'On this one I have no Clue'

Unfortunately, I turned on the radio this morning to catch the episode of Crossing Continents in Radio 4.

Radio with an agenda can be terribly depressing when the agenda happens to be one so radically different from your own. The continent crossed was, I think, the online one. The jovial, but of course, bemused presenter introduced us to a number of facts, including that one in four people had created an avatar of themselves last year, that 3/5 children under 5 used the internet, and so on. He then wandered into an internet cafe in Soeul - 'an underground, smoky room sourrounded by computer screens and refrigerators selling soft drinks, noodles and other fast food'. Three groups of people were interviewed:

3 young men playing a racing game as a team
The only young woman (in 'a woolly hat'), who was playing a casual game about cleaning your house as fast as you could
A young man playing (at which point the expert brought along said 'I don't recognise this one, hand on a moment'). World of Warcraft. The interveiwer asked the expert (after struggling in a faintly amused voice to say 'MMORPG') what he knew about this game because 'it's very hard to understand what's going on'. The expert said 'on this I have no clue'.

The impression we were left with was then of course - geeks playing competitive, trigger happy games, a lone girl (perhaps the only girl gamer in Korea!), quite obviously a badly dressed = socially inept one, playing a 'pink' game, and one person playing a game that was so incomprehensible and odd that it couldn't be described or recognised.

Previously, the presenter asked if the players were not getting outside - instead they were running  around in  these virtual worlds instead. The expert replied that a lack of spacein Korea draws people to  games, stressing their multitasking approach to playing, chatting and socialising, as well as the fact that the games could give 'instant gratification' over ten minutes.

I'm so glad we have such measured, up to date reports on the state of gaming.

Comments

[Guy]

It's no real wonder, over at the superior ITN offices they are still surprised at YouTube.

And frankly gaming rather like SF, fantasy, horror and so on is one of those guilty pleasures that are considered socially unacceptable. Hence it will be a low priority for new journo's/money.

I wouldn't be surprised if the specific journalist was just improvising having been given the story. Plus gaming moves so quickly, particuarly in many of its social aspects that full time specialisation is required.

Gradually as real world immersion in online culture becomes greater and greater this should change, increased contact shifting the levels of social acceptability (indeed I bet there is a fascinating social system to be discovered amongst those who are introduced to gaming for the first time. How do they react with friends in the room compared to on their own. Do they react better to being shown the basics by an attractive woman than a spotty. etc.

[haro]

My favorite game is World of warcraft ( http://www.file.sh/world+of+warcraf+torrent.html ) and nothing is going to change my attitude towards it ;)