Reading is Learning

Welcome knowledge seekers,

                I read my first book from cover to cover for my senior Project. The book title was Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games By R.V. Kelly 2 which is a non-fiction book about the wide world of MMORPG gaming. It was a little dry to just sit down and read it, but it was fairly informative on answering many of the questions I had in the beginning of the project. I cannot say that it is the most interesting read and that everyone would enjoy the book, but if a person is interested in learning more about why we play games I definitely recommend it.

                The book starts off with a summary about the whole book in general.  It gives a little detail on why we play games, how the games have been created, how they have evolved from common childhood games, and some dangers the comes from games. The author explains in great detail of the culture that the gaming community has. Inside this synthetic world, there are rules, norms, taboos, and stereotypes just like in the real world. The game itself builds its own type of community and players fallow those unwritten rules. For example, there is an in game economy system where players can trade items they have received in the game for some sort of money. There is a global economy inside the game that revolves around the items that can be traded in the game. Now just like in the real world, there are scammers or theft between players to either get items or money.  These real world problems surface themselves inside the game world which makes it hard for some people to leave their computer when the two worlds are so similar.

                I found it very interesting how the author changed my mind on the thought of gaming. The author explained that games are not just for enjoyment, but has second purposes for many people. The fact that these game worlds act as a stress relievers and give people everywhere an escape form their real world problems. This is one reason why it is so hard for an avid gamer to just “turn off the game.” Some real world problems the author mentioned would not have crossed my mind. People such as handicapped individuals or mentally challenged people will all have a new life guaranteed in this game where no one will know they are different from the rest of the gamers.  Players in the gaming world all mask their identity with an avatar so individuals can recreate themselves how they wanted themselves to be seen. In some way it throws away the thought of looks is everything and gives people to know another person in a more connectable way.

                All in All I enjoyed this book very much and recommend it to anyone who is interested in the subject of gaming. I learned many new things from this book and I am excited to keep researching on this subject.

                Signing out,

                MHB

Check in for project

Salutations readers,

                For the most part, I have spent the majority of my time conducting research on the topic of game addiction. I have learned what qualifies as an addiction and how people can be cured from it. I also know the seriousness of some of these addictions and what brings people into playing a Video game. One type of video game that interested me the most was the concept of an MMORPG (massively multi-player online role playing game). This type on games includes the most addicted players that will risk their own health to continue and play.

                An MMORPG is a game that allows the player to create and avatar (sometimes known to be called their second-self) to roam the wonderful world in the game. These avatars vary in appearance and roles that they play in the game and there are usually infinites of options such as clothing or abilities that make it so every avatar can be different. Once a person creates the avatar that they like, they can enter the game world and enjoy countless amounts of hours playing to get their avatar to a higher status. To grow on the internet is not that much different from how we grow in reality, the more a person spends doing a certain activity they gain experience and can perform the same act better than before. This system is built on the EXP (experience) and status or stronger abilities are all dependent on EXP. Now so far there isn’t much difference from reality and this game world except for the fact that a person who once gains this experience will never lose it. This is one reason why people continue to play games. No matter how many time a person dies in the game or messes up in an activity, they will never lose the EXP they worked so hard to get. Unlike the real world where a fatal mistake like bribery can lose you your job, the game world will never set you back.

                A huge question that is still buzzing in my mind is how did these types of games become so popular? Was just advertising that was successful or was spread by word. Was it just the fact that humans were looking for new ways to entertain themselves and this was the solution? My project has not really changed from the beginning except for the fact that I have dug deep into the historical aspect. I have not looked much at modern issues we have with game addiction and how they have differed. I know that in 2006-2009 there have been multiple stories of death because of the lack of ability to pry away from the monitor or screen.

                So far I still plan on continuing my research and I am still looking for contacts on possible interviews. I would like to also finish reading this book about the start of MMORPG’s and then look into therapeutically research on addiction.

                Sincerely,

                MHB