Id like to start this blog with a disclaimer, I can barely work hotmail, wordpress is still a mystery and as far as computer games go well I havent played since the first nintendo game came out. I did however find this youtube video that is absolutly helarious and I think it might even shed some light on the mystery of gaming to those of us in the dark…

Some of the people I talked to expressed their relish for the social aspect of these games, being able to interact with others in ways that would traditionally be inexceptable in the “real world”. I suppose I can undertand that and draw some parralles to my own other worlds of skiing, kickboxing and baseball. Each presents its own challenges and specific social etiquette that would otherwise be deemed unexpectable. You can punch someone in the face without fear of being thrown in jail and on skis well hey thats as fast as you can go without a motor…..awesome…so if that rush transfers over to the gaming world I understand. I havent had a beer with a gear head in a while, but there is nothing better than I long day on the hill fallowed by a beer and a conversation about the new line of gear that mountain hardwear put out, the new k2, salomon and atomic lines, how the technology has changed. The same Im sure can be said for gamers.

Im not even going to comment on the articles this week because I didnt understand half of what they said, and found them to be a little dry and well sorry Paul irrelevant to those of us do not play.

The concern for some is that the video will become true and the worlds of gaming and reality will merge. Im not sure that this will ever happen as there are still laws to abide by out here in reality and I think half the fun of gaming is being able to seperate oneself from the daily stressors and nuances for awhile. Whether that is functional or problematic Im not sure. The concern I will express is when children play they are literally wiring their brains for the future, and there is only so much plasticity in ones brain. So when they play video games they are wiring those circuits, this is problematic if they only play video games and watch televison. Studies have come out to suggest that children exposed to these lifestyles have marked motor impairment and do not perform as well on spatial tasks, coordination tasks and even spelling. So parent beware….if your kids want to play its ok, just make sure they get some well rouded activities in their cognitive diets.

So in conclusion, game on gamers, ski on skiiers, do what you do and do it well, whatever it may be…..

Cheers