After reading Julian Dibbel's Play Money and watching the documentary Second Skin, both of which serve as a peek into the world of online gaming, my class did a short writing exercise about how UR students are different from (obsessive) gamers. The differences, such as significance of family and social relationships or moderation of time, aren't tough to see. But it got me thinking; how are we alike?
My immediate thought is the concept of the "bubble." Gamers, especially those portrayed in Second Skin, became almost complete recluses. They confined themselves entirely to the online gaming world and only left the screen long enough to perhaps go to work. The most significant part of their lives was the game and the relationships within the game.
I can't help but see a parallel to UR which is often even referred to as "the bubble." Much as in online games, its easy to get caught up in campus life and forget about the outside world. While we may have more "real life" interaction than obsessive gamers, our interactions are generally among the same people. Everyone on campus shares a significant aspect of their current lives, their university, in common with everyone else on campus, much in the way that the gamers of Second Skin share a common and time-consuming hobby.
Nearly all of my time at UR is spent doing things meant to enhance my college experience and increase my opportunities in the future. So basically, if I'm not doing homework I'm at community service, if I'm not at community service I'm at work and if I'm not at work I'm doing homework. See the endless cycle? Any extra time I do have is spent hanging out with my friends here. It's a very detached existence. I don't keep up with the news while I'm here, I call my family only once every couple weeks and I've barely talked to my friends from home (who are just as busy as me) since I came back from winter break.
Obsessive gamers are the same way. The vast majority of their time and effort is put into their game of choice so that they can improve their standings. Their most significant social relationships or at least the ones to which they devote the most time are with other players. Things outside the game, which may have once held more significance, fall by the wayside.
The reality of these commonalities between UR students and obsessive gamers is a little scary to me. It makes me want to make extra effort to step outside "the bubble" from time to time. But like I said, its very easy to get caught up in it all and time starts to go by faster than I even realize. It seems to me that UR is my game of choice.
I like how you chose to look at the similarties between Second Skin and URichmond. However, calling Richmond a bubble isn't necessarily fair. Almost all college campuses are bubble-like. Our focuses happen to be different than the rest of the world. While select individuals choose to stay informed about the news, many of us simply don't care enough right now to bother.
ReplyDeleteIt seems often that we fail to look at the similarities AND differences between two groups. We tend to ignore those that are different than us yet in reality we are very much alike. It seems that many people are addicted to something whether they realize it or not. For gamers, it is just more apparent. When you put it in perspective for UR students it is more obvious. We are part of the endless cycle of being caught up in everything around us and forgetting the world outside of our "bubble."
ReplyDeleteYour readers pegged it. Good work.
ReplyDeleteWhat I keep wondering focuses on the costs we all pay for never having a free moment.
I write this during spring break, when I am replacing my main bathroom. I spend many hours yesterday and today swinging a slege-hammer, moving debris, or breaking concrete with a small jackhammer. It was taxing physical work, even for a part-time farmer.
But not once did I try to do two things at the same moment. I was immersed but it was in a series of discreet tasks. It was also wonderful in a way that our virtual lives and intellectual pursuits rarely are.