[MD] Food for Thought

[Laird Bedore]

> [Dan]
> Hi Laird
>
> 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?
>
>   
[Laird]
Yep, I've met countless "online people" in person. People in various 
cities, states, countries even. Artists, architects, accountants, 
chemists, nurses, at least one CEO (admittedly of a software company), 
machinists, middle managers, police officers, Starbucks clerks and 
facility maintenance workers. It's not hard to tell who's who when 
meeting people once you've developed a sense of their personality. 
Imagine if we (of MD) all sat down in a room and started talking without 
identifying ourselves... Within a few minutes we'd have an awful good 
idea of who's who. Heaven forbid Platt and Case got started on politics, 
they might stand out like sore thumbs! :)

>> [Laird]
>> One way of looking at these games:
>> Each game can be seen as a microcosm of systems theory... They promote
>> learning the inroads in any system, and practice makes perfect.
>>     
> [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.
>
>   
[Laird]
I'm surprised you dug in on the phrase 'practice makes perfect'... if 
anything it's more meaningless than it is false. Its use pointed at the 
spirit of the phrase, not the literal content. Consistent to cliches is 
the crap-factor of their literal content (part of their attraction, indeed)!


>> [Laird]
>> Parallels to office politics, academia, social circles, etc etc can be
>> easily and accurately made. Understanding and manipulating the complex
>> overlap of rules is good critical thinking exercise. Coordinating a
>> group of different 'people' with different specialities to reach a
>> common and often complex goal is a challenge, and many find it
>> envigorating. Perhaps their day jobs or schooling are unfulfilling in
>> this regard so they play a game to fill the need instead. Or they do it
>> for the social aspects, or the sheer "escape value", or all of the above.
>>     
> [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.
>
>   
[Laird]
There are different strokes for different folks!  I think it just as bad 
to ignore the 'game' aspect of our modern culture as it is the literary 
aspect... Whatever aspects we ignore we choose to be blind to. I see 
Quality in experience in general. When enough people share the same 
attraction to a particular experience, a testament to its value has been 
made. People can sometimes be misled or outright wrong in their 
principles (the hippie revolution, suicide cults) but nonetheless an 
attraction that strong merits inquiry. Certainly not every strong 
attraction is a negative one.


>> [Laird]
>> Such games offer a 'sandbox' for testing all sorts of scenarios. Say
>> you're unsure if you'd make a good team leader. Try leading a team
>> in-game and see how you do. Mix it up, try different strategies.
>> Especially for kids it's a good way to try their hand at various social
>> and thought experiments without any real risk of screwing something up.
>> Good learning tool.
>>     
> [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.
>
>   
[Laird]
The frequency of cultural shift is mind-boggling these days...


> [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.
>
> Thank you for your comments,
>
> Dan
>   
[Laird]
... and the increase in cultural heterogeny within a 'group' is equally 
mind-boggling. It reminds me of watching a bunch of excited particles as 
they prepare for a state change.

Given time, they'll all find their own middle way. Time, like water, is 
good at rounding edges.

-Laird