the test beds in use. I am a professional no matter how bad that looks, lol! PS - those of you interested in attending my LAN parties can email me for details and projected dates - Based in Brighton, UK. Sorry for length and poor formatting
I need to be careful about what I say here, since I may be seen as bias, being the host of the LAN... I think the film was well made - full credit to Simon. I think I would have done a significantly poorer job, if I'd even had the vision to start it. I also appreciate that Simon was short on time when making the film, so had to be selective on his approach. But... you knew that was coming didn't you! But, I think the film featured too heavily on the side-aspects of gaming, mainly the number of hours spent gaming, and not the original brief of the pre-conceptions, namely anti-social behaviour and the effect of the time absorbed by Gaming (capital G). Therefore the comments here are purely about the editorial side and question if the film reached its goal, rather than direct criticism of the way it was made. Predictably enough, I'm pro-gaming. I hold LANs maybe every quarter or so and see it as a highly sociable activity while single-player games are not. Let's compare LAN and to a lesser extent online gaming to various activities that society holds as social. In a LAN - you get lots of communication between players, as they yell and shout at the activities onscreen - normally directly influencing another player - very similar one may say to a football match. Or maybe to an evenings TV viewing - where you sit in silence, mostly, partially digesting material that you chose from a small selection of pre-prepared, pre-selected material. Or maybe Hockey, where two teams use their skills to out do the other team. But that's just the aspect of time spent gaming. Gaming also gives a common ground to discuss before and after the actual event, where you plan or practice tactics, afterwards when you laugh and discuss the better moments. Gamers often spend a great deal of time away from computers talking about the finer details of an aspect of a game or talking excitedly about an imminent release of something new, or why a particular game is crap. And then gamers are often into computers as well - leading to non-game related conversations or events such as computer hardware itself, fixing problems, finding new ways to use computers - ultimately becoming an all-round computer geek such as myself ;)
Then there's the side effects of all that computer interaction - you can make a profession out of it, and earn your crust - you make new contacts who specialise in similar areas and gain tips - or new ideas which you can turn into tips. You pick up good hand, eye, ear skills which leads to skills in other areas such as driving (which in its own way is a form of computer game, simply without a computer), planning and visualising, holding multiple thoughts in memory at the same time, memorisation.
Only one side of gaming was shown - and that was of first person shooters (FPS) and some real time strategy (RTS) / rapid role playing game (RRPG). Simon admits he didn't have the time to discuss the real time killers - Everquest and similar. Or games like Planetarion (planetarion.com) where you can spend days playing in a persistent world - and of the community that has evolved around them. These communities are far more active than your neighbourhood community!
Then the effect of time aborted by gaming cant be measured in hours - it must be measured in what would be done if the player hadn't turned on the PC. I would count Chess as a valuable past-time. You enjoy the time playing, and come out a better person, having used your brain and learn some skill - planning, logical thought. Likewise with most sports - better coordination, fitness. But what about a horror book? Or the news? Will knowing what's happening in Iraq effect your day-to-day life? Knowing that petrol prices may rise, does not allow you to change that fact. Is the news simply entertainment like Eastenders? Will you even remember yesterdays news? I wont remember the game, but the skills I learnt will stay with me longer.
I think the film simply leads viewers to think that gamers simply spend as much time attached to their keyboards as possible, without cons