Assignment 9

One particular internet activity which I find problematic is playing online videogames. Such videogames are interactive and interpersonal which allows for multiple individuals to join together at a certain time and play together. I am not a fan of online videogames, yet one game in particular which has been a topic of conversation among friends, has been StarCraft. Discussing the actual game itself is not my main objective here, yet the psychological, social, and communicative implications of online videogames is my main focus.

The online, interactive, interpersonal psychological space in which online games exists is problematic for many reasons. For the person playing the game, it can become addicting, lead oneself to reject Face-to-Face communication (due to social dependence online), and it can be mentally taxing. There is a great deal of anonymity that exists within online games. People who you are playing with (unless the already know you), are unfamiliar with your background and character traits. Thus, who you are online can be very different compared to what you are like in real life. These are scary assumptions and risks associated with online gaming for the individual; changing and altering personas are a deceptive undertaking. There are problems for the rest of the gamers who are associated with a deceptive host. First, they are receiving a false perception of an individual (which is morally or ethically questionable). Second, playing online for a significant amount of time with a specific person could foster a bad relationship if there is tension between players.

Moreover, because these online games are so addictive, they can and do prevent people from getting out of their house and socializing FtF. I have seen this first hand, and it is sad. The amount of time spent gaming could easily be put towards socializing with real people, or doing more productive things such as a Comm 245 blog assignment. Agree to disagree on the comment stated above…

The cyclical Caplan model (2004) is very relevant to this example. As found in the model, excessive/ compulsive use of the internet can lead to psychological problems, which in turn leads to low social competence. As stated in the previous paragraphs, playing extreme amounts of online games can cause one to become deceptive and not true to oneself (having a psychological problem). Moreover, this will lead to not being social or participating in FtF communication (low social competence). Because of one’s low social competence, he or she will have a drive for more online interaction because it is less threatening (and he or she is able to thrive off of their false persona). As stated, these characteristics found in the Caplan model, all relate to each other and contribute to their development .

Lastly, I do not believe this online space/interaction is unique because in other spaces such as online gambling, one can be very anonymous or change their playing habits than if they were competing Face-to-Face. Yet, this space is unique in a certain way in that you can replace youself with a fictional character/being, and assume that you have its characteristics in a world of fantasy. The sense of imagination is very high with online gaming, and it is interesting to study its effects on humans.

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