Comments on: Crepes, Soccer Moms, and Dopamine http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/ A blog on virtual worlds, games, and digital content, from Matt Mihaly Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:37:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 by: Kristina http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-47889 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 22:13:39 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-47889 Interesting fact: There have been studies that show that when video games are given to orangutans to play it actually lowers stress levels. As an active primatologist, I feel that there's quite a bit of validity there. Take that, uninformed soccer mom. Interesting fact:

There have been studies that show that when video games are given to orangutans to play it actually lowers stress levels. As an active primatologist, I feel that there’s quite a bit of validity there.

Take that, uninformed soccer mom.

]]> by: The Arcadia http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-15738 Sat, 12 May 2007 07:59:41 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-15738 I agree with Adele 100%. I have a gaming addiction that I'm trying to ease down off of, and it's both easier and much harder to do because it's not the same kind of addiction as drugs or alcohol (or so I've heard). I'm a girl gamer, rare breed that we are. Guild Wars is my game of choice. (Books are just as bad for me, too. ^_^) I was a RP chat junkie before this. There *are* so many more things you can do in the virtual world than in the real world. I had way more friends online than I'd ever had IRL, until now. Children that are nice but socially inept through middle and high school can find a place to belong online that they never will in their community until everyone supposedly grows up and gets over it. But they remain basically crippled socially for life unless they get into college (or whatever) and get a career and force themselves to interact with the outside world. I've had to learn the hard way about setting limits and making myself stop no matter how nice it is to have people to talk to, share opinions with, or just joke around with, because IRL I went without real friends for nearly seven years, and not for any lack of trying on my part. This isn't to make anyone feel sorry for me, it's to be a voice in the dark that online relationships aren't bad, but parents *must* teach their children about limits. Limits on the phone. Limits on texting. Limits on eating. Limits on reading. Limits on sharing. And limits on playing. Even limits on working! Workaholics = scary. o_0 Moderation in all things. Having a passion is okay. Having an addiction, to anything, is not. WoW isn't bad for kids. (WoW is bad for your wallet, I mean...) What's bad for kids is the notion that MMORPGs are like Pong and Pinball. We need informed parents, and parents that act like parents and not friends or babysitters. We might get the first. Probably not the other one. I agree with Adele 100%. I have a gaming addiction that I’m trying to ease down off of, and it’s both easier and much harder to do because it’s not the same kind of addiction as drugs or alcohol (or so I’ve heard). I’m a girl gamer, rare breed that we are. Guild Wars is my game of choice. (Books are just as bad for me, too. ^_^) I was a RP chat junkie before this. There *are* so many more things you can do in the virtual world than in the real world. I had way more friends online than I’d ever had IRL, until now. Children that are nice but socially inept through middle and high school can find a place to belong online that they never will in their community until everyone supposedly grows up and gets over it. But they remain basically crippled socially for life unless they get into college (or whatever) and get a career and force themselves to interact with the outside world. I’ve had to learn the hard way about setting limits and making myself stop no matter how nice it is to have people to talk to, share opinions with, or just joke around with, because IRL I went without real friends for nearly seven years, and not for any lack of trying on my part. This isn’t to make anyone feel sorry for me, it’s to be a voice in the dark that online relationships aren’t bad, but parents *must* teach their children about limits. Limits on the phone. Limits on texting. Limits on eating. Limits on reading. Limits on sharing. And limits on playing. Even limits on working! Workaholics = scary. o_0 Moderation in all things. Having a passion is okay. Having an addiction, to anything, is not. WoW isn’t bad for kids. (WoW is bad for your wallet, I mean…) What’s bad for kids is the notion that MMORPGs are like Pong and Pinball. We need informed parents, and parents that act like parents and not friends or babysitters. We might get the first. Probably not the other one.

]]> by: Craig Bell (Thalion) http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13795 Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:49:17 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13795 Matt, you are the CEO of a games company who has players that have well into the thousands of hours online in your game worlds, not to mention players who have invested (Interesting that we the players often call credit purchases an investment!) thousands of dollars. I think that if anyone could comment on game addiction, it is you. Matt, you are the CEO of a games company who has players that have well into the thousands of hours online in your game worlds, not to mention players who have invested (Interesting that we the players often call credit purchases an investment!) thousands of dollars. I think that if anyone could comment on game addiction, it is you.

]]> by: Adele Caelia http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13313 Fri, 13 Apr 2007 04:31:23 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13313 Haha! Books do that to me too! Once I get a book I almost always read it until it is finished and that usually means being up til 6am and then being super tired! The books made us do it! Haha! Books do that to me too! Once I get a book I almost always read it until it is finished and that usually means being up til 6am and then being super tired!

The books made us do it!

]]> by: n.n http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13308 Fri, 13 Apr 2007 03:24:42 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13308 I haven't found many games which can keep me up until 4 am and make me a walking zombie the next day due to lack of sleep. Good books, however, do that with depressing regularity. Books are evil! We must ban all of them! They're too much fun! They're ruining people's lives! ;) I haven’t found many games which can keep me up until 4 am and make me a walking zombie the next day due to lack of sleep.

Good books, however, do that with depressing regularity.

Books are evil! We must ban all of them! They’re too much fun! They’re ruining people’s lives!

