GAMING, CYBERSPACE, and IDENTITY

(image of space invaders)

DIRECTIONS: Play some games and respond to the following questions.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Choose a game in which you assume an identity that is significantly different from from your own. Do not, for example, play Backgammon. If you have a favorite game, great--if not, you can choose one from the following free gaming sites:

BattleOn:

War at Sea

Vampire Slayer Quest

Ninja Class

Adventure Quest:

http://darkzard.battleon.com/Build24/game29.asp

New Grounds

Kaboom!

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view.php?id=50323

Pimp's Quest:

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/60822

Pico's School (Pico fights the Goths):

http://www.newgrounds.com/pico/index.html

The LamdaMOO:

Introduction to the MOO:

http://www.lambdamoo.info/

Other Gaming Hubs:

http://games.yahoo.com/

http://ww13.freearcade.com/

www.pogo.com

www.zone.com

http://www.spaceinvaders.de/

http://www.shockwave.com/sw/actiongames/arcade_classics/

Think about the following questions as you play:

  1. What is the objective of the game?
  2. What is your role in the game?
  3. How does this role differ from your role as a student at UCSB?
  4. What does the game environment look like? The colors, textures, and sounds (if any)? What is the quality of graphics?
  5. How does the game environment differ from your actual environment?
  6. Pay attention to how your body reacts as you play the game. How do you feel when you play the game? Does your heart beat faster? Slower? Do you tense up? Relax? Play for five minutes and write a narrative response of your gaming action. Write at least two paragraphs. E.g. I walk into the room looking for treasure. I do this, that, and the other thing. X tries to kill me, but I dispatch it with my sword/mace/ring of power. Etc.
  7. How do the actions of the game differ from your real life actions? Write a narrative account of your real life actions. E.g. In reality, I am sitting in a plastic seat in a computer lab; my eyes dart right and left; my forefinger clicks the mouse; etc.
  8. How does playing this game differ from playing a traditional face-to-face board game like Monopoly?
  9. "For [Sherry] Turkle, one of the most exciting--and healthy--aspects of the Internet is that it allows us to create--and explore--multiple personae and personalities for ourselves. To what extent have you experienced this sense of creation and re-creation of yourself on the Internet?"
  10. According to Marvin Minsky, human intelligence arises from several task-specifc "agents" working in tandem and following set rules, in order to achieve a common goal. How does on-line gaming relate to Minsky's argument? What might some of your "agents" be as you play this game? What might some of the game's "agents" be?

GAMING, CYBERSPACE AND IDENTITY