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1. When I was a kid, my dad bought us a Texas Instruments home computer (the TI-99/4A). I think he must've sold the idea to my mom that he was buying a computer not a video game console -- an investment in his children's future! -- which is why I grew up with a mastery of Munchman not Pacman, and why the phrase Alert, alien craft advancing will make both my brother and me twitch. Although at times I've lamented his not buying an Atari, I did learn the basics of… errr… BASIC and I acquired the valuable skills of blowing on cartridges, of rigging an external data device (um, a cassette player), of waiting patiently for Fred to fail at Alpiner (You never made it past The Matterhorn, did you, loser!) so I could have my turn. And indeed, what my dad gave us was a lifelong love of computers/video games, as well as a certain comfort level with hardware, a rudimentary understanding of software, patience and curiosity, and a keen desire to always upgrade. We are geeks. And he's to blame.

2. My son is 16. He doesn't know how to drive. (Oi, this makes me feel old to type this...) But when I was his age, I couldn't wait til I could get my driver's license. It meant freedom. It meant escape. It meant hanging out with friends. In part, Isaiah's not compelled to get his license as our city has a fairly decent public transportation system. But more often than not, he doesn't have to or even want to leave the house in order to hang out with his friends. On Friday nights as a teen, I'd cruise the strip, driving back and forth and back and forth on CY Avenue with a couple of friends. Or we'd go to the park. (I know, I know. I am that cool.) Isaiah simply plugs into his Xbox 360 and meets his friends on the streets of wherever the latest Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty is set.

3. I hate to lose. That's why my favorite games are Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble. I am good - damn good - at arranging little tiles to spell things and at memorizing obscure pop cultural and historical and literary factoids. And that's why I will not play Monopoly. I suck at the accumulation of property and capital. I'll just warn you now -- when I play a game, I can get a little maniacal. When I was actively involved in MMORPGs, I was one of those elitist jerks who studies the mechanics of the game, who develops the gear/skills for a character with precision and ferocity, who studies the data and the graphs from the game logs, and who can be a complete and utter asshole to the "casual" player. I used to get so irritated when someone would tell me to chill out and just have fun when I would find myself at annoyed at players who'd do stupid things (Note: don't stand in the fire). For me, having fun means serious play.

Serious play versus having fun. Gaming with friends. The long history of our geekdom. - These and other things seem to make the topic of gaming so contentious, I would say. We game to play, to compete, to be social, to enjoy technology. How these demands and desires play out - in WoW, in Farmville, in Hello Kitty Island Adventure, in the marketplace, in R&D, and in the classroom - make gaming appealing and complicated and powerful.

Audrey Watters


Published

Audrey Watters

Writer

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