;)

]]> by: Faethyr http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13230 Thu, 12 Apr 2007 08:22:57 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13230 This reminds me of something someone said on the Lusternia Forums in a discussion about censorship in games. <i> Joe: Bob shot me! Bob: Jane made me do it! Jane: I blame the media. Media: Videogames. Game Industry: Personal responsibility? Personal Responsibility: *AFK*</i> People complain about the effects of video games, but all they really have to do is make sure THEY'RE doing the right thing under the circumstances. If your son has behavioral problems and a tendency to beat people up, then don't damn buy him GTA and bitch when he imitates it. It's not the game's fault, <b><i>IT'S YOUR OWN</i></b> Damn, it felt good to get that out. This reminds me of something someone said on the Lusternia Forums in a discussion about censorship in games.


Joe: Bob shot me!
Bob: Jane made me do it!
Jane: I blame the media.
Media: Videogames.
Game Industry: Personal responsibility?
Personal Responsibility: *AFK*

People complain about the effects of video games, but all they really have to do is make sure THEY’RE doing the right thing under the circumstances. If your son has behavioral problems and a tendency to beat people up, then don’t damn buy him GTA and bitch when he imitates it. It’s not the game’s fault, IT’S YOUR OWN

Damn, it felt good to get that out.

]]> by: Adele http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13163 Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:56:30 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13163 UGH... I so dislike soccer moms! OMG they hate me too lol. At my daughters last school they wouldn't even sit by me because I am so much younger than them and I have the plague or something. Once they find out what I do it becomes even worse. Which is obviously why my husband doesn't want me wearing the gaming shirts I am sure! They so need to get a life and instead of talking about how evil games are and how they are ruining their children's life they should instead focus on becoming better parents. You should have told her that games only become a problem with children if they are not monitored when playing them, and anything done in extreme can be unhealthy, and as a parent instead of banning their children from gaming they should monitor it. Set time limits and make sure that their children are doing other things as well instead of complaining about it and spreading lies or half lies about it. Sorry... need to take a deep breath here, but I know those women you are talking about. They love to gossip, complain, and eat donuts or something... lol. UGH… I so dislike soccer moms! OMG they hate me too lol. At my daughters last school they wouldn’t even sit by me because I am so much younger than them and I have the plague or something. Once they find out what I do it becomes even worse.

Which is obviously why my husband doesn’t want me wearing the gaming shirts I am sure! They so need to get a life and instead of talking about how evil games are and how they are ruining their children’s life they should instead focus on becoming better parents.

You should have told her that games only become a problem with children if they are not monitored when playing them, and anything done in extreme can be unhealthy, and as a parent instead of banning their children from gaming they should monitor it. Set time limits and make sure that their children are doing other things as well instead of complaining about it and spreading lies or half lies about it.

Sorry… need to take a deep breath here, but I know those women you are talking about. They love to gossip, complain, and eat donuts or something… lol.

]]> by: » Blog Archive » Crepes, Soccer Moms, and Dopamine http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13087 Tue, 10 Apr 2007 13:50:46 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13087 [...] max wrote an interesting post today onHere&#8217;s a quick excerptEileen and I were at the Marin Farmer’s Market this morning having breakfast, and while waiting in line for a crepe at the crepe stand and I overheard a soccer mom-looking woman talking to another couple about a “game that took over &#8230; [...] […] max wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptEileen and I were at the Marin Farmer’s Market this morning having breakfast, and while waiting in line for a crepe at the crepe stand and I overheard a soccer mom-looking woman talking to another couple about a “game that took over … […]

]]> by: Joseph Monk http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13073 Tue, 10 Apr 2007 10:52:54 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13073 That's a good point, while I don't know about WoW but when I started playing MUDs years ago I developed a lot of friendships with people on them. There are a lot of people that I've met through games, all over the world, that I'd consider a friend but have never met(or even know what they look like for some of them). I have been able to meet a few of them IRL, and hopefully more later. What makes a relationship "real"? That’s a good point, while I don’t know about WoW but when I started playing MUDs years ago I developed a lot of friendships with people on them. There are a lot of people that I’ve met through games, all over the world, that I’d consider a friend but have never met(or even know what they look like for some of them). I have been able to meet a few of them IRL, and hopefully more later. What makes a relationship “real”?

]]> by: Wolfe http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13064 Tue, 10 Apr 2007 08:21:10 +0000 http://forge.ironrealms.com/2007/04/08/crepes-soccer-moms-and-dopamine/#comment-13064 Parents probably have a hard time understanding what an mmo player can do in the game which can not be done in meatspace. Once you get to the border world where the game is allowing you to do interesting things for such large amounts of time you dont see the game as detatched from reality and the people in it are as real as everyone else. If the parent is complaining the the kid is losing "real friends" then maybe the "real friends" were less real than some might think, the real world isnt very well suited to live in as relationships in it will appear less reliable than those in WoW to a whole lot of people around the world. Parents probably have a hard time understanding what an mmo player can do in the game which can not be done in meatspace. Once you get to the border world where the game is allowing you to do interesting things for such large amounts of time you dont see the game as detatched from reality and the people in it are as real as everyone else.

If the parent is complaining the the kid is losing “real friends” then maybe the “real friends” were less real than some might think, the real world isnt very well suited to live in as relationships in it will appear less reliable than those in WoW to a whole lot of people around the world.

]]>