Online games are an important part of online entertainment today. One of the most popular and the biggest only game has people playing throughout many countries of the world against each other for endless hours, is World of Warcraft. An interesting comparison Cracked.com made is that “there are more people playing World of Warcraft in the U.S. today (2 million) than had indoor plumbing 100 years ago. There are more people with blogs today (31 million) than had internet connections 10 years ago. So 10 ways the future of online gaming is going to evolve and change human relationships.
Everyone will look like a Greek god or goddess
Although the title is comical, the situation is real. Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). This new phenomenon allows players to choose how they want to look. They can minimize their flaws and accentuate their assets, if any. They can create talents and areas of expertise that they don’t have in person. The first step to playing the game is creating your own body and even pick your race! This is a serious breakthrough for teenagers with low self esteem and weight or skin problems to become what they’ve always wanted.
The game allows users to be in any setting and any age. It allows people to interact without the interference of genetic flaws and poor diet and exercise habits. Wheelchair bound people have the opportunity to sprint around as a mythical character with no movement restrictions. Inevitable most of the users of these games are computer geeks who have little to no interactions with people in really life. Not only is the physical change rewarding but there are actual rewards for accomplishments in these games. The ray of glowing golden lights that surrounding a body that just gained a level up in the game, can’t compete with the real world where people are so seldom rewarded. The rewards are a significant ego boost to the gamers esteem and is one of the key reasons people play. Satisfaction is guaranteed, almost, if you’re good.
A downside to this face is that as the years progress, online gaming is beginning more popular not to mention addicting. Even today people feel like they know the virtual person more than the they know the person in real life. The game allows players to building social relationships, families even. In the virtual world there are no diseases, no soldiers dying and no disappointments that can’t be recovered. The virtual online games provide a safety barrier around the emotion turmoil of the real world that with excessive exposure is not healthy. Inevitably that person will have to deal with the turmoil surrounding the real world sooner or later.
PEOPLE WILL GO TO JAIL FOR STEALING GAME SWORDS
Recently there was a news issue about the Shanghai online gamer who receive a suspended death sentence for killing another gamer. Qui Chengwei stabbed Zhu Caoyuan in the chest when he found out he had sold his virtual sword. The sword apparently took Qui a long time to play for and find and Zhu stole it from him, online, and was selling it on Ebay. Now buying and selling virtual objects is a booming business people are willing to pay real money for virtual products. China had no laws for virtual property theft however it does have laws for murder. Qui apparently broke into the other mans home and stabbed the sleeping 26 year old in his sleep. And this happened after Zhu offered to pay him cash for the sword. The virtual game is taking over some individuals minds where the long tie exposure is leaking into the real world. Also careers will be developed that require people who play MMORPG for a living. If people are paying real world money for these objects, why can’t they receive real world money in return? If we think of this further, we can imagine these virtual games becoming a business. Individuals could sell or auction items from the game for real world money. While most people may chuckle at this we have to consider that most of our money, if its not in cash form, only exists in numbers in the computer. The future of money making and flexibility of careers will be opened up to new possibilities whether games and careers can mesh.
The future of online game will definitely see to more laws being made on virtual property and virtual property theft. Some questions to consider are:
Should the crime be punished in the real world?
Where to draw the line? After all we can’t stop people from playing the game. Does a person’s property remain their property whether is virtual or real?
Faiqa Imtiaz
No comments:
Post a Comment