Monday, December 21, 2009

WoW Freakout / Internet Relationships

Most of you have probably seen this...it's pretty hillarious. I didn't even really understand what World of Watcraft was before seeing the funeral raid in class. It was hard to believe people took that so seriously...then again watching this kid have the biggest melt down I've ever seen shows how serious people are about thier gaming life. In another class I'm taking taught by Dr. Sternberg I read an article that theorized that interpersonal communication through the internet allows people to form bonds just as strong, if not stronger, than in physical relationships. This is becasue the information that is left out because of the lack of face-to-face interaction is automatically filled in with the best possible option. For example, a man interested in a woman he met online would personify her as his ideal mate with all his most liked attributes. This got me thinking about how I suppose you really could form strong relationships withing a gaming world. Sometimes, since it is a game after all, that world might be way better than the real world and then I can understand how people become addicted to these types of 'second life' things.

1 comment:

  1. Recently, I went to see Avatar, directed by James Cameron, it takes us on a journey with a war veteran named Jake. He is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na'vi. Although the movie had an interesting plot, the thing that stood out the most was the graphics. Pandora seemed like an unrealistic world that one won't be able to find any where on earth, seemed as if it were a virtual world. I was definitely captivated by it.
    You made an interesting notion that a virtual world may seem better than the real world and that is why people get addicted to them. Pandora was definitely one of these virtual worlds that can draw a person to want to become a part of it. After the movie, I heard many people commenting on how fascinating and entrancing Pandora was. What if for some people, virtual reality has become a substitute for the real world? Watching the funeral raid in class made me realize that some people take their virtual worlds really serious. However, I believe that some people may be taking their virtual reality just a bit too far.

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