Jane McGonigal is a game designer at the Institute of the Future. This is where she is heavily involved in the research and development of games that can help can solve real world problems. World without Oil is her brain child, developed to simulate real world problem where oil has become a scarcity and players are invited to “live” in this world. It is through such games that she hopes to solve real world problem through online gaming.
Below is a video of the speech she had given recently in February at TED 2010. She had chosen to speak about how gaming can make the world a better place and she did manage to bring out an interesting observation that is well supported by evidences.
She argue that in order to survive the next century on this planet, human must drastically increase the amount of weekly gaming hours from the current 3 billions hours per week to 21 billion per week. This is because we can achieve more in the game world and this motivates us to do something that matters, inspire us to collaborate and to cooperate. Moreover, it is only in game world that we bring out the best version of ourselves and stick to the problem until it is solved. However this is not reflected in the real world as when we are face with failures, we feel overcome and give up easily. Therefore, gaming can help bring to reality the better side of human.
From the perspective of computer mediated communication (CMC), I find the point Jane McGonigal has brought up very interesting. I will like to discuss about the influence of CMC. There are people who find that online personal identity is a very debatable issue, especially when people are maintaining different identity in the virtual world as to reality world. This brings me back to Jane’s point about shifting online identity offline to solve real world issue. If personal identity can be constructed on the virtual world, does it also mean that a person can maintain two different sets of personalities when communicating on and off line? I find this intriguing as a person must have maintained two sets of personalities, such that it allows them to be succesful in solving problems online but failed in solving real life issues.
Moreover, CMC such as MSN and online role playing games allow a person to remain anonymous. This brings me to another point: is CMC providing a safe haven for people to find acceptance online when they can’t find it in reality? I certainly do not think so, as being online not necessary means that a person is not being accepted in reality. One just have to take a look at Facebook to understand that there are people who are making use of CMC to enhance the personal image that has been crafted in reality. Also, Facebook being a socializing tool, goes even further to show that CMC actually encourage people to be truthful and not hide their identity.
So do you think it is possible to be a different person on MSN/Facebook as compared to real life? Will you consider that schizophrenic?
-There are 70 millions people who are playing Farmville
- There are 270 millions farms maintain by people all around the world.
- It is taking away 0.5 billion productive work hours from our world production force per week.
Do you know that Farmville is also a form of CMC which allows it users to communicate and maintain a community? However I do think that there are many ill effects and the playing should be stopped, which is best summarized by the video below:
FarmVille Break-Up from Valentina Mitzkat on Vimeo.
Now tell me more about the various CMC you are currently using and how you make use of them to help you connect with your friends! Do you think you can live a day without Facebook, MSN? How about your cell phone? What importance does it play in your life?
20 comments:
Well, since CMCs have replaced many different forms of communication, such as email instead of snail mail bla bla etc etc, some people tend to find them indispensable. I myself use MSN, skype, facebook and though I find them extremely useful, I can definitely live without them, as nothing can take the place of spending quality time with people. However, it is no doubt that CMCs are the most effective and efficient form of communication and they are especially useful in communicating over long distances. =)
Well, I think that CMCs like facebook and MSN are useful as communication tools. They such a big world look so small. I'm sure you must have heard of the phrase "The world is shrinking!" as a result of the efficient communication tools in the world today. It's so fast and convenient such that you could interact with many of your friends in less than a few minutes as compared to taking an hour or so to meet up a few friends outside. It requires the very least effort to keep in touch with friends. A difference in personality simply suggests a different side of the user which is well hidden in him/her. Then again, this is not a change in personality since it is already within the user. What the user tries to do is to do something different from what he does in the real world where he does not feel suitable to show the other side of himself. Still, the ability to conceal identity that CMCs provide relieves all responsibilty of the users.
Online identities and real life identities are correlated, provided that the latter is known the others - friends, online social community, gaming community etc. When unknown, people can just hide behind usernames and fake accounts and is not accountable for anything, however, when their real life identity is known, there will be more factors which have to be taken into consideration when he says or does things online.
I shall take Youtube as an example. You may be 30 years old and still be interested in trading card games, for example. You can make all the videos of trading card games all you want without any fears of being called "childish" or other unfavorable remarks by the world, be it online or real life peers. This is because you can hide behind your username. But, say, one day you accidentally post your face on one of your videos, someone managed to find you on Facebook, get your real life identity (although i agree Facebook can be faked too, the likelihood is not as high). Now, your ego/fear/ etc will cause you to be cautious when doing anything with that username because people can now have a real life person they can link to with that username, which is YOU. Thus, most things you do now will be accountable, not so much to others, but more of to yourself.
Therefore, online identities will only give you that certain amount of anonymousity, most of the time, you have to be the person you are online.
