I am a college student at CSU Fullerton. My major is Communications, with an emphasis on Entertainment Studies. Many of my major classes talk about how Entertainment and Media affect us as a society. So it's no surprise that video games, MMORPGs and WoW come up in our discussions and lectures.
Last night, WoW came up in my Entertainment and Society class. My professor seemed baffled that no one knew what it was. That was obviously a lie. I did know what WoW was. But I was not about to let people know that I played the game. The reason?
There was one person who did know WoW. I know she knew this because when my professor brought up WoW, she blurted out, "That game destroys lives!"
My professor tried to put a less emotional spin on it by saying that yes, people do become extremely addicted to the game. The girl fought back though. "Trust me, it's a life ruiner!" she declared. Someone else then shouted out how it ruined marriages, relationships, etc.
I thought either one of two things about WoW Hater Chick. Either she once played the game and had dealt with serious addiction because of it. Or she had a boyfriend who basically ignored her and dumped her. I like thinking it was the second one because it emphasizes how bitter she seemed.
This is not the first time WoW has come up during my educational career. Two years ago, I wrote a paper about Video Game addiction, giving both sides and adding my own personal spin. I did admit to playing the game. My thesis ended up somewhere on the line of, Video Game addiction is real, but is about personal (or parental) responsibility, and not the companies. I used myself as an example. I am a good student, who maintains a GPA above 3.5, as well as dedicate over 10 hours a week to the game (usually 4 hours two nights a week raiding). I also was working 25 hours a week.
The second time WoW came up was for an Ethnography I did. I treated WoW as a culture and society, which I'm sure most people would agree. In the game, there is a sense of community beyond that of simply a game. People form relationships and long lasting friendships through the game from people across state and even country boundaries. I myself have gained friends from around the country who I think pretty highly of.
Yet still, I am always hesitant to admit that I actually do play the game. Most people at work think I have quit, which isn't entirely true. I did leave for a couple months to get my school and living situation grounded. But I returned during the summer and will probably keep playing through out the school year. When people ask what I do with my free time, I don't fess up to playing right away. I might feel around to see how a person may judge me before I fess up to having a few guilty pleasures.
I asked my friend, who I met through WoW, what he thought about my hesitation to fessing up about being a player. He basically said that playing WoW was no different then going out every night to party and drink, Partying and drinking is usually well accepted, especially at our age. Most of my friends do it to some extent at some point in time. However, like WoW, drinking can result in an addiction and can negatively effect your life if you do not show restraint and moderation. Oh but WoW doesn't give you a hangover.
In the end, my hesitation and fear is the result of some low self esteem and the effect of other people's opinions on me. I need to honestly get over it. The only person who can truly make me feel inferior is me.
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