"Here, Take My +1 Mace!"
I'm not usually an avid watcher of South Park, but I stumbled upon a snippet of this episode while browsing through SpikedHumor.com (spelt poorly, I know). I decided that this episode needs to be shared to the world, and the first step would be to post it on my blog.
The people who own the rights have been kind enough to allow the whole episode to be hosted on YouTube, so if you have a spare 20 mins, sit back and enjoy this (if you don't have a spare 20 mins, wait till you do)...
Apart from being very funny, I think the fact that a computer game would be the central focus of a whole episode in a mainstream adult cartoon (even if it is alternative mainstream), says a lot about the way our society is heading. I think the success of World of Warcraft is heavily influenced by the fact that people who engage with it are finding genuine (to some degree) friends through their interactions with people online. I know from my experience with the game that when you join up with people in this game, you can really create a long lasting alliance, and even get the opportunity to speak into each others' lives sometimes (I had an amazing discussion more than once with a couple who played together - we got real deep actually). I can understand why this game is being used as a medium for people in our society to rediscover community.
What do you reckon? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Is it a sign of things to come?
posted by Dboy @ Friday, October 20, 2006
23 Insightful Contributions
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23 Comments:
Wicked episode, Doosh.
Online communities are good and all, but i don't think that they should replace real, face-to-face friendship (whether they will or not i don't know). The nerds who play this type of stuff constantly are obviously of the 'no social skills' variety and therefore find others like them online. The fact that they have found 'friends' online doesn't prove that they have social skills, merely a common interest in a arena where they are far more in control of how, when and what they communicate to the other person.
I heartily disagree with mudbrick. Surely Dboy's story of his meeting with the couple online demonstrates that it has nothing to do with social skills, or lack thereof. Unless, you were intending a jest about Dboy's lack of social skills! The internet is an exciting new frontier, something to be compared with the printing press, but potentially more. I think it's only natural for people to feel some trepidation about the whole thing. But the internet could never totally replace face-to-face contact, that's just going over the top. I don't personally play World of Warcraft, but this is just one interface the internet has to offer. Personally I prefer the blogging environment, but this requires a comfort with the technology that most people haven't yet achieved. We need to have a certain amount of comfort in our environment to interact confidently, just like in the real world. World of Warcraft is an abstraction, albeit very simplified, of the real world that people find familiar. I believe it's this familiarity that causes people to use this environment, rather than to be overly controlling of it.
Ha, just watched this the other day on a friends' blog. They also put forth a question along the lines of "is this the future of communities?"
After watching it, it kinda made me want to play WoW.
I understand, Owen, that what i have said can hit home a little hard for some people. But you see, most of the time that you're chatting to someone online, unless you already know the person face-to-face, you don't really have a clue who you're talking to. Online you don't have to be who you are in real life, and i think this hampers your relationship potential quite a bit. Blogs are great for expressing opinions and ideas, though some use them to play pranks on people and make up false bloggers to have a joke (*cough, bob, cough*).
People make up false identities in the real world as well. Granted, probably not as much as on the internet. I imagine the WoW environment, which is fantasy based, is especially conducive to bringing your favourite role playing character to life. Still, I imagine that there are people who are for real, so really it's just caution that is required for the fakers (just as in the real world).
I think both, actually :)
I have seen situations where people have met other people online, and been uncomfortable to see them in real life.
I also have been able to come to know certain 'friends of friends' online, and am having a wonderful time developing a stronger community with that group. When I see them next, I will feel like I know them really well (actually, I do).
I quit playing WoW a little while back because I didn't want to start an addiction that would have been harder to quit when I have a baby, but the biggest drawback I'm experiencing is that I miss my online community. I really do. Funny how WoW is a superficial arena, but I actually had the privilege of being able to speak into people's lives there. Oftentimes even about really meaningful stuff like God, relationships and who gets the next drop ;)
I think I was able to develop integrity in those relationships in the same way that I would have developed integrity in the relationships I have in RL (Real Life - lol). Especially with a game like WoW, you even get the chance to serve others, running them through areas of lower levels, etc, and helping them to level up.
uber pwnage...lol
Haha, yeah, that was fun - we shall have to do that again. In fact, I might do another soon.
It is pretty cool to think that you can have an online friendship that spans a decent length of time. I think the concept of blogging, and a blogging community, is a really interesting one. It has been, and continues to be, a really positive experience to me.
i guess i've enjoyed teh artistic value in blogging. i mean that i enjoy writing and finding interesting ways to express and articulate what i want to say. Also it gives you an avenue to express that enjoyment for people to see, and where people can just post pics and stuff so that others can check out what they're doing, like my pics blog.
SHAMELESS PLUG!!!
Shameless in that he's selling the visuals of his pics for cheap-as-free. Unethical!
Shameful PUG!
Yeah, that's really true :) In terms of me skim reading some posts, I only do that with long posts that don't grab my interest. If I find it interesting, I'll read the whole post and then every comment, even if there's 50.
Oh, and you're welcome to do a poll on this blog :)
How long is a long post?
Hmmm... darn good question. Mostly anything that takes up more than a page and a half on my screen (1280*1024 resolution). But there are other factors too, like if I am in a cranky mood, tired or am just browsing while I wait for something else to download/install.
Another reason why I sometimes don't get into an online discussion is if the content of the post is interesting, but I know that I'm going to have to give a very well justified answer (for example on a deeply philosophical post). I know that sometimes it's better not to give an aswer at all than to give a half-arsed one; to give an answer that is worth giving sometimes takes much more mental energy than I have :/
that and the fact that whenever people are having a discussion about something deep on a this sort of forum there is always stacks of misunderstandings, reiteration (if they didn't agree they mustn't have "got it"), nit-picking/focusing on a single point and forgetting the greater discussion, petty arguing over words/spelling/grammer, side arguments occur when people specifically answer anothers arguments, etc, etc.
Totally draining.
It's just not a good medium for that sort of thing. It's too short and informal to like an essay, too slow to be like a conversation and too public to really be focused. It's the most ineffective way i can think of to properly debate something.
Take THAT interweb!
Haha, I agree.
I much rather having contraversial (deep?) discussions person to person. In addition to Brent's points just stated, it makes it much more of an interpersonal exchange, rather than being very impersonal letters on a screen. Body language and prosodics (tone) make up most of communication, hey?
Sorry, was it deeply philosophical you wanted? Well, how long is a piece of string then?
Regarding legendarypuffin's poll, I don't read all that many blogs, but I think the longer a post is, the more thought has gone into it (usually) and thus the more interesting it's going to be. Either that or I just start to tune out half way through. I'm not very good at skim reading.
I totally agree with wire and dboy about the difficulties of "heavier" blog topics. I think there is a great benefit to taking the time to think out and articulate, in written form or otherwise, your thoughts on difficult topics. Perhaps a good comment to these types of postings would be suggest a coffee to discuss. Or, better yet, to articulate your own opinions on your own blog, and then suggest the coffee to work out the finer details. Regardless, getting into comment feedback loop is something to avoided. I think a good policy is to let people have their say on the topic and, unless a direct question is posed, let sleeping dogs lie until there is a better medium to discuss in. Although, this is probably easier said than done.
P.S. How about tuning out over long blog comments?
too public to be focused - When you go on a forum that's discussing, say, the meaning of life, and everyone has an opinion; there is no focus to the discussion. Everyone wants to have their say and it can be a bit like people just talking over the top of one another. So rarely are there any sort of resolutions.
Or at least that's my impression.
haha, yep.
THe video is no longer available! I missed it! :(
Time for a new post!
I second that motion!
*throws two doves at the motion*
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