Morals and Gaming. Can they live symbiotically?

Its an age old question. And one that seems to have a simple answer, yet its basic implementation is more complex than most realize.

First, lets look at what a "gamer" is, and some common misconceptions. Many times, especially some of the older generation, thinks of these folks that like to play online games as some sort of antisocial, pasty faced nerds, that sit in their moms basement drinking energy drinks and having no life what so ever.

Well, online gaming has become much more than what it was in the past couple of decades. It is far more main stream than allot of folks realize, and the folks that play online games make up all age ranges and demographics.

There are whole communities devoted to online gaming, online and in real life (IRL). There is in fact a very large corporate backing for "professional gamers", and some of these larger online gaming communities. This is something that would have never been imagined 30 or 40 years ago, much less realized. But today the proof is out there, online gaming is BIG business, and business is good.

You now have folks that are blue collar, white collar, no collar, gaming side by side. Folks that are on opposite sides of the planet, playing with each other and interacting on highly social levels. You have preteens, teens, adults and yes even seniors, fragging each other till the wee hours of the mornings.

Online gaming can be anything from one of those poker sites, to a first person shooter (FPS), a card or board game, a role playing game (RPG), or a massively multiplayer online game (MMO). And there has been a shift in online gaming over the years, more towards a MMO style.

For those of us that have played online games, we have all at one point or another run across someone that felt the need to be a turd, to be blunt about it. For whatever reason they feel the need to be crude, rude, obscene and sometimes just down right mean to others. Many times, it is due in part to the age of those you are interacting with, as a large base of them are "kids", but that is not always the case. Ignorance and selfishness really doesn't know any age boundaries.

And if you have played more than one online game, especially FPS and RPG games, have most likely had to deal with hackers and exploiters also. There was a game I just loved, it was called Quake. When it first came out, I could not get enough of it and got pretty good at it. Well, one day all of a sudden there was someone in there playing that could move 4 times as fast as anyone else, they were impossible to hit and were wiping out everyone else in sight.

Online gaming of all sorts has been riddled with those that would take advantage of hacks, glitches and exploits. To them, it made the game fun, because they didn't need to have the same level of skill as others, to hold their own or dominate others.

So now you ask, well if it is so glum and there are so many jerks out there, why play online? The answer is simple. Because even though there are those out there that find it fun to try and ruin your online gaming experience, there are many very nice folks out there that it is truly an honor to game with. And you can actually create some great bonds with those few select folks. And you can actually look forward to getting online and gaming and interacting with them on a daily basis. Because after all, this is just another way for folks to socialize.

Many would say that we have lost certain social skills due to such a higher amount of "online time", and lack of actual physical interaction. Well, that sentiment is a bit short sighted. Online gaming and interaction is a type of socialization, and interaction now. That is just a fact of today's world. The important part is "how" we socialize with each other, not necessarily the method or device used for said socialization. I'm not saying we should all hibernate in our homes, staying in front of the computer hours on end, because getting out in the world and socializing with others is a very important part of living and personal growth and development. So you have to meter the amount of online time, versus get off your butt and talk to folks in the outside world time.

So this leads me to the premise of this article. Can you have a higher level of moral interaction while you play games online and interact online? The answer is yes, you can.

Each of us decide how we are going to interact with others, whether it is nice or foul. We make that conscious decision each time we type or say or do something online. So in the end run, we have only ourselves to blame for bad interactions, or good interactions.

Each of us can choose to take the higher ground. Make it a point to help someone in game, that has just started gaming, and doesn't know the ins and out of that particular game. Give some praise to a random person for something. Encourage those around you to proffer a higher level of sportsmanship and comradery.

If each of us consciously try's to be the best person we can be online, and positively effect those around us, we have taking our selves to a higher playing field. And not only does that make us personally stronger, it actually benefits others in ways sometimes unseen.

If you are a parent, and your child is gaming and you are not. Become involved in what they are doing. Watch them, listen to them, participate with them in some way. This will do a few things for you. One, it will let you know if there are some issues. After all, if you are a caring parent and want your child to become someone that cares for others, why would you allow them to trash talk someone or cuss them out in a game. This teaches them that they are able to disrespect others, with no consequences. So it gives you either the chance to help redirect them on a path that is better, or gives you the opportunity to praise them for being "mature" and a good person.

If you happen to also like gaming too, then game with them. Make it part of your family time, to help grow and strengthen that bond that you have with your child. And also help teach them some life lessons in regards to respecting those around them, being helpful and caring.

There is NO reason at all that an individual can not take the higher ground in online gaming. None what so ever. You can choose to promote things like: sportsmanship, loyalty, and comradery. Or you can choose to be a negative force.

So to those of you that choose to be negative in your interactions with others and your gaming "values", I say shame on you. Take stock in yourself, and raise yourself to a higher level. Grow up.

And for those of you who fight daily to do the right thing, and be good to those around you, i salute you. Keep up the good work.

 

~ Thor