Online video games have become a vital part of Popular Culture. Many people devote as much time everyday to online video games as they do to reality. In some cases, a person that plays an online video game loses a total since of reality and begins to actually live their life in the online video game. With extreme graphics, surround sound, rewards and punishments online gaming can very well compete with life itself.
Online video games are starting to become a major factor in dating both positively and negatively. For instance, my cousin Brandon met a woman he played with on an online video game called world of war craft or (WOW). He married her shortly after meeting her and moved all the way from Ohio to Canada to be with her. On the negative side of things my other friend Josh, who also plays WOW, ended up getting divorced because he was not spending anytime with his wife and she was tired of coming 2nd to an online video game.
Online video games have even been brought up in court and seen as assets. For example in this one divorce case, Mr. and Ms. Wang met on an online video game and got married. Mr. Wang saved Ms. Wang from being killed on the online video game which caused them to get married (Pacifice Poch, 2005). “They built of a joint online game account worth 50,000 dollars” (Pacifice Poch, 2005). Mr. Wang is willing to give up their home for the online game account and Ms. Wang wants to split everything evenly(Pacifice Poch, 2005).
Online video game popular culture greatly affects the way people spend their money. For example, I know a person involved in online video games that paid the online gaming monthly bill before his heating bill. Online video gaming is helping popular culture and society go from a needs first focus to a wants first focus. Over time, the amount of money spend on video games can effect things like retirement .The worst effect online video game popular culture has is the effect on the relationship between children and the parents. If the parents are spending more time on online video games this means they are spending less time with their kids. The days of the father-son fishing trip is over and is being replaced by the father-son trip to the video game store. The role online video games are playing is shaping popular culture is critical to say the least.
1 comment:
I have found that more and more I am hearing about this game - World of Warcraft. I guess when someone like me who does not pay very close attention to the happenings of video games, hears about this game, then it must have entered into the realm of popular culture because it drives someone like me to want to get to know more about the game that is seizing the attention of so many people.
References to the game have been heard in many water cooler convesations at work and even made its way into an episode of Judge Judy.
Many video games and in particular this game, have been cited as a source of marital troubles because of its popularity in a technology driven society. The haunting question remains, how do we create an equal balance between our desire to want to interact with new technologies that interest us and preserving the intimate interpersonal relationships of those around us.
With time, we might figure out how to balance the two, but in the meantime many relationships will suffer the consequences.
I enjoyed reading your blog post this week and look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on the role that technology plays in their own personal lives.
Stephanie
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