3 ms·

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 intera

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.