The dark side of entertainment

Yesterday I was reading Steve Pavlina's article about determining the true goal of life. While I really think that is a great way to start, and I have planned the exercise myself, that's not the main reason of this entry.

However, one of the comments to the above mentioned article, initially posted by Oleg, have raised some interesting point about games.
To tell you the truth, I've been thinking about this for quite a few days before that, though it was the comment that drove me to sit and write this all down.

Games. The Ultimale Evil?

First of all, let me give you a brief intro of my gaming experience, so that you don't think I'm trying to theorize here.
I've been playing computer games since I was about 8 or 9 years old. For several years after I have finished the school, I've been playing every night for about 5-8 hours strict. Even now I'm spending about 10 to 20 hours per week playing games, and I'm considering myself a professional cyberathlete for about 5 years now.

And that seemed fine to me. Until I started to think about the real influence the games have upon my life.

Oleg asked in his initial post, why the games are so addictive, and why do they have such strong impact on our day-to-day lives?
Well, I'll try to answer this from my perspective.

The common view is somewhat like, "come on, those are mere games, those don't matter! That's just a way of entertainment, nothing more, right?"

Wrong.

Games, as I see it now, tend to substitute the goals of the real world with the goals of the virtual world. This is doubled or even tripled when the game tries to simulate a world. Especially MMORPGs.

The reason is, it is always hard to achieve your real-world goals, 'cause it takes much time, efforts and hard work. While in a virtual world you can set a goal and achieve it right away. Sometims - after spending a little bit of your time and efforts, but nevertheless it won't be nearly as hard as it would be in reality.

"So what? I can always see a difference between a real goal and a virtual one, and I can always get back to fulfilling my real goals once I've done with my game. I even become more self-confident and strong, having achieved my numerous virtual goals!"

I'm not that optimistic anymore.
This knowledge didn't come to me easily. It took quite a bunch of years from my life to understand this. A glimpse of understanding came when I felt the difference between mere playing and becoming a pro. Between enjoying the play and training hard to become the best.
However, the true understanding came in about three years from that.

Yes, games give you a feeling of fulfillment, a feeling of self-confidence and a feeling of Being Able. The downside is - those are nothing but feelings. When you become used to being able to achieve your goals fast and easily - you're become weak in achieving your goals through prolonged hard work. You become weak in achieving your real goals.

What's more, you even lose your desire to achieve your real goals. Why should you care, you have just fulfilled a whole mess of goals in a two-hours session of gaming! You feel satisfaction, you even feel a pleasant weariness of fulfillment, who dares to disturb you with those petty real-world goals?? Let someone else care about those.

The more you achieve in virtuality the less you're able to achieve in reality.

And now that's bad.


What do you suggest then? Drop the games completely?

Nope, I'm not that harsh. :)
I agree that games are entertaining, and that games can give you some self-confidence if treated carefully. I even agree that not everyone dumps in the virtuality, there are lots of people who always see the difference, or perhaps don't have to hide their real-world problems by playing games.

There is a great difference between games. And there is even more difference between various styles of playing. Like, role-playing vs being a munchkin, or hardcore playing vs being a pro-gamer.

Games have to be chosen wisely. Try to avoid those "Live a life" games like Sims, Fallout (one of my favourite addictions), Pirates! or Morrowind.
I.e. no RPGs, and especially no MMORPGs. While the common games are imps, those are devils.

You can stick with puzzles, logic games, arcades, sport/car simulators and even some 3D shooters, though the last ones are silently transformed in RPGs lately.

Play games to be entertained, to train your reaction or logic.

Play games as a sport, play it to defeat your opponent and hone your skills.

But don't play games to live a life.

Just shut your computer down and go out to live a real life.

Night patrols

Yesterday, after the crowd was scattered, almost everyone expected the agressors to try and repeat march 24th. As a member of local people militia, I came at the briefing held in the police headquarters. Police forces seemed to be ready virtually to anything, and there were many militia members supporting them.
As a side fact noticed by one of our guys, the ground floor windows were barred with sandbags - obviously in case of a direct armed attack.

Our unit consisted of 3 cars and about fifteen guys, mostly armed with clubs, reinforcement bars etc.
We were patrolling the city for about 3 hours at night, ready to engage and call support if any disorders would take place. However, everything seemed.. not calm, of course - it seemed stable. We haven't seen many foot policemen during our patrols - they were distributed among the local police depts, patrolling the dark allyes and blocks. However, there were police cars scattered along the main roads, full with armed policemen.

