Comments on: Online Games cause Students to drop out of US Universities. Maybe. http://t-machine.org/index.php/2009/01/13/online-games-cause-students-to-drop-out-of-us-universities-maybe/ Internet Gaming, Computer Games, Technology, MMO, and Web 2.0 Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:30:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Buckmaster http://t-machine.org/index.php/2009/01/13/online-games-cause-students-to-drop-out-of-us-universities-maybe/comment-page-1/#comment-2408 Buckmaster Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:45:16 +0000 http://t-machine.org/?p=327#comment-2408 *within (shouldn't read blogs so late :P) *within (shouldn’t read blogs so late :P)

]]> By: Buckmaster http://t-machine.org/index.php/2009/01/13/online-games-cause-students-to-drop-out-of-us-universities-maybe/comment-page-1/#comment-2407 Buckmaster Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:44:04 +0000 http://t-machine.org/?p=327#comment-2407 Next up will be the assertion that WoW is causing people to become obese. As individuals it is without our immeasurable power to make whatever decision we want to make. Not that I don't believe people could use some help making the right decision, but ultimately it falls on the individual. If people are choosing to play WoW instead of doing their homework, or going to the gym (guilty) then it is because, for whatever reason of a personal nature, they find the value they receive for doing so (based in reality or not) is greater than the value of doing studies or lifting weights. While I'm encouraged by Obama representing a huge leap forward in understanding and utilizing technology, I'm hopeful that his pick for the FCC chair will add more common sense to these types of issues based upon his seemingly relevant background. Links: (Arstechinca Article) http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20090113-obamas-fcc-chairman-pick-hailed-by-reform-groups.html (Company Genachowski's was a co-founder of) http://www.launchboxdigital.com/about-us.html Next up will be the assertion that WoW is causing people to become obese. As individuals it is without our immeasurable power to make whatever decision we want to make. Not that I don’t believe people could use some help making the right decision, but ultimately it falls on the individual. If people are choosing to play WoW instead of doing their homework, or going to the gym (guilty) then it is because, for whatever reason of a personal nature, they find the value they receive for doing so (based in reality or not) is greater than the value of doing studies or lifting weights.

While I’m encouraged by Obama representing a huge leap forward in understanding and utilizing technology, I’m hopeful that his pick for the FCC chair will add more common sense to these types of issues based upon his seemingly relevant background.

Links:
(Arstechinca Article) http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20090113-obamas-fcc-chairman-pick-hailed-by-reform-groups.html

(Company Genachowski’s was a co-founder of) http://www.launchboxdigital.com/about-us.html

]]> By: adam http://t-machine.org/index.php/2009/01/13/online-games-cause-students-to-drop-out-of-us-universities-maybe/comment-page-1/#comment-2406 adam Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:21:24 +0000 http://t-machine.org/?p=327#comment-2406 @mark Indeed. But, as Richard Bartle pointed out, the "gamers themselves" now technically constitute the democratic majority, at least in the uk (in the USA as well?) How much longer will we culturally accept such foolishness that flies in the face of what we know and understand as individuals? I suspect "not much". And personally I'm not accepting it even now :) @mark

Indeed. But, as Richard Bartle pointed out, the “gamers themselves” now technically constitute the democratic majority, at least in the uk (in the USA as well?)

How much longer will we culturally accept such foolishness that flies in the face of what we know and understand as individuals?

I suspect “not much”.

And personally I’m not accepting it even now :)

]]> By: Olivier CARRERE http://t-machine.org/index.php/2009/01/13/online-games-cause-students-to-drop-out-of-us-universities-maybe/comment-page-1/#comment-2404 Olivier CARRERE Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:38:47 +0000 http://t-machine.org/?p=327#comment-2404 It's the usual routine of evolution. Old conformists struggle to understand new trends and media, and therefore will panic at the idea. It's been there forever, used to be tabletop RPGs, TV, Radio, all sorts of new music waves (Charleston, Jazz, Rock'n'roll, techno, rap, you name it); all of these, at some point, have been the spawn of the devil and were corrupting the young generation, inducing violent and criminal behaviours and distracting them from the right path. Of course, we will soon be those old farts :) It’s the usual routine of evolution. Old conformists struggle to understand new trends and media, and therefore will panic at the idea. It’s been there forever, used to be tabletop RPGs, TV, Radio, all sorts of new music waves (Charleston, Jazz, Rock’n'roll, techno, rap, you name it); all of these, at some point, have been the spawn of the devil and were corrupting the young generation, inducing violent and criminal behaviours and distracting them from the right path.
Of course, we will soon be those old farts :)

