Wk 2 — Activity — Virtual: Worlds
Pictured above — Me and my friends in VRChat celebrating someone’s birthday by throwing them a VR celebration.
Differences of physical places — Westminster Highschool vs. Zoom U
The very first thing differentiating both of these is a literal lack of physical presence. With room, you have things from peopel to those low quality mass produced class desks, to the subtlties such as the fluorescent lighting hums to the tapping of someones foot to the humidity in the air. All of that is gone and now replaced by the comfort of (literally) your own home. That dreadful aura (or vibe as we kids call it today) no longer weighs upon you. As for similarities, you still have people. Faces to see, voices to hear, that one kid who never shows up, the kid who asks questions, the sleeping kid, the one always on their phone, etc.
Differences of virtual places — VRChat/Games vs. Social Media
So the differneces here are staggering. With video games, especially a Virtual Reality game such as VRChat, it no longer feels like a digital social medium but just another avenue of hanging out with friends and spending time. Instead of a picnic in the park, why not go kill the Enderdragon in Minecraft? In a socia media, it’s entirely different. “Interactions” are merely likes and view counts and 240 character comments and tweets. Most of these are snippets of your life and usually altered to present the best of you. In Minecraft, if you drop off a cliff and die cause you accidentally missed a block, everyone laughs, just like if you slipped on a banana in real life. Those small moments are what makes games so appealing and immersive as a social platform. You won’t see a genuine moment like that on Facebook.
Comparison of place — Virtual vs. Physical
Now obviously one big thing is a lack of physical touch. Especially in a pandemic, nothing replaces a hug or a great meal out with friends to the local burger joint. Virtual places (and even virtual reality) can only appeal to so many senses that a physical outting cannot. But to the senses it can appeal it, it exceeds at. Virtual reality taking you to new and literally impossible heights and feats, all while your friends are there right with you. But with just as many places Minecraft can offer me, I can’t do a canonball with my friends at their pool and play chicken. Those senses in a real setting are something that can only be experienced doing those things. Nothing beats physical when you want the real deal.
Conclusion — The Idea of “Place”
As someone who *very* *VERY* frequently goes into virtual places, games, virtual reality games, etc. and have made countless friends through these mediums, a sense of place is just the beginning. I’m one of the few who didn’t mind a quarantine as it didn’t really impact me seeing and hanging out with my friends that much. Now to some that might be sad, but having friends you have a genuine common interest with and experiences in a virtual world when you kill a dragon or decide to summon a monster is something that doesn’t happen in real life. These past few years, it grew past just a place, and into a community.
Identity — What counts as an MMORPG?
Now, as an avid gamer and someone who has played many MMORPGS, I don’t think digital social medias count as them. Here’s why: MMORPGs have players that have a digital representation of themselves that are all put into a shared universe with it’s own settings, place, time, universe, reality, laws of physics, lore, items, etc. crafted to be experienced collectivley as a community ACTIVLEY. Active medias and passive medias (like TV, movies, etc.) are different in which how you and your brain engage in it. Social media is limited to the functionalities it’s been given. Like, comment, subscribe, favorite, share, and post. With MMORPGs, I can’t even begin to explain how much can happen in and out. While technically not the sandwbox genre, MMORPGs truly let you do limitless things, from getting your first exotic item in Destiny 2 to finally beating the Lich King in WoW, to reaching max levels and maxing all your stats in FFXIV, I don’t think any social media can compare liking someones relationship change from single to in a relationship to what an MMORPG can offer. Now as for real life? I don’t think so either. Maybe if we truly do live in a simulation then “Life” is the greatest MMORPG ever created, but real life is just that — real life. Not a digital universe crafted by developers with intricitly placed items and leveling systems and bosses to defeat (unless you plan to overthrow your current boss… then have at thee!)
