When it first happened, I was startled a bit. Why someone I do
not know, from somewhere unknown to me, help me by giving up his or her
resources. I did not know much about this game “Settlers” yet and nothing about
the practices of being in a guild. Since then, I have experienced this many
times and have reciprocated in kind. This reciprocity was obligatory for me at
first and still is, but I have also done this because I enjoyed it. I was
raised this way, too. I could see what McGonigal meant when she referred to
positive participation furthering the interests of the whole community (pg.
172). Chatting with other players has been a great way to interact and further each
other’s interests in the game. While I do not have any interest in carrying on
a conversation with others about things
outside the game, I have watched with interest some of the discussions
scrolling down the global chat window. This kind of interaction is no different
than in a real world, face-to-face meeting and it shows a real form of fun with
strangers.
When I received my first buffs from a stranger, I sent a
thank you in response. I have not always been able to do this, but I try when
time permits. On page 190, McGonigal talks about the “jen ratio” and the net
gain or loss of positive interactions among people in a given space over time. Reflecting
on this for a while, I realized that I took this kind of inventory early in a
school year without a formal thought of doing it. If I notice a class is not
meshing well, I will intervene to try to develop a more positive social
exchange with each other. Often, this is accomplished through some type of game
or activity that will give them an opportunity to complement each other or
practice other social graces. These breaks are effective in producing a
meaningful experience for them that translates to better behaviors in their
academic interactions with each other. I suppose, now that I know what it is, I
am guilty of happiness hacking my students.
I really enjoy the social aspect of Settlers but can still seem a little shy with it too. I am now beginning to feel more comfortable and have come to the realization that the people are there to help me and not judge me. There are so many questions I still have about the game and am now less hesitant to ask. When I first did a "loot spot" with a player I asked so many questions regarding it, after people in the guild chat started explaining more I felt more comfortable. I must admit I was very nervous about messing anything up during the loot spot and felt high levels of anxiety but it ended up being extremely simple and I think I worried for nothing, I guess I didn't want to cause failure for another member even though I am not sure I could have caused it. As for communicating about things outside the game we haven't talked about anything personal like names, where we live or any information like that. We have talked about the weather differences, members being sick (including myself), others going on vacation or having job responsibilities. I think it is nice to communicate with others about the common interest of the game and other things that do not pertain to the game but I think it is also important to be safe and remember it is an online community where you do not know much about the people.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about the "jen ratio" and thinking about it in context with social situations in my life. I think about my school I teach in and about the negative and positive interactions within the building. Right now I would say depending on the people socializing there seems to be more negative interactions at times.
Lastly, I also tend to say thank you a lot during the game! It seems that I am receiving something every day I play, which is very nice! I also give a thank you back by buffing some of their things and giving resources when I can. I think the appreciation is shown both ways when I do things like that too. :)
Since this is really the first time I've played a game like this, I can't say for sure if the social aspect is the same/different from other types of multiplayer games. I hope that they are all as friendly as this one, although this week, my guild has had several (probably around 10) members leave the guild. I don't know their reasons, as I haven't been participating as long in the guild as the others. I do notice that the conversations in the guild chat (and the global, although I'm not paying as much attention to that now that I've joined the guild), is very friendly and helpful. No real slamming of anyone or anything that I've seen. I think because in playing this game everyone is trying to better their settlement (rather than knock someone else's down), the play is generally positive.
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