MMOs are Good for you.

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TheBluePill

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http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/09/06/online.games.sociability.reut/index.html

Some games may enhance sociability
POSTED: 1:13 p.m. EDT, September 6, 2006


NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Video games involving multiple players serve as informal gathering places akin to old-time pubs and coffee shops, and can thereby boost the players' social connections, researchers argue in a new study.

In their report, Constance Steinkuehler of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Dmitri Williams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign question the perception that kids who play computer games are isolating themselves, at least when they are playing so-called massively multiplayer online games (MMOs).

"By providing spaces for social interaction and relationships beyond the workplace and home, MMOs have the capacity to function as one form of a new 'third space' for informal sociability," Steinkuehler and Williams write.

While such sociability won't offer "deep emotional support," they add, it has the benefit of exposing players to a wide range of viewpoints and a more diverse social environment.

The effects of the Internet on society are still being debated, the researchers note in an article in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. Some claim the Web allows people to build connections and communities, while others say such virtual links are just a poor substitute for the real thing.

The researchers sought to investigate the role of MMOs, in which players inhabit "avatars" or on-screen representations of characters within virtual worlds and chat with other players by text or voice, in players' social lives.

They studied whether one game, "Asheron's Call I and II," built players' "social capital" by dividing 750 people into game-playing and non-playing groups. They also conducted a two-year study of the activities and perceptions of a group of people playing the MMO "Lineage."

Steinkuehler and Williams conclude that the games helped players gather a type of social capital known as "bridging," which involves making informal connections with others, while they didn't generally help people build stronger social bonds.

Such "weaker" social links are important, the researchers say, because they offer players the opportunity to be exposed to diverse worldviews that they may not encounter in the real world.

Players who did become more deeply involved in the games did run the risk of having virtual relationships replace real-life ones, however, the researchers note. However, to see these online communities as an entirely bad thing is short-sighted, they say.

"To argue that MMO game play is isolated and passive media consumption in place of informal social engagement is to ignore the nature of what participants actually do behind the computer screen," they state. "In the case of MMOs, game play is more akin to playing five-person poker in a neighborhood tavern that is accessible from your own living room."
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Somehow spending 500 hours sitting in front of your computer playing a game seems like it would completely negate any of the good things that they're claiming can come from games.
 
Yeah, somehow a topic along the lines of 'cocaine-level addiction' wasn't really fleshed out.
 
I played WoW 14 months straight through the end of 04 into 06... it was the most depressing year of my entire life.

Quitting WoW was like being re-born into society :eek: :cool:
 
big difference between social skills involving text on screen, and social skills while face to face with someone.
 
theNoid said:
I played WoW 14 months straight through the end of 04 into 06... it was the most depressing year of my entire life.

Quitting WoW was like being re-born into society :eek: :cool:
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Yep, I had the same feeling with Diablo 2. It's horrible.
 
theNoid said:
I played WoW 14 months straight through the end of 04 into 06... it was the most depressing year of my entire life.

Quitting WoW was like being re-born into society :eek: :cool:
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Why so much hate on the WoW? You obviously enjoyed something in the game quite a bit to play it that long. I know I played the first 8 months very hardcore and it was an amazingly fun time.
 
Yeah I recently quit WoW as well. I had a lot of fun playing, the only reason I stopped is because I don't have the time to be a "hardcore raider" anymore, and for me, being casual just isn't fun.

I'm very much an all or nothing type of person.
 
This study is based on such ridiculous logic that I seriously question the legitimacy of these institutions. MMOs aren't antisocial because people talk to each other in them? Are you kidding? That's like saying every nerd who ever spent 20 hours a day on IRC isn't antisocial.
 
my main thing with this was always, who cares?

If someone can sit on a computer for 20 hours a day, not harm himself, or anyone else, and can survive happily, then who gives a shit? Let 'em be.
 
Im sorry but the there is a couple reason why people have lifes, and one of them isnt to live another one in a game.
 
]|[ Mar']['in ]|[ said:
my main thing with this was always, who cares?

If someone can sit on a computer for 20 hours a day, not harm himself, or anyone else, and can survive happily, then who gives a shit? Let 'em be.
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Agreed. If it doesn't affect you, it doesn't matter.
 
hity645 said:
Im sorry but the there is a couple reason why people have lifes, and one of them isnt to live another one in a game.
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and who are you to tell someone who may be living happily in his game world not harming himself or anyone else, that he cannot do so?

We all have different preferences, and different things make many of us happy. It's quite possible that for some people, THAT is what makes them happy.

