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I think it's a pretty facile view to take that Rocksmith or Dance Central are inherently more meaningful because they teach a certain real world skill. World o

I think it's a pretty facile view to take that Rocksmith or Dance Central are inherently more meaningful because they teach a certain real world skill. World of Warcraft teaches lots of skills (see work by Joi Ito, like [1]), but I am sure you would put that in your "demonize" category. Just like with other mediums like literature and cinema, you get into a lot of trouble very quickly when you start saying one art piece is worth more than another. Everything has value, even the most mindless game provides mindless escapism, and that is OK. It is OK to escape for a while. The problem isn't games. The problem is that we have poor motivational draws for other life aspects. Try reading some intrinsic motivational theory like Self-Determination Theory or Reiss 16 Desires. [1]: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-6048770-7.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-6048770-7.html

burningion 14y ago
I agree with you here, there are certainly skills to be gained from playing games, and World of Warcraft could certainly be giving a lot as far as social interaction, cooperation, and leadership. Even the horrible example I was thinking of (Call of Duty) has some benefits. The problem is, I don't see real life ever being as seductive emotionally as the gaming life. More and more our synthetic realities (video games, social media) are becoming more emotionally charged than our physical layer of reality. Just look at the number of people walking down the street with their faces in their phones. When they come home it's back to the computers and video games. Where do we regain the ability to focus in the real world? Or is the constant distraction the new norm for us as a culture?
- Lewisham 14y ago
  You're not wrong, but the motivational ship has already sailed. However, I'm sure much the same was said about television and radio before it. The problem isn't the technology, it's us. However, we've survived OK so far. Do I think people spend too much time on their phones Wall-E style? Sure. Do I think it's the phone's fault? No. I think it's an us thing, and we're still working out how to deal with it. It wasn't long ago that a social convention was popping up where people would put their phones on the table and turn them all onto Airplane Mode. We need new social conventions, but the technology that invades our lives away from the desk is all very new in the grand scheme of things.

burningion 14y ago

I agree with you here, there are certainly skills to be gained from playing games, and World of Warcraft could certainly be giving a lot as far as social interaction, cooperation, and leadership. Even the horrible example I was thinking of (Call of Duty) has some benefits. The problem is, I don't see real life ever being as seductive emotionally as the gaming life. More and more our synthetic realities (video games, social media) are becoming more emotionally charged than our physical layer of reality. Just look at the number of people walking down the street with their faces in their phones. When they come home it's back to the computers and video games. Where do we regain the ability to focus in the real world? Or is the constant distraction the new norm for us as a culture?

Lewisham 14y ago
You're not wrong, but the motivational ship has already sailed. However, I'm sure much the same was said about television and radio before it. The problem isn't the technology, it's us. However, we've survived OK so far. Do I think people spend too much time on their phones Wall-E style? Sure. Do I think it's the phone's fault? No. I think it's an us thing, and we're still working out how to deal with it. It wasn't long ago that a social convention was popping up where people would put their phones on the table and turn them all onto Airplane Mode. We need new social conventions, but the technology that invades our lives away from the desk is all very new in the grand scheme of things.