Online Gaming

Prior to this course, I was completely unaware of the online gaming culture. I am amazed by the virtual world surrounding MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games). I am fascinated that so many people become addicted to virtual games. These addictions cost many people large amounts of time and money. Unfortunately, they can even cost people their jobs, relationships, and sadly, even their lives. The following is a link to an article about a young Dutch boy that committed suicide over an MMORPG. The boy was upset that one of his friends hacked into his account and ruined his gaming identity. Isn't it tragic yet interesting that a game can have such an impact on someone’s life?! http://forums.gamernode.com/showthread.php?t=2061

It is critical that more research be done on what effects these MMORPGs can have on someone's REAL life. Research has shown that these virtual communities can become a person's primary social outlet, and the community they are most comfortable with. In the case of Second Life, many people have spent thousands of dollars on their online identity to have a superior lifestyle in their virtual world. The one problem that I see with the addictions is that the users will confuse their online identity with reality. In Second Life there are concerns about how much sexual content there is and how prevalent sexual interaction is. Can you believe that this may be some users' preferred medium of sexual expression? Here is a news clip that discusses the problems with sex in Second Life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJw1rhg_5do