Computers in Libraries 2007 & WoW


If anybody wants to meet me, I'll be in DC in April. I'm looking forward to going to Jenny Levine & Aaron Schmidt's gaming workshop on that Sunday before.

Santa, a close personal friend of mine, (I have to be careful, I don't know if my kids have ever Googled themselves yet) brought World of Warcraft for the boys, and we're all addicted. I've got to write an article about the whole MMORPG phenomenon. It just feels like a microcosm for what could be the ultimate nature of reality: oversouls, the theosophist belief in "old souls", multiple personalities, demonic possession, other dimensions, sleep, dreams, etc. It makes me think of all the Joseph Campbell lectures, and how we are all inside this dream of Brahma, the writings of Aldous Huxley, the perennial philosophy, psychedelic drugs, even the Seth Material. I might get a book deal out of all this. ;-)

Then there's social aspects of these games: the learning of teamwork, courtesy, politeness, even altruism! It's nuts! As a parent, I'm not grumbling at all that my boys are playing WoW. Sure, it's addictive as hell, but I watch them as they play, and there are some very positive things there that I see them learning. The altruistic thing is the best. Helping someone out for no other reason than that it's the right thing to do. It's what makes us human. It's pretty cool.

Posted: Thu - March 15, 2007 at 12:28 PM      

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