Fix 9: Fun with Strangers
This week we return to the concept of gaming with strangers.
As my opinion has not changed on the idea of embracing the interaction with stranger,
I unfortunately do not agree with Fix 9.
As I believe there is true value in working together, I don’t believe
McGGonigal gives reality a fair shot with the comment, “compared with games,
reality is lonely and isolating” (2011, p.172).
I disagree. As I can be very pessimistic,
life is certainly not isolating. In fact,
getting out and moving around in life is certainly more rewarding than being
buried in a PDA. As games do help us to
band together, I don’t believe life needs a fix here – but certain individuals
may seek games to fill a void they may have in their reality.
The discussion this week begins with the concept of “Comfort
of Strangers”. As the developer of the game, Simon Johnson states “ We set the
game up to create a degree of uncertainty in players as to who was and was not
playing.” (McGonigal, 2011, p.171). As
many may find the uncertainty to be intruding, I often am discouraged about
uncertainty in a game. As I do not have
a direct citation, I do recall on the travel channel a show that discussed the impact
of casino environments on the comfort level of players. One belief was that if a gambler was not comfortable
in a certain casino, they did not do as well as they would if they were in a
place they felt comfortable. Building design,
theming, and other factors led to this study.
No as we are not discussing casinos, we are talking about games. I believe the effects are similar for me
personally. If I am uncertain or
uncomfortable, I simply am not engaged. However,
many may welcome this as a new challenge, so I will not discount it for the
majority of people, but will exclude myself from this type fix.
Now, with that said, under a controlled environment, a game
like “Comfort” could be a benefit to education.
Perhaps a campus wide version, or even a particular class may find
interest in such an endeavor? For that, I would consider it. As McGonigal (2011)
states, “Community feels good”, and I believe this sense of community may help
strangers in the class room to connect. Hence,
the concept of “Ghosts of a Chance” utilizes the sense of community in a game
to merge education with a certain and comfortable environment found in a museum. Unlike Comfort, I think the Ghosts is an
innovative and keen way to have patrons interact. As this form game does not seem to incorporate
competition or leveling up, a clear goal and obvious rewards would make this a
valuable game to many.
Fix 10: Happiness Hacking
Perhaps one of the most interesting chapters so far,
McGonigal ventures into the psychology of happiness. Prior to getting more than a page into the
chapter – I asked myself how games add to my happiness in life. As it is a vital part of my everyday routine
now to log in and fix the mines, I have always looked forward to gaming in my
spare time. Perhaps the daily routine of
logging into Plants vs Zombies on my phone while waiting for my children to be
released from school when I pick them up has been one of those Zen moments, I
also recall a time when Minion Rush was enough to kill the battery on my
Surface. I laugh every night when I come
up stairs from my office to see my wife playing some version of Farmville on
her phone. We laugh – and happiness is
evident.
To reflect upon Lyubormirsky’s comment, “Why do many of the
most powerful happiness activities sound so. . .well, hokey?”, I recall a
course I took in my Master’s program called “The Effective Teacher”. As it was a summer course, run 8 hours a day
for 5 days, it was jam packed with the most corny activities you could do in
the classroom to create an energetic and engaging learning environment. As the activities made sense, they were not necessarily
geared toward adult education, but for younger crowds. Never the less, I
listened and took note of some of these activities that would encourage a smile
in the learning environment. Now I think to the current situation, and realize
that it is once again an issue of security or comfort.
As we move further into the reading, a common theme is found
in strangers. Apparently, happiness
cannot be accomplished alone, and it is through games that people can be
brought together to weather the storm of unhappiness. Unfortunately, I do not find McGonigal’s Tombestone
Hold’em to be ethically appropriate. As a reminder of death may aid some, the
loss of loved ones should respectfully done with silence, not games. I do not agree with this approach, but to
each his own.
Settlers
As mentioned in previous posts, the sense of community that
arises from guild members and friends adds to the reward of doing well. As adventures have been the main source of
experience, I have sought the experience of fellow guild members to accept higher
level challenges, not just to complete, but to do it swiftly. As the sense of community is evident from the
conversation in the chat, I still don’t feel as if I belong at times. Many play for pure enjoyment, while I still
have the sense of accomplishing the goals in the game for more than myself, As
this is not a bad thing, participating in a game on your won is different than
a requirement for a class. Again, not a
bad thing, just a small variable in the entire process.
As far as common interests, I have not reached out to anyone
in guild on a personal note. I decided
not to do this. As McGonigals words can
be inspiring and motivating in the sense that strangers are needed, I still am
reluctant to share personal thoughts with strangers. With all of the hype centered around cyber
stalking, I would rather not open that can of worms.
Happiness has come from the leveling up process. I have
found some excitement in trades, and even a few gifts given by lead guild
members to help out. At first, the game
moved so rapidly that it was difficult to track experience with all of the
random experience point opportunities.
Now that the numbers are higher, it is obvious when the next level is
within reach. The excitement is not as suspenseful,
but more of strategy. The happiness
still is there when the level is reached.
McGonigal, J. (2011), Reality is broken, Broadview Press.
