John Linton
......to an increasing number of people.
Some years ago there was a TV report on a worldwide 'shoot out' held on the PRC which was attended by 'clans' or four players from many countries around the world - I think the game itself was Half Life. During the report various players were interviewed about why they had spent so much money attending the event and how much time they spent 'perfecting their skills'. The answers were surprising and shocked my wife who not being even slightly interested in such activities had no idea of how much time teenagers (and other age groups) spent playing on line games. I commented at the time (and subsequently) that such fantasy 'worlds' had already become an 'addictive drug' for a significant number of people, predominantly young males and the spread of that addiction would only become worse as the games became ever more sophisticated.
However I was surprised to read this article in this mornings SMH:
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/two-million-internet-addicts-20100423-tgky.html
which gives some sort of indication of just how far the danger of this addiction has progressed since that TV program first drew the attention of the dangers of 'fantasy internet' to whoever watched that show. Over the past few years there would be little doubt that WoW and similar games have attracted a vast number of users who prefer the fantasy 'worlds' they create to the real worlds the players of these games actually inhabit. There is also little doubt (irrespective of what the cited article indicates) that fantasy games are as dangerous to undeveloped minds as Class A drugs of addiction are.
While the Labor Party are continuing to fiddle around with 'filtering' (which as everyone who has ever commented has pointed out how unworkable such a thing is) it is not an issue for anyone. However internet addiction is a MAJOR and growing issue and is already destroying more lives than it should and is quite capable of becoming the greatest substance abuse problem yet known - worse than nicotine or alcohol and certainly far worse than heroin or cocaine or crystal meth.
Fantasy games are far more dangerous than any drug because they have a universal appeal that other self abuse substances don't - they appeal to the very core of humanity - the desire to be a hero and to be 'useful' - which is why fantasy stories (from fairies, elves and goblins through to Robin Hood and Superman have had such appeal from the beginning of human history. In the previous ages of literacy (ie. BC = before computers) fantasy was confined in the damage it could do because it required reading a 300 page book. As universal literacy decreased comic books substituted for the detailed written word but what that gained in visual impact it also decreased the power of fantasy by also visually depicting the muscle bound bodies of 'male super heroes and turned off females by depicting 'perfect female bodies' in skimpy clothing. Fantasy movies completed the dis-orientation by using actual 'perfect bodies' to represent the super heroes and it wasn't until 'avatar' based computer representations appeared that the individual's imagination was called upon once more as in the days when teens and sub-teens had to read books.
But while books, comics and movies only allowed the young minds they attracted to enjoy a 'hands off' experience and then only for a strictly limited time computer fantasy games allowed an almost hands on experience and for a much longer time and eventually the time became infinite with the global massive mrpgs now available which, effectively, allow the 'player' to spend their whole life (providing mum keeps delivering the food) living in their fantasy world.
The number of school age Australians becoming dangerously addicted to this 'half life' (pun intended and I always wondered at the irony of the developers of that game choosing that title) is obviously unknown to me but like all addictive drugs its influence will spread. Rather than making unfulfillable claims about filtering the internet the powers that be should look at a social danger that is capable of destroying the current and every succeeding Australian generation.
If the current government wants to improve the lives of all Australians and double the future 'output' of the work force they could do something that not only is possible but can be accomplished really easily - they could ban (via internet controls) all mmprpgs (starting with WoW and whatever else is popular) and allow working family mums and dads to regain some control of getting their children an education.
Australia would become an instantly better and less dangerous place.
They could then get on with an emissions control process that Australians understand and support.
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