I'm not a nerd, I'm a Gamer. Yes, it's capitalized. It's a title that describes most of my generation. And let me tell you: I'm proud to wear it (well, figuratively. I'm not actually swathed in clothing with 'Gamer' all over it).
Us Gamers, yeah we catch a lot of crap. People consider us outcasts from society or loners, heck - I've even been called a 'hermit' before. But they (and I use 'they' to describe the majority of People-Over-Thirty) just don't understand. Video games are now, and more so then ever before, a Second Life (why did I capitalize that? You'll see soon!). Communities are built over the Internet and friendships are born fighting dragons on snowy mountainsides in lands that don't exist outside of my 15.4" laptop screen. People even get married after having met for the first time over the Internet (no, not a dating service either). Virtual reality is the future (or rather it's the future as portrayed in the rich imaginations of the game developers) and little wonder; to some, it's much cooler then reality (yes, I said 'cooler').
Let's talk about what alternate reality games are. Actually, changed my mind, I'll write what they are and you can read.
[The author would like to apologize for that little joke and the groans caused my it's existence. "Sorry, I couldn't resist!"]
Getting back on topic; these games! They are online worlds where thousands (and in some cases, millions) of people live a second life. For example, World of Warcraft, this is a game with a player-base of seven million. People can create a character from eight different races (Orcs, Trolls, Tauren [they're like cows], Undead, Human, Night Elfs [think Lord of the Rings], Gnomes and Dwarfs), then pick a 'class' for their person (for instance: a Warrior) then create their name (Gulfac the Unclean is so much cooler then Bob) and enter a new world. This person will then interact with hundreds of other players as he kills monsters, does 'quests' (think King Arthur), battles demons and otherwise smashes, pokes, stabs, shoots, or magics his way through the game.
World of Warcraft is more then a game, however. You see, a game can end, World of Warcraft (hereinafter refereed to as WoW) does not. It is an ever-expanding universe, with cutting-edge graphics and almost no limits. This is our first catch, WoW requires a monthly payment to play which (depending on how you pay it) between $10 and $15 per month. That, I think, is the one connecting point between WoW and reality and one that can really influence the age of the people that play. It's here where the addiction kicks in. If you're a competitive person and you're playing World of Warcraft, then you will always want to get better items, and improve in rank both of which require a massive amount of time in the real world to achieve. This is the major downside of playing games like World of Warcraft, it can destroy your other life.
Now let's talk (remember? Talk really refers to me writing and you reading) about something that's becoming more like reality then reality itself. Second Life (I told you the caps had a reason). This is a Massive Multi-player Online Role Playing Game (read: MMORPG) like WoW but different in concept. Second Life is just what it sounds like: a second life. It emulates our current age and time and allows people to be what they cannot in real life. In fact, Second Life is becoming such a big deal that people can work (read: play) in the game, and be paid real money. Money, you know, like dollars. Real ones. It shocked me, too. What, you are asking, can someone possibly do in a game to warrant money in reality? How about newspaper reporting? People actually follow events in Second Life and report and write on them for a virtual newspaper that pays them in real money. A real salary, too. Jeez... I should be so lucky; reporting major events all over the world without ever leaving my home.
What's going to happen in the future? Well, it's my fear that companies from reality will move over to the virtual plane in the form of ads inside games, and even jobs inside games (which, as I said, has already started). This is a problem, because right now they are still games. Sure they build communities, friendships, marriages, and even help mold lives, but they are still, in their most basic definition, games. When we as a people begin to confuse and mix reality with virtual reality then things become dangerous. Despite the 'fun-factor' (Fun. Not 'Fear') of MMORPGs, playing them instead of living will harm your body. No exorcise or real-life social skills is a bad thing, because you need both to survive. When reality and virtual reality get so mixed it's hard to tell the difference between them, then things will be bad. Then people will have to stop and beat the addiction just to live. Of course that's a long time away (I hope).
Until then I say: GAME ON!