Social Issues

So for my CSC320 class (Social issues in computing), I had to pick a topic in computers that has social implications and write a short essay on it. Let me tell you, picking a topic was sooo tough, expecially when he threw in the “something that interests you” limitation. Because…frankly, nothing in computers interests me anymore. With that said I decided to write about Everquest: (may be interesting to a select few) (a very select) …

Everquest

Video Games have never ceased to amaze me. It would seem as though my generation has seen the rise and fall of so many various flavors of video game consoles; and like monarchs, they are all eventually abdicated from their thrown by the next more powerful console, boasting the absolute latest technology at its disposal. At the current stage of the video game evolution, we are starting to remove the limitation of playing a game with those who you know and are locally present, to those who you don�t know and are as remote as different continents. Video Games are starting to go �online� and are polarizing the gaming population into small communities, each with their own kind of language, dialect, and rules of etiquette.

One game in particular that has highlighted the effects that online gaming can have on our society is called Everquest, an online digital world with millions of residents made up of all your fellow players. This game is so much like reality that for some, it has taken its place. There have been reports of divorce and various domestic and social issues that have stemmed from this game alone. Money acquired from within the game has actual worth outside of it as well, as users sometimes trade actual dollars for Everquest money or equipment. The popularity of this game, along with the copious hours that players invest in it has incited some to apply rather negative labels to it such as �EverCrack� and �NeverRest�, implying the game as more of a vice than a form of entertainment.

The social implication of this game, and all other�s that follow in its genre are obviously severe. Should this game be allowed for purchase? Sounds like a silly blatant infringement of our most basic rights, but is it really that silly? The effects of Everquest have been compared to those produced by most narcotics, and those are illegal. Can the makers of Everquest be held liable for a divorce caused by this game? It is a hard decision to make. Most of this may reside on whether we can trust society to exercise the discretion needed to prevent such a game from becoming an addiction. But a larger question is, do we have this right?