Week 9

Week 9

Constance Steinkudhler & Dimitri Williams,

After reading your article, Where Everybody Knows Your (Screen) Name: Online Games as “Third Places,” it made me think of gaming in a whole different way.  Originally I thought it was just people who sat at their gaming systems wasting away hours playing games, but now I see it more from your perspective where it provides a place where you can socialize just without the face-to-face or physical aspects.  I thought it was interesting when you pointed out how these MMOs tend to be fantasy worlds that let the gamer escape real life and relax in the world of the games as their chosen avatar.  When you described in your article about the socialization during the leisure time of Americans outside of their homes as being “only three-quarters of an hour each day”, it really shocked me, however after thinking about it, I’m not surprised.  People are lazy with the advancement of technology, and instead of needing to leave their houses to talk to others; we can now socialize through MMO games and other tools.  Things like smart phones (specifically Androids/ iPhones/ Windows) allow us to play those MMOs more often while still being social, which opposes the assumption that staying home means you are anti-social.  I like how these MMOs actually allow us to socialize way more than ever before, and lead us to socialize with people through shared interests. 

-Gabby Theroux