Online games on Facebook have never been my thing. In fact, I get a little irritated when a long lost family member sends me massive amounts of game invites (has this happened to you too?) I've always been more of the Xbox or Playstation type guy, some of my favorite games to partake in are the Grand Theft Auto series and NBA 2k series.
After watching Jane McGonigal's appearance on TED Talk, her assessment led me to believe that gaming does in fact make the world better.
Just like those irritating relatives sending Facebook games, online gaming has improved interaction and communication with our close ones whether we chose to accept an invite or not. Moreover, online games on consoles such as Xbox and Playstation has allowed users from all over the world to interact with one another whether it be lobby messaging or actual telecommunications.
Imagine playing Super Mario back in the early 90's and actually teaming up with some random person across the world to defeat Bowser?
The real question is, am I selecting Mario? or does my online buddy willingly want to be Luigi?
It is amazing to me to see that over 2.4 billon people can now access the internet, and if Facebook were a country they would be the third largest. No wonder why Jane thinks games make the world a better place. So much interaction!
As far as did you know topics? Did you know that 1 out 5 divorces are blamed on Facebook? I recently got engaged so I should probably limit my Facebook usage.
Overall, I think immersive media such as Twitter, Facebook or even online gaming is such a compelling part of our culture now. The days of pen pal and stamped letters seem so long ago. I remember when I was a child I would go to my cousin's house every weekend to play video games, now all I have to do sit on my couch and open up my Facebook app.
I agree with your stance on the community being created by these online gaming networks. I too suffer from game requests on Facebook, and it seems as if these annoying alerts are only welcomed by those also addicted to these app games. Many people are alienated by these requests - even to the point of unfollowing or deleting those friends who send these unwanted alerts. In this way, I find the games to be a deterrent to these online connections.
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