Even more, virtually every store, sometimes even small ones, even some beauty shops, were guarded by groups of civilians, ready to repel marauders. Some guys were on the edge, but generally militiamen were cool, not waving their weapons, not actively searching for trouble. They were citizens who came out to protect the city, that's all.

There was even a small incident describing how well protected the city was - after one of our circles we met at the starting point (every car had its own route) and were talking about what we have seen. In about 5 or 10 minutes a car stopped near us. There were 4 huge guys wearing armor and armed with commando-version of AK74. After a brief talk they explained that some local habitats have called police, and they came to deal with "a loud group of people gathered around a bunch of cars". That was really nice to know such serious guys would come in case of trouble.
Before departing, they even thanked us for what we do, helping them to deal with the situation. Man, that alone was rewarding enough for spending a few hours on the road.

After several patrol circles our units were dismissed, though we all had our cellular phones on. Just in case.

This night have shown that the city is ready to protect itself from any disorders. Last time we just were not ready, that's it.

Breaking the customs

So far so good. Seems like police is aware of possible consequences of letting the mob do everything it's up to.

The fact is, agressors were not holding the White House for long, as the OMON (special police units) threw them out. They even attacked the crowd later and scattered it, we have some photos of the event here. No firearms were used, only so-called 'pacifizers' (rubber clubs) and tear-gas.

Whew, that's some relieving news indeed.

National customs

Well, it seems like storming the White House is already a custom here in Kyrgyzstan. For the first time it happended in march, and for a few hours that was fine, but the following events have shaken everybody, no matter whether they have supported the revolution or not.

It all seemed calm from then, though. There were still some small-scale disorders, however the police along with people militia took care of these, and everything settled down.

But now the White House seems to be taken over again, by some unknown group of people, numbering about 2-5 thousands. There is no certain information yet, though all this seems not to frighten us anymore, but rather call out our anger.

People I have spoken to all say that such actions cannot be treated calmly anymore, and it has to be dealt with by force, using either police or people militia. Many are ready to volounteer and throw the agressors out of the White House.

Personally, I don't think this would be wise to start a massive civil disorder. However, if our governement won't do anything with this, and it will seem the so-called 'liberty fighters' would transform into marauders once again, I'll go out at the streets along with militia.

Though I still hope that won't be necessary.

StarCraft

The clanwar between a2 and esC is over just a few minutes ago, and now I feel completely drained.

I have been playing StarCraft for more than 5 years now, being a local champ for this time period, but this is my first online clanwar so far. And I can tell that it is even more draining than any LAN party I have ever experienced. Perhaps that's just a matter of my newbiness, but anyway, it's hard. :)

But I feel good, no matter how tired I am. Come on, that was my first CW, and I have won my opponent 2-0! That's something that fills me with joy and self-confidence.

To tell you the truth, that is the main reason I came to this sport, and that is the main reason I am in it for so long. Self-confidence. Winning a worthy foe gives you a strong feeling of Being Able. Winning a tournament is even harder, that's why it gives much stronger feeling. Even when the opponents are not-so-good, the fact that you came on top of so many people is really A Something.

I can tell for sure that my results in this sport gave me the courage and self-confidence in my day-to-day life. Six years back I was a young guy posessing almost no self-confidence at all, I bended before the challenges my life offered me, and I always tried to run away from any responsibility. Now I'm really a different person, although not someone really bold like Terminator ;), but pretty bold anyway. I am ready to live my life without hiding from its challenges, and I know every challenge will make me even stronger.

Not that the sport changed me single-handedly, though it was really helpful in times of trouble, when I was shaken and my spirit cried. I hid in sport, and got the strenght in it, and that really helped.

However, for about a year now I am seriously considering giving StarCraft up. It doesn't get me the help as it used to - or I just don't need it anymore - and sometimes it even becomes an obstacle on my way. For example, I am sure I wouldn't be able to get up at 6am tomorrow morning (oh man, it's TODAY already!), and even if I'll make it at 7, the whole day will be screwed.
Not to tell about the evening work I intended to do.

So, I am re-thinking my connection with this sport now, and God help me to choose right! :)

Intro

Well, so the moment has come and I'm typing in my very first blog entry.
I suppose there shouldn't be any loud noises about it, because, come on, quite a number of people could be doing the same thing at the same moment.

Thus said, I shall make it quick and simple.
My name is Nick Pasko, I am currently working as a software developer in Bishkek City, Kyrgyzstan. Alas, Joel or Eric would call my current activity a mere programming.
That's why I want to become something different, starting with being developer - and I don't really know how far will my intentions bring me in the end.

Well, I suppose that's it for the first entry, for I have a number of things to do now, hopefully I'll write about that some time later.