The reading assigned this week discussed the control the media has on our lives. In the Machurian Conusmer section it says "we've given up mental control" this I do not believe. I do not think the majority of society has given up mental control but I do think game addiction is a problem. I think many gamers want to escape reality and the stress accumulated from it and their way of doing this is by playing W.O.W. This may not be a bad thing if it is played in moderation. However in Second Skin this was not the case. I think when people start spending 10, 12, or more hours a day playing this video game and alter your "normal" living for the game it is very detrimental to your life.
In the one section of Second Skin the gamers went to the grocery store and admitted to buying unhealthy food because it was quicker so they could keep playing the video game.One player even said he would pee in his empty soda bottles so he would not have to leave his game. Sleep, nutritious food, physical activity, and relationships with people are all necessities to living a healthy life. Although I think playing games in moderation is not a terrible thing when any one of these factors that are essential to living a good life are altered then gaming is a terrible thing. Another gamer claimed his back hurt too bad to work which may be true but I don't think sitting around all day playing games is the way to help this situation. This gamer should be doing exercises, watching his weight, and maybe even physical therapy not sitting in a chair all day. If this gamer with terrible back pain can sit in a chair and play a game all day I think he can sit in a chair at work and answer phones or do other activities like this. In my opinion several of these people made excuses to why spending all day gaming was acceptable.
In the Posthuman section of the reading it discussed people and using their virtual selves to act how they wish they really were. This also may not be a terrible thing but only if the person only plays the game in free time and then uses the game to help him/herself act how they really desire in real life. I think it could be possible for a game to be used as a type of "self help" but like a said spending 10-12 hours a day is not healthy. The game should be used as a spare time activity that is played when bored or need to relax. Game time should be flexible and work around your life your life should not work around your game. I think this video related very well with the readings that discussed virtual personalities, the way technology has taken over us, virtual relationships, and the loss of reality. It was obvious that several of these people lost touch with the "real world" and began living in a virtual one which influenced their real lives. I definately think when gamers take it to this extreme they need help realizing the risks and problems this can give them in their life and need some type of help to stop gaming until they are able to control how often they play it.
On thing the readings about technology and the W.O.W videos made me think of was the song Back Then by Tim McGraw. In this song he talks about how much society has changed over time and I think it relates well with what we've been discussing in class. Here is a link to the song
Back Then
I have to agree with you, most of the people did make up excuses of why they were playing games all day. The guy with the back problems could have gone to work and sit at a chair and answer phones, just like what he was doing while playing the video game. The one guy had to leave for work and all his friends made fun of him! At least he was doing something more productive with his life then just playing games, he even got married.
ReplyDeleteYeah like if they used the experience of talking to people though the game and then took that to talking to people in the "real" world, but most people wouldn't really go for that.
I absolutely love that song lol!
I agree with your analysis of the Manchurian Consumer chapter of the book that stated that we have given up mental control. While I agree that it isn't most people, and Lasn kind of overstates that fact, I think that it is disturbing that it is happening at all. There are people in the United States that have become so mentally inept that they cannot think for themselves. A proper Democracy can not function without free thinking citizens. These people have in a sense given up their free will and have to be told what to do. To me this is incredibly disturbing as the world should not function in this way.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the connection you made to the song! It gave me another way of thinking about this topic as well :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the statement that you said about some people gaming to relieve stress. I myself play madden and other sports games on my ps2 sometimes to get rid of stress. I also believe that not everyone has lost control. You don't see the president and other important people gaming. I believe the gaming community is small. I don't think it is as large as everyone makes it out to be. I agree with you that people playing games is very unhealthy. These people don't ever move from their seat for hours on end. It is a terrible thing
ReplyDeleteFirst of all Great song....I love country and Tim McGraw and secondly it goes perfectly with this topic. How can someone make up excuses on why they play games all day long. And how in the world could someone laugh at a guy who has to go to work when they are the ones wasting a lot of time on a game. I also have to agree with you that games are a spare time activity. Something to get your mind off of or something to play to have some fun. Not an all day activity or to some of these guys it seems like it's there job to play this game. I don't know how they interact in the real world after talking to these people through headsets on a computer. My roomate does this stuff and he can barely interact with other roomates of ours.
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