This entry sets me thinking. Is it true that ppl dont give up as easily for online games than in real life? For me personally, i will simply end the game or restart it if i think i make a horrible move. After all, there is not much losses to me, a game is a game. For as for my life, i would not take the gamble. that means i am more careful and take lesser initiative, but that keeps me sane. i guess, whether one play online games or not, it does not really matter as much. what matter is whether one is willing to put in the effort and persevere through. Whether we are the victim or the one who emerge victorious, it is all about our skills, knowledge and opportunities in life. Gaming might help some, but i find it too time-consuming...
CMC has become such an integrated part of our lives, especially in today's global environment, it is undeniable that almost everyone possesses an electronic gadget or has convenient access to the internet. There is no doubt that we've entered an era where people are simultaneously living their lives online and in the real world. As with everything else, there is always an upside and downside to it.
One's identity stems fundamentally from one's traits and behavioral patterns. However, gaming and social net working pages have created another platform for different forms of expressions. People are able to project to others what they want let known, while remaining anonymous at the same time as their identities are not essentially bound to IP addresses nor email addresses. In my opinion there could be many different identities to an individual and the sides that are shown are not necessarily defined wrong or right. This freedom of identity has been granted to each of those online users, when used appropriately.
Of course, the explosion of CMC in today's world has also brought about unresolved problems as such online information leakage, cyber crimes and addiction. This unprecedented transparency could also serve to divulge governments top secrets if abused. As mentioned, CMC is a double edged sword which at the same time, allows one to keep in close contact with friends, removing distance barriers. The proliferation of internet and gaming in today's world has indeed drawn people closer from all over the world and enhanced many business and social opportunities.
On hindsight, it is really up to one to utilize these privileges, in ways one deemed fit. As we're moving towards a knowledge and information based economy, it is crucial for people to be tech-savvy, with the right regulations in place.
Well, I certainly cannot live without facebook but I won't die just because I'm not able to use it. Games on Facebook can be quite addictive at times but Facebook itself is a very useful tool in helping you to stay connected with friends.
Online gaming might be able to help people solve real life problems but how could you know how long one should spend time online before he realises that he could do something to the world? Not many people would be able to care about the world. I think they are playing these games for the sake of their leisure. Why would you put pressure on yourself trying to apply the solution to reality while you are in fact looking for a getaway?
And about living a day without internet or cellphone, I believe I would be able to live without it. Sometimes I wish we didn't have so much of this technology and thus we could just live our simple lives without all the hassles of checking statuses, notifications and etc. I find those utterly unnecessary yet we can't resist them.
personally, I do not play much online games, except for bejewelled on fb, and i doubt that counts for interactive game. Given that nature of online gaming (that you are able to conceal your identity); i feel that the genuinity of your personality is in question. Furthermore, it does not really allow for effective social interaction; yes, online gaming do bring people together given their similar interest in gaming. however, social interaction goes beyond similar interests.
With regards to technological devices, i feel that we are not able to do without them. often, we find ourselves lost or unease without our handphones. its the sense of connectivity that we desire. we are too deeply immersed in this technologically-savvy society to break apart.
I would have to agree that computer mediated communication indeed brings out different sides of a person. It is the veneer of hiding behind a computer screen that emboldens humans. The way I type in MSN conversations may differ from the way I speak in real life, or if I have anonymity on forums or websites I might choose to speak my mind instead of being constrained or wary of society's expectations and judegments. But at the same time because of this veil and the lack of face to face contact, others might not understand me in the way I put myself across, and this might result in misunderstandings.
I am still on my hiatus from facebook and its been nearly 3 and a half months and I'm still alive, so yes I could live without it, I think! Not so much not having a cellphone though...
i do admit i'm a big fan of facebook games, especially when i started out in several games such as farmville as mentioned above, restaurant city (which i've stopped playing) and a few more other games. when i first started out i would spend hours on facebook harvesting the crops etc. now i've stopped playing farmville and switched to other games. i still spend quite a number of hours when i first started out, but now i spend around 1 hr per day playing those games because they take time to gather all the HP etc.
i would say facebook has become something rather important to me, considering that i usually camp on facebook live feed if my computer is switched on with an internet connection. i do that so that i would be in touch with new updates in my friends' lives. facebook as been a great platform for me to connect with my long-lost friends, and i get to be constantly updated about my friends' lives.
as for msn, i still login to it on a regular basis, but i don't really talk to them online. i guess it was because i don't talk to people unless i have things to talk to them about. but sometimes i would talk to my close friends, which is not alot to start with, about random stuff. same thing goes to SMS.