And as we see in office space, some people just want to do nothing ;)
 
I'm a former EverQuest addict, ever since the last year of highschool to the final year of college... thats over 6 years of gaming nights... I racked up over a full year of being logged on and playing... this coming january I'll celebrate my 1-year anniversary of not playing EQ...

I remember it was tremendous fun from day 1... and as far as the social aspect, I met a ton of new ppl, we got together, went to play pool on a dozen occasions, and I got tons of real life advice. My guild and I got together once a year at our guild-leaders home for a huge-ass BBQ where there was tons of food, beer, paintball, and gaming talk... and one of the MOST important aspects of the draw of MMO is that there are a lot of girls playing, in the guild and the gatherings the women were outnumbering the men, and several relationships had flourished... in fact, my best friend is marrying the girl he met through EQ this coming november, however my own relationship lasted for 3 months of having to drive back and fourth between NY and Ohio. He had to fly between NY and Florida and his thing worked out.

the way you play the game does not just make you more social but reflects your already-honed social skills... if you have them, you'll be in large groups, guilds and such, talking to em all the time and going out with them IRL every other week like many of us were... others will stay loners irregardless of their proximity to you IRL.

in conclusion... dont discount this article, I know exactly where its coming from, and being that I'm going almost a year cold-turkey from EQ now, I'm not some apologist. What made me stop? ... the fact that while looking for a real job I could not have it as a consideration and could not play the kind of hours for the type of guild I was in, and anything less was not worth it to me... I was in the top 3 guilds on my server for 4 years and that wasnt going to change.
 
theNoid said:
I played WoW 14 months straight through the end of 04 into 06... it was the most depressing year of my entire life.

Quitting WoW was like being re-born into society :eek: :cool:
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To quote a WoW loading screen tip...."Take all things in moderation (even World of Warcraft!)"
 
what trash writing. whoever wrote it has no clue and needs a
smack.gif
 
theNoid said:
I played WoW 14 months straight through the end of 04 into 06... it was the most depressing year of my entire life.

Quitting WoW was like being re-born into society :eek: :cool:
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I don't understand how people can become so addicted to a game that it changes their life. I have been playing wow for about 3 months now and am at lvl 38 and it hasn't changed my life at all. Instead of playing other games that I would have been playing I play WoW, it doesn't change the total amount of time I spend gaming...

If you can't handle it don't do it I guess... :rolleyes:
 
purepwnage satires MMORPG's perfectly. knowing so many who were and are lost in the damn things thinking its all that is fucking pathetic and truly sad. they forget RL, being productive in life, being social, getting LAID ...smoke another one guys. you know who you are
 
one of my friend met and married a woman on everquest. too bad she had fo' kids :D

I still laff at his ass. he coulda done better in real life.
 
Smoking crack is good too, it gives you great people skills and shows you areas of your city you never knew existed! No more will you ignore that shady bum on the corner, or that haggard old woman that pushes the dope on the corner. You'll finally have the courage to start up a conversation with this person, as well as be able to barter with them, just like in the olden days. When your regular pusher is busted or gets killed, you must embark on a great adventure to find the next best person, this will take you to new places. Not only will you be traveling the ghetto and back allies, you will be doing it without fear on the quest for the sacred rock! Ladies and Gentlemen, crack is a good thing!
 
theNoid said:
I played WoW 14 months straight through the end of 04 into 06... it was the most depressing year of my entire life.

Quitting WoW was like being re-born into society :eek: :cool:
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Preach the good news brother!

Tired of watching my friends and friends of friends fade away sitting on their comps playing that gay ass game. (xfire pours salt on the wound too a friends wow thing says "TOTAL HOURS: World of Warcraft: 3552" ridiculous)
 
RailGunRiz said:
Preach the good news brother!

Tired of watching my friends and friends of friends fade away sitting on their comps playing that gay ass game. (xfire pours salt on the wound too a friends wow thing says "TOTAL HOURS: World of Warcraft: 3552" ridiculous)
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That's like an entire third of a year... just playing WoW...

An entire third of a year they'll never get back.
 
G'ßöö said:
purepwnage satires MMORPG's perfectly. knowing so many who were and are lost in the damn things thinking its all that is fucking pathetic and truly sad. they forget RL, being productive in life, being social, getting LAID ...smoke another one guys. you know who you are
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Again, moderation.
 
