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As much as I've tried to understand it, the MMORPG world baffles me. Not the quality of the games; I'm sure WoW and FF XI are true spectacles of great gameplay and plot. And not even the fact that you have to pay monthly fees and other surcharges absent from traditional games. I don't even mind the fact that some people spend more time in these virtual worlds than sleeping, eating, or many other forms of necessary bodily function.
What gets me every time I read a feature story on the latest revolution in online role-playing gaming, is the fact that many players come home to these worlds after spending 8 or more hours talking to people on the phone, computer, in person, and whatever form communication takes in a respective workplace. Don't get me wrong, I'm fully aware that people find games engaging because it takes them away from the real world and allows them to relax. I'm also aware that gaming in general is a unique experience which simply can't be replicated anywhere else, so people carve out time to play.
But I can't fathom speaking to people all day long about their problems, my problems, that homeless guy sitting on the corner's problems, and coming home to talk to even more people in a world with the same problems. I don't have to slay monsters or find rare items to help me along in my quest to advance myself. But I do have to slay the complexities of communication, tracking down information or individuals to help me along with whatever quest I undertake. It's an eerily similar world when you think about it. And I couldn't imagine spending more than my 9 hours a day in that world.
Regardless of what profession one has, communication is always an innate quality. Only the luckiest are able to go about their work and not have to continually communicate with others. Even computer geeks will have to write a report to a boss, or explain their results to somebody. It's an inescapable fact. And at some point, enough becomes enough.
Limitless communication is already here. But if we spend all our hours communicating with other people, whether through work, gaming, or other devices, what will happen to our sense of self? Is reflection such an afterthought in modern technological society that we don't need it anymore? I find myself wondering how our culture is going to evolve as new technology pervades us, and online gaming is just one such facet. Hopefully, it won't be until after I'm long gone that we see any real ramifications from it.
I could go home after work and instant message with a few friends, or even join a chat room (if I were into chat rooms). But taking the eternal plunge into MMORPG-land is simply beyond me. I couldn't handle it. I've seen my friends play them, and even tried them myself. And I cannot express the degree of anxiety I felt afterwards. Judging from how seriously people take themselves in the worlds of online gaming, I don't think I'd fit in. Maybe that means I'm not a serious gamer. I like to think it means I'm sane.
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