Essay: Social gaming for the anti-social
Where the social element of gaming is headed, and why it may
be at odds with our text-heavy culture
This is a quandary about the future of video games, but it
also has a lot to do with text messages, phone calls, headsets and
millennials.
The backlash to the “Facebook Age” cries out for more human
connection, more “real” interactions with those in our social circles. However,
the needle seems to be moving in the other direction.
That’s what it has come to, hasn’t it? There was a
relatively brief period where the written word was for information, while
hearing someone’s voice was required to establish a sincere, emotional
connection. The joke used to be that breaking up with someone over email was
a faux pas, but now if it’s a well-written email, it’s almost regarded as
better than a distracted cell phone conversation in which one party will
undoubtedly assure the other that they “have full bars.”
Voice communication, while effective, is to some extent
culturally dead or dormant (who can predict these things?). Either way, the
prevailing method of social interaction now relies on something that was very
recently deemed impersonal. I don’t think the advent of emoticons have all of a
sudden advanced text communication to the point of being any more emotionally
effective than it was when texts were purely informational.
Updated and related:
Related - - McDaniel College – Greg Street SmartTALK links
and notes:
From Westminster to the World of Warcraft by Kevin Dayhoff
May 2, 2012
Last Monday, Greg Street, a 1991 McDaniel College graduate
and the lead systems designer of World of Warcraft, shared his reality of how
he journeyed from Texas to Westminster, and then South Carolina to California
and Northrend, the crescent-shaped continent in northern Azeroth, in the
virtual reality world of gamers.
For Dr. Street, it has been a long, strange, and wonderful
trip from Westminster to the
Mists of Pandaria.
The audience that gathered at Decker Center Forum on the
Westminster college campus was an eclectic combination and – yes, one-third of
the audience were hard-core gamers – who know Dr. Street by his screen name “
Ghostcrawler” on
gamer message boards, where he is a constant presence in search of feedback on
the
World of Warcraft.
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McDaniel College website - World of Warcraft video-game
designer to speak April 30:
http://www.mcdaniel.edu/12074.htm
“World of Warcraft video-game designer to speak April 30” Monday, April 16,
2012 - -
“World of Warcraft master systems designer Greg Street,
class of 1991, talks about how his liberal arts education at McDaniel helped
him become a video game designer at 7 p.m. April 30 during SmartTALK with
president Roger Casey in Decker Center Forum.
“Street currently works as a master systems designer at
Blizzard Entertainment in Irvine, Calif. He graduated from McDaniel with a
bachelor’s degree in Biology and Philosophy in 1991 and went on to earn a Ph.D.
in Marine Science from the University of Texas at Austin. He worked as a marine
biologist before moving into the game design field.
“The hour-long event, which is free and open to the public,
includes questions and answers from the audience.
“McDaniel College’s SmartTALK brings notable alumni back to
campus for an on-stage conversation with president Roger Casey on their subject
of expertise. Past SmartTALK presenters have included Pulitzer Prize-winning
journalist Wendy Ruderman, career foreign-service diplomat Tom Armbruster,
National Marine Fisheries Service director Eric Schwaab, National Teacher of
the Year Michelle Shearer, champion of the environment Gerald W. Winegrad, and,
senior vice-president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
Bernard Franklin.”
Inside
Mac Games - Interview: Ensemble's Greg Street November 20, 2006 |
Michael Phillips http://www.insidemacgames.com/features/view.php?ID=488&Page=1:
“Games don't just appear out of thin air. Games are created by teams of
designers and programers toiling in small underground vaults, unaware of the
world above. At least, that's the information to which I'm privy. At any rate,
games do require designers and Age of Empires III is no exception. Recently, I
had the chance to chat with Greg Street, leader of the design team
at Ensemble Studios that created Age of Empires III, about his role at
Ensemble, what gamers can expect from this latest generation of the Age of
Empires series and other industry related topics of interest. This is a good
read, trust me…”
From
the Miami Herald: Miami-Dade Public Schools will open its first
video-game-themed magnet program this fall, with the goal of teaching students
how to design and program video games, the Miami Herald reported on Monday.
The iTech Academy at Miami Springs Senior High School has
125 spots for the freshman class.
“We’re going to be a school that produces not only games, but
apps. It’s part of my vision,” Principal Anna Rodriguez was quoted as saying.
“I can see our students building holograms. I can really see it.”
According to the newspaper, the focus on design and coding
reflects state and national efforts to promote science, technology, engineering
and math (STEM). Proponents of video-game programs say they prepare students
for jobs in the 21st century.
The Gamer's Diet: This cannot be healthier for you than
"World of Warcraft." By Dave Gilmore
The Gamer's Diet: No 'Wii Fit' required
How I distract myself from cheeseburgers by leveling up
We're well into 2012, and if you're like me, you've already
dropped the ball numerous times on your new year's resolutions. Like many
peers, as I approach 30, I'm trying to take better care of myself and not put
so much crap into my body.
I wanted a cheeseburger really bad the other day. However, I
had made a pledge to really buckle down on cutting out the high-octane junk
intake. The problem was I had nothing in the way between me and cheeseburger.
There were no obligations to attend to, no financial or logistical barriers
preventing me from obtaining my coveted treat. I thought I should maybe head
downstairs and hit the heavy bag or the elliptical. Then again, if I had that
kind of drive, I wouldn't need to be worrying about cheeseburgers so much.
Idle hands are the devil's playthings, and in this case my
devil was that Wendy's girl. So I picked up the controller. Within 20 minutes,
I wasn't thinking about cheeseburgers, I was thinking about buckling down and
completing all the side quests I had been putting off in "Skyrim." An
hour later, I had forgotten about the cheeseburger. It was 7 p.m. and I was
hungry like a normal person who needs food for energy and survival. Not a
person who is fueled by a predominantly cheeseburger-centric diet.
This may surprise you, but I am not a qualified
neuroscientist or behaviorist. However, I think I have stumbled upon a quirk
that exists in my own brain and perhaps yours as well. My brain has a pleasure
center. Like B.F. Skinner's rats, when I have no other pressing obligations, I
generally look for stuff to send signals to that center. There seems to be a
certain region of that center that responds to video games, junk food and
watching my favorite television shows. I think that I can divert from one by
substituting it with another. This sort of makes sense…
http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bthesite/game-cache/bal-the-gamers-diet-no-wii-fit-required-20120314,0,6869976.story
