The World of Games

Millions of people are addicted to online games.  There are even games through social networking sites such as Facebook and virtual worlds like Second Life.

Games promote a variety of things such as competition, prizes and rewards, violence, and social interaction with both friends and strangers. 

They can be a way to escape from the real world.  With gaming sites and virtual worlds, you can create any character that you wish.  Being anyone you want to be has been extremely appealing and popular to many people.  One of the main reasons is if you’re not satisfied with who you are, for instance, not pretty enough or over weight.   

It is crazy to see to number of people playing games and creating fantasy characters for hours and hours a day.  I was surprised when I watched an in-class video on designated rooms that are filled with computers for the purpose of only online games.  That was so shocking to me.

I never really got into online games because I prefer to spend my time with other things such as school, family, friends, sports, music, and community service.  If I want to play a game, it would only be through the Wii with friends and family.  I think it is weird to play online games, especially if you are talking and interacting with complete strangers.  You could be interacting with a 50 year old man who has nothing better to do than find out your personal information; you just never know.  That is why I prefer to actually know who I am playing games with.  

I have also learned that the modern world is in fact slowly becoming more and more like a game. If you make a real life opportunity a type of game, then people are more easily stimulated to get the work done.  The main reason for this is because it is fun and exciting; never the same, old, tedious, and boring tasks.  However, it would be better if they are games in positive ways that help make a difference.  From thefuntheory.com, I have learned some great examples of a real life games used in positive ways.  One of the theories is putting a sound machine inside trash bins so when someone throws trash away, they will hear the fun sound.  It provides a positive way to make people want to pick up trash and keep our environment clean.  Another theory is putting piano keys on the stairs that are next to the escalator.  That way, it encourages more people in a fun way to exercise by taking the stairs instead of being lazy on the escalator.   

Technology & Privacy

It is crazy how quickly technology is moving and how we are moving right with it.

I think the cultural move toward social networking and constant access to the Internet brings both positive and negative effects.  There is definitely an entanglement between our personal lives and technology.  Some benefits are communicating with friends and family easier through tools such as Facebook, Skype, and phones with the Internet. 
It is also easier to share pictures and videos, inform others about events, and post anything you want.  But some drawbacks are sharing too much information and overexposing yourself in a very dangerous way.  And so, these drawbacks will give you less privacy.

One of the things that bother me the most about the Internet is when people tell the whole world what they are doing every second and where they are doing it. I seriously do not care about knowing every detail of someone’s life about what toothpaste they used to what time they went to bed for example.  If I want to know, I can ask them personally and not through a public broadcast.  In addition to it being annoying, it is also stupid and dangerous because a creepy person can read your post, go to the place you are at and … we can imagine what horrible things could happen. 

Another thing that bothers me on the Internet is when I have seen people post inappropriate pictures on the Internet, especially on Facebook.  It is ridiculous that these people need so much attention that they are willing to disrespect themselves to make other people like them.  As a result, it can be extremely detrimental to your safety, for people can take your information and pictures and use it in ways that you would not want done.

Once you put something on the Internet, it can never be erased unfortunately.  Even if you delete it from your profile, it is still out there somewhere else that others can see and use in whatever way they decide. This is a scary thing to think about.  

It is important to learn our limits to help us prevent mistakes in the future.  Since we have the complete freedom to post anything we wish, it can be easy to do something we will regret.  We must think before we act, or post in this situation.

I try to be more cautious about what I put online to protect myself because it is so easy for others to tamper with your information in a negative way. Even though I try to be careful, I still worry about my privacy.

In conclusion, it is important to be smart about what we post, and to not reveal too much information about ourselves.  Facebook is one of those tools that create such an easy environment to pour out your entire life on, with many little details.

I am also curious but also a bit scared for the next generation of people.  How will they be using the Internet, social media, and other forms of communication?  We can only imagine, never quite sure what will happen or what it will be like…but hopefully more positives than negatives.