[MD] Food for Thought

[Case]

[Dan]
Like I said, it all sounds like great fun. I'm curious... you say you "met" 
these people. In person? And how do you know they are who they say they are?

[Case]
The degree and kind of communication players have depends a lot on the type
of game. First Person Shooters generally involve teams of five or so players
running around on a map shooting each other. I once watch a really good team
of Halo players compete. They had names for different portions of the map
like "Salt and Pepper" and "Blue Mountain" to identify where opponents were
hiding and sniping from. Communication in this context tends to be fast, the
barking of short orders, cries of alarm... After a match more detailed
discussions of strategy take place.

[Dan]
I beg to disagee on that. Practice does not make perfect, only perfect 
practice. And if you know what perfect practice is, I doubt you'll be 
playing games.

[Case]
Good players to tend to be very skilled. The same principles of Zen that you
find applied to Golf and Tennis apply to computer games as well. But I guess
you do not find aficionados of "perfect practice" playing those sorts of
games either.

[Dan]
I think many people find themselves in unfulfilling positions so they do 
what people in that situation do: they indulge... be it alcohol, drugs, tv, 
games, whatever they can do to take away the sense of hopelessness that 
tends to creep in. Myself, I indulge too, in reading and writing. I see 
Quality in those endeavors.

[Case]
I agree and so I have long since stopped passing judgment on the Quality of
the pursuits of others.

[Dan]
My son is addicted to RPG's as are his sons. The boys would rather play 
those games than do anything else. Literally. My oldest grandson asked me 
what games I play online. I told him none. He said, well what do you do 
then? And he was serious! To be honest, I don't think it is a good thing but

they aren't my children.

[Case]
It sounds to be like your grandson was inviting you into his world and you
use Quality as an excuse to turn him away.

[Dan]
My granddaughter on the other hand will have nothing to do with games. She 
is a writer. We exchange emails all the time. I never hear from the boys 
though. They are too busy playing games.

[Case]
So your granddaughter offers a shared reality that does not cause you to
stretch and suspend judgment and she is cool? The boys are busy creating a
new kind of shared reality and you feel neglected because you won't share?

I am not trying to be harsh here, Dan. I am just saying reality is how you
spin it. You can't see through the illusion if you won't make Gestalt
shifts.