Gibzilla said:
one of my friend met and married a woman on everquest. too bad she had fo' kids :D

I still laff at his ass. he coulda done better in real life.
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Im confused, did he meet her online then marry her in real life or marry her in the game and she has kids in game or outside of the game and he considers them his step kids? :confused:
 
The article isn't necessarily saying that playing an mmo 20 hours a day is good for you. Playing an mmo or any kind of multiplayer game casually can lead to a perfectly fine, social experience. It also isn't saying that playing multiplayer games can replace real-life social experiences either - well, maybe it is a little, which is rather dumb.

Most people however, can't play an mmo casually. Either due to lack of self-discipline, or simply the way the game is made out. I've never been a big fan of the way mmos always make you grind endlessly to get anything accomplished in the game. But I've played EverQuest and WoW for a long time and had a lot of fun with both of them. Although I never let it take over my life like some people. Seriously, it's just a game folks. And I guess the same thing could be said about pubs and bars; sure it can be a fine social experience, but when you start spending every day drinking your life away, there's no good in that.
 
hity645 said:
Im sorry but the there is a couple reason why people have lifes, and one of them isnt to live another one in a game.
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What do you do that is so high and mighty? Are you too good for games? You sir, are ignorant

RailGunRiz said:
Tired of watching my friends and friends of friends fade away sitting on their comps playing that gay ass game. (xfire pours salt on the wound too a friends wow thing says "TOTAL HOURS: World of Warcraft: 3552" ridiculous)
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So because you don't like WoW, you are going to try and deprive your friends of having fun? Maybe to some people playing WoW is funner then going out IRL and getting drunk(it sure as hell is to me). You sir, are the people I try to stay away from.

PWMK2 said:
That's like an entire third of a year... just playing WoW...

An entire third of a year they'll never get back.
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An entire third of a year of fun for like $100. That's a pretty good deal man, let me see you top that with anything IRL. What did you do for fun last year? Did you get anything back?
rolleyes.gif


You guys piss me off, you are seriously bad friends. Your friends play WoW, and you're mad that they don't do what you want them to. So what, you go ranting about how it ruins lives? Grow up, you can't tell people what to do for fun, either play WoW or shut up. Stop telling everyone what to do.
 
Rofl-Mic-Lofl said:
What do you do that is so high and mighty? Are you too good for games? You sir, are ignorant
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At least Im not dumb enough to waste a good portion of my life "living" another one in a fake world. If I was going to live in a game because Im depressed or hate real life, Id rather end it.

I see this thread getting locked real soon.
 
At least Im not dumb enough to waste a good portion of my life "living" another one in a fake world. If I was going to live in a game because Im depressed or hate real life, Id rather end it.
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You presume the majority of the world has something better to do with their weeknights... like go out and pretend you like other ppl so they can pretend they like you and you can be judged by how pretty you got dressed up and how expensive that cologne is...

If it wasnt for getting laid by un-worthwhile ppl, no self-respecting human being would be out at clubs and bars. Every person at a bar looks like theyre wasting their life away, and every person at a club looks like theyre throwing theirs away. You come for the the dancing, the fast women, and eventualy you stay for the pickups, sex and innevitably drugs... how the hell else do you go clubbing? And if you're not in bars or clubs, what are you doing? watching TV? well i can tell you from years of experiences that MMOs are damn more productive socialy than sitting on your ass and watching Lost.

If you could possibly attest to gaming affecting intellectual life, you'd be totaly wrong, I got through college perfectly fine with it and so did many others. And I made a pact when i started gaming that I would not miss a single social event for staying on EQ and it never happened, nor was it hard to maintain as a lifestyle.

And while that world may-be imaginary, the people on the other end of those keyboards are sure as hell not. Let me be the first to say this, EverQuest got me laid and past my virginity in the first place AND she was cute. My friends fiance that he met on EQ and is moving to florida to marry this november is allso not bad, just has 1 kid is the problem but the kid is nice and likes him.
 
hity645 said:
At least Im not dumb enough to waste a good portion of my life "living" another one in a fake world. If I was going to live in a game because Im depressed or hate real life, Id rather end it.
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What do you do for fun? You never answered my question.

How is having clean fun a waste of a life? You don't have to be depressed to play WoW.. That's like saying everyone that drinks is depressed. Yes, some.. but some do it for fun, etc. A very small percentage are "living" in WoW. Yes, a lot of people play it quite a bit, but it's not like everyone that plays WoW is a hermit that never comes out.
-1 for being closed minded. You sound like my Grandma,"Video games are the devil"
 
MMOs are a recreation of all the boring, shitty aspects of life. You don't have a boss, you have a guild leader. You don't earn money, you earn gold. You don't buy clothes, you buy a +1 Defense upgrade to your armor. You don't buy a car, you earn an epic mount. And people PAY for this shit!

