Game Playing on line

[Jean Godar]

       I had assumed that playing xbox on-line would tend to be a pretty much antisocial and isolating experience for my son, I have found that the reality of it is that it can be very social and not isolating at all. The changes in technology in the last few years are amazing. Has anyone else thought about or discussed how games on-line have changed or benefited young peoples social experiences or interactions with other youth internationally?

[Robin Bentley]

Here's plenty of discussion about video games here:

http://sandradodd.com/videogames/

And a discussion specifically about World of Warcraft:

http://sandradodd.com/chats/wow

It's not just interacting with "youth" internationally. My daughter
(Michelle in those discussions; she's changed her name to Senna) plays
with mostly adult guild members, including a husband and wife team (co-
leaders of the guild) and their friend in the UK. She's met and
discussed her character and game play with adults at Blizzcon, the
Blizzard Entertainment convention, and at unschooling conferences.

Senna's also a Pokemon player (Nintendo DS games) and does Wi-Fi
battles and trades Pokemon with people all over the world. She's met
and talked to dozens of Pokemon fans on Petopia, the World of Warcraft
hunter pet site. She is writing a round-robin story about Pokemon with
those folks (mostly older teens and young adults).

So, assuming these games are antisocial and isolating would be a false
assumption - at least for unschoolers!

Robin B.

[Sandra Dodd]

-=- I had assumed that playing xbox on-line would tend to be a pretty
much antisocial and isolating experience for my son-=-

Did you assume that all on your own?
I'm guessing others told you it would be isolating.

But reading a book is isolating, and when someone is reading they want
others to be quiet and let them read. So even if he's playing a game
alone, not online, being engrossed in something and concentrating and
thinking are not the same as "antisocial." People don't need to be
interacting with other people to think and to learn!

My oldest child is 24 now and works for a gaming company. Ten years
ago, when he was fourteen, he was hired to run the Pokemon tournaments
at the gaming store where he had already been hanging around for a
couple of years and being honest and helpful. That store had no
electronic gaming at all. They sold board games, collectible card
games (Magic, Pokemon, and scads of others), chess sets, miniatures
and paints, dice... nothing for computers or gaming systems at all.
That was VERY social, as those games all need other in-person
players. Half the store was tables and chairs, and their motto was
"We teach the games we sell."

Online video games have those advantages without having to go to the
gaming store, and people can play with distant friends and relatives,
and make new friends.

Sandra