What should come first?
Last class we had a discussion about MUD's and priority. Should an on-line persona be considered equal to or more important than one's real life? Personally I tend to feel that nothing should come before your real, living, breathing life. Yes, a computer persona could be considered very important or a large part of someones life, but at the same time it will not always be there. Computers can malfunction, networks can crash, but you'll always have your actual life to live and experience.
Do you think that an on-line identity or character can be equal or more important than one's day to day life?
Do you think that an on-line identity or character can be equal or more important than one's day to day life?
posted by Kellen at
12:55 PM
6 Comments:
I'm not an avid gamer, so I definitely cannot relate to real life being "just one more window." I occasionally play PS2 games (mostly just DDR though), but I know that if my memory card suddenly erased all of my progress on the game, I would spaz. The loss of data certainly wouldn't be as bad as if I broke my leg or something else equally debilitating. I don't think that a virtual character can be more important than your actual life, because it seems fairly difficult to just stop living your life. Video games are only a part of your life, and therefore should not consume your entire life.
-Kate
There is no question it can be more important for some people. Importance is usually defined as having great significance or consequence. This is a subjective thing determined by the individual. Whether or not it is healthy or "good" in regard to societal norms can be argued.
First off, cool question. I've heard people say that lies are more true than the truth, because they reflect how people want the world to be. A person's online identity reflects how they see themselves, which is more important to understanding people than anything else. So, pragmatic considerations of a person aside, an online identity should be considered in gaining a true understanding of a person.
I dont believe that it should be equal to ones day to day life, because at some point a person needs to face reality. However ones online charachters are ways for one to discoevr their own personality, and so it is a somewhat important activity.
Good post, Kellen. This question of identity is a tricky one, though, which is something I obviously don't have to tell you all (the class) about, having come out of high school, on the way out of your teenage years yourself. Haven't you tried on more than one personality/identity growing up? We talk about how sad Doug (from the article) is because RL "is just one more window" for him, but really - isn't "RL" a series of windows, or a series of identities, for us too? Aren't we, in many ways, one person at the mall and another in class, and another on the football field, and another visiting our grandmothers? Just something to think about...
-Prof. Castle
Although I do not think it is particularly healthy, some people would clearly take their virtual life before their 'real' one. A virtual life gives people a chance to be someone that they are, or feel like they are, prevented from being in real life. I like the idea that people can recreate themselves and be who they want to be. Life can be greatly biased, and a virtual life evens the odds for everyone at the table.
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