Gee golly, y'know, MMOs sound swell and all, but before I commit to one, I'd like to see them add insurance and taxes. They could call the game Shitty Ol' Real Life...with Elves! Because, hell, they could add mystical creatures to a dentist visit, and I'll be damned if I don't instantly start thinking it's a grand old time.
 
Playing video games? Man, you losers need to get a life. Instead of sitting alone in your basement, you should do something productive, like going outside, finding people who choose to live their lives differently than you, and belittling them.
 
MMO's may be good for you, but I have yet to find one that didn't suck as a game.
 
finalgt said:
MMOs are a recreation of all the boring, shitty aspects of life. You don't have a boss, you have a guild leader. You don't earn money, you earn gold. You don't buy clothes, you buy a +1 Defense upgrade to your armor. You don't buy a car, you earn an epic mount. And people PAY for this shit!

Gee golly, y'know, MMOs sound swell and all, but before I commit to one, I'd like to see them add insurance and taxes. They could call the game Shitty Ol' Real Life...with Elves! Because, hell, they could add mystical creatures to a dentist visit, and I'll be damned if I don't instantly start thinking it's a grand old time.
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Quoted for truth. I played WOW for exactly 2 months, figured this out, and quit to make more money IRL so I could get laid more. Hey it worked to.

-dave
 
There has to be a balance in everything you do. Playing WoW for so long is not neccessarily a waste of time. Just because you're not in "real life" doesn't mean shit. I don't know too many people who don't clock at least an hour or two a day watching tv, or if they're into movies at least one movie a day. Those are hardly "real life" experiences, but most of our society uses them as a relaxation method. It doesn't really matter how you relax, it's just that you DO relax. Me, I played runescape for about two years (let the flaming begin!). Do I consider that wasted time? Hell no, it gave me a good slow-paced hour or two to unwind and turn my brain off. Also, if you don't think online friends count as real friends because they're not there with you in real life.. what the hell are you doing on a forum? You're obviously not talking to real people. :p
 
I don't get why theres a misconception that WoWers are all on there for 10 hours a day...

and also why does everyone think that "RL" is just clubbing and bars? It's completely possible to play games and have fun and not be a wierdo, and it's also possible to live "RL" not as a toolbox...
 
ValeX said:
What bothers me is these dumbasses that sit on geek forums like this one all night and tell us who needs to get a life. Honestly, if you don't want to be here, gtfo. Go play football or something if you're such an advocate of "RL"

ValeX
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I think if you got laid more you would have more of a sunny disposition. :D

-dave
 
Rofl-Mic-Lofl said:
What do you do that is so high and mighty? Are you too good for games? You sir, are ignorant

So because you don't like WoW, you are going to try and deprive your friends of having fun? Maybe to some people playing WoW is funner then going out IRL and getting drunk(it sure as hell is to me). You sir, are the people I try to stay away from.

An entire third of a year of fun for like $100. That's a pretty good deal man, let me see you top that with anything IRL. What did you do for fun last year? Did you get anything back?
rolleyes.gif


You guys piss me off, you are seriously bad friends. Your friends play WoW, and you're mad that they don't do what you want them to. So what, you go ranting about how it ruins lives? Grow up, you can't tell people what to do for fun, either play WoW or shut up. Stop telling everyone what to do.
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We're not telling people what to do for fun so calm your little ass down. It's not just about having fun all the damn time. It's a known fact that if someone sits on their fuckin' computer 168 hours a week they're going to develop serious problems. I don't dictate to my friends what they should or should not do, but I care enough to tell them that the shit they're playing now will ruin their lives.

These few people I know are people who used to go out and socialize like NORMAL people do. Now they're confined to a room, paying $15.00 a month or more for some lame shitty looking game and don't give me that internet-socialization shit either, you will never know who the hell you're talking to over the internet these days especially if they're people you met in an online game + I doubt they'll "learn/progress" from talking to idiots that type "KEKEKE RU LFG?:DDDD". If someone doesn't like going out with their buddies or leaving their computer for a while..then they're either depressed / something is not correct with them / they need help.

With that, get some real friends and GTFO.
 
this article is totally full of it!! I have been stuck the last 12months playing wow, 6months of it playing hardcore raiding. During the time of hardcore raiding, I did not even go out or see my friends to socialize as much. Depressed? yes, at how I was able to waste so much time devoted to a toon in wow. Was it fun? yes it was very fun if everything goes your way. But what the article states is considered to be sampled toward a very low percentage of players in the MMO world.
 
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