]]> By: Mark http://t-machine.org/index.php/2009/01/13/online-games-cause-students-to-drop-out-of-us-universities-maybe/comment-page-1/#comment-2402 Mark Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:10:27 +0000 http://t-machine.org/?p=327#comment-2402 It's just the usual scaremongering, as far as I'm concerned. It certainly does happen, but a bit of context would be nice. Like you said, what were the dropout rates in the old days? Moreover, I'm more interested in the amount of dropouts caused by excessive alcohol and weed intake at university I know one person who dropped out because he was playing so much DAoC, but on the other hand, I know umpteen people who went out drinking / got stoned way too much and dropped out as a direct result of that. I have a feeling these numbers would absolutely dwarf any number of dropouts caused by games. Furthermore, alcohol is dished out by student unions on university premises -- it is positively encouraged by many clubs and associations. My point is, if you have little to no self control and go to university, there are officially-sanctioned things there (it used to be £1 to £1.20 a pint in my union -- take that, liver!) that will do more harm to your chances of passing than playing an online computer game. However, little is said about this because it's an accepted part of life in the US & UK. It's viewed as part and parcel of university life and growing up. But those computer games? Oooh, that's a different story! As usual, it's far easier to have a cheap pop at gaming because the only people who will say ,"hang on a moment", are the gamers themselves. It’s just the usual scaremongering, as far as I’m concerned. It certainly does happen, but a bit of context would be nice. Like you said, what were the dropout rates in the old days?

Moreover, I’m more interested in the amount of dropouts caused by excessive alcohol and weed intake at university I know one person who dropped out because he was playing so much DAoC, but on the other hand, I know umpteen people who went out drinking / got stoned way too much and dropped out as a direct result of that. I have a feeling these numbers would absolutely dwarf any number of dropouts caused by games.

Furthermore, alcohol is dished out by student unions on university premises — it is positively encouraged by many clubs and associations. My point is, if you have little to no self control and go to university, there are officially-sanctioned things there (it used to be £1 to £1.20 a pint in my union — take that, liver!) that will do more harm to your chances of passing than playing an online computer game. However, little is said about this because it’s an accepted part of life in the US & UK. It’s viewed as part and parcel of university life and growing up. But those computer games? Oooh, that’s a different story!

As usual, it’s far easier to have a cheap pop at gaming because the only people who will say ,”hang on a moment”, are the gamers themselves.

]]> By: David McGraw http://t-machine.org/index.php/2009/01/13/online-games-cause-students-to-drop-out-of-us-universities-maybe/comment-page-1/#comment-2401 David McGraw Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:27:09 +0000 http://t-machine.org/?p=327#comment-2401 I think these people forget that the academic system really needs restructuring. Students are entering college without a sturdy foundation and must rely much more on their own motivation and ambition to get through. Those pains from a lack of that foundation is washed away when they can soil themselves in a virtual world. If they were not doing it in the virtual world, they would turn to alcohol or other drugs. I don't know about these people who point fingers at the virtual worlds, but I rather their head be in a game rather than a head-on collision. It's actually sickening that, not only the FCC, but people in general look at MMOs as a bad thing. It's getting to a point where you don't want to tell somebody that you play a game like, World of Warcraft, because they immediately label you: procrastinator, lazy, addicted. Sigh. I think these people forget that the academic system really needs restructuring. Students are entering college without a sturdy foundation and must rely much more on their own motivation and ambition to get through.

Those pains from a lack of that foundation is washed away when they can soil themselves in a virtual world. If they were not doing it in the virtual world, they would turn to alcohol or other drugs. I don’t know about these people who point fingers at the virtual worlds, but I rather their head be in a game rather than a head-on collision.

It’s actually sickening that, not only the FCC, but people in general look at MMOs as a bad thing. It’s getting to a point where you don’t want to tell somebody that you play a game like, World of Warcraft, because they immediately label you: procrastinator, lazy, addicted.

Sigh.

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