i feel that without those SNS (social networking systems), we would not be able to make new friends or connect with old friends. at the same time, we would make lesser effort to connect with the people in real life. i would say without them, i would feel uneasy without them, but as times goes by i would get used to it, except for the fact that things wouldn't be as convenient as before.
personally i do use various forms of CMCs like fb, msn, skype etc, just to name a few. and i suppose blogging is somewhat a type of CMC too right? tried and tested, that i can live without these online connections.. not too sure about hp though cos it's a way of getting in touch with people to arrange meet ups and stuff like that so i suppose the call part is quite indispensable but yes, people can be very different in written and spoken word too (like calling vs smsing). like mentioned before, i think the virtual world enables one to be bolder with the things they may say.
i dont think people can maintain their 2 different personalities on and off line, because the context is different (ie like acting and real life?). they wont be considered to be schizo cos they are actually aware of this 'dual personality' that they exhibit (just not concurrently in some sense). and the virtual world could just be a portrayal of what they want others to see them as, not that they are necessarily that way.
Currently I am using MSN, Facebook, gmails, hotmails, cell phones and various other kinds of CMCs which you can name. Even though I rely on them quite heavily to connect to others, I can imagine a life without them. In the past, people have lived without such CMCs and yet are able to communicate with each other and build relationships. So there isn't really much of a concern even now.
In the end, such things are just tools to enhance and aid us in our daily lives so that we are able to improve our lifestyles, work more efficiently and transmit information. They may be important but in the end it just depends how the users make use of it.
The various CMC that i am relying now is facebook, MSN, Blog and cellphone. All these CMC help me to know the events that are happening around me and my friends.
I certainly believe that I am able to live without such technology as these are just one of the many ways for me to communicate with my friends. Face-to-face gatherings or meetings are definitely the most efficient and effective method to improve and strengthen relationships. Hence, CMC are just to enhance and an 'add-on' tools.
Well, I'm pretty much into CMCs too. Facebook, Internet Messenger, Cellphones, specially smart phones like blackberry. I once though I wouldn't be able to live without these devices. And now, I stand corrected. One week on an island where there is absolutely no internet connection, I felt as if everything had slowed down, I was able to enjoy the tranquility of rural areas.
Indeed, CMCs is extremely useful to us as a tool today where people connect with one another worldwide. Bust sometimes, we should try and live life without them.
Social networking sites like facebook or twitter are even used as a tool in marketing where business creates a page and communicate with their consumers.
To me, CMC takes up quite a portion of my time!! For examples, i am rather hook on Facebook, twitter, MSN, blogging, and having a blackberry allows me to be connected anywhere all day! The above webpages are certainly the confirm few webpages that will be open every time i am online!
I think that this social networking websites are useful to a certain extend. I mean you can find updates about your friends activities with just a click of a button! This is especially true if your friends are overseas or that when work is taking up too much of your time that you ahve not time for face to face communication! These website allows you to be kept updated to them and MSN allows a cheap but efficient way of communication!
However, i believe that you may get too used to online communication that it affects your face to face communication! Some people may feel more comfortable and open when talking online. In this aspect, i think that online communication may be detrimental. People may forget the importance of personal touch and become overly reliant on instant messaging.
Saying so much, i still cannot live a day without FB or MSN! I check them constantly and chat online almost every night. I feel that its still a very useful communication place as long as we see the limits of it.
CMC plays a big part in my life. CMC such as facebook and twitter allows me to stay connected with my friends easily. For example, on facebook, we are able to share pictures and status easily.
If CMC does not exist, I might not be able to interact so easily with my friends.
My cell phone is very important too. Without cell phone, I cannot contact the person immediately in case of any emergency.
In conclusion, CMC is a very powerful tool for us to stay connected with parts of the world. :)
CMC is indeed taking over the world. Without internet, I believe every one of us will feel crippled. Imagine, doing a research paper without google! Trying to find directions without online maps! Horrifying, isn't it?
Humans evolve very slowly while technology booms and waits for no man. We need to slowly learn to adapt and use CMC to our advantage, instead of letting it affect the way we communicate.
Whoa! The farmville breakup video is definitely a very suitable example of such online games being more harmful than beneficial.
I do think it is possible to be a different person over a CMC. However, that only works for a minority. Take for example us everyday people, we can't fake an identity on CMCs because people who know our identity on msn can easily compare it through our facebook personal. It's easy to match, especially when there is pictures and info on one's background involved. Therefore, I do not think it is possible to be a different person for the majority of people; we use way too many CMCs to be able to fake all at one go.
I think I'll be able to survive without my iphone. But, my friends will not survive that! HAH.
I feel that the pervasiveness of such communication devices and social networking sites, individual's privacy has been lost. One's quality of life is now subject to the incessant need to always be contactable!
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