I just pulled this article off the web saying that nature-based recreation has dropped 20% since the 1980s. This is true in the US and Japan, and appears to be related to the growing popularity of video games.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22998037/
So, are Second Life and other virtual worlds a way to expand cultural and knowledge horizons, or part of the plot to make us even more out of shape and sedentary?
My wife and I will be doing an environmental presentation on manatees on Monday, February 18 in SL for Second Nature, the SL branch of Britain's Nature magazine. We will reach an international audience of environmentally interested avatars who show up on that island. Many of them will never get to Florida to see a live manatee.
For the health of Florida's kids should we shift our focus to trying to persuade local schools to let us give our manatee presentation in face to face classrooms, where at least the kids may have a chance to visit a Florida state park and see a manatee?
Doug
I, myself, believe that virtual machines (like second life) are a good way to introduce the user to different environments and cultures, but it is still not as good as the original. Once the person is introduced, and has learned a good amount about the place, object, culture, etc., then they should go out and see the thing that they saw. Playing paint ball or soccer in a video game is fun, but I still prefer to play the real thing over a virtual one any day of the week. Another example would be the Parthenon in SL. There is a place in sl where you can see the Parthenon, albeit it is mainly a 2d representation of what the statue looked like. While it may be a good place to take a quick look and learn about ancient Greece, it is still no substitute for the real Parthenon and the experiences that you make while there.
ReplyDeleteYou mean all that running and flying I've been doing doesn't count?!
ReplyDeleteI think VW's are definitely part of the problem. But will we soon just sit in a chair with our VW connection connected to our head like in the Matrix? I don't think so. Inevitably technology will mature to the point that it can be truly realistic, actually walking etc. Like the holodeck in Star Trek. Maybe we could put on goggles and suit which could read body movements etc.
Doug,
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting that the msnbc article is based on one line in the discussion session that says, "The root cause may be videophilia, as our previous work suggests. Other factors may be responsible, but they would have to be large enough in scale and impact... regardless of the root cause, the evidence for a pervasive and fundamental shift away from nature-based recreation seems clear." The research MSNBC was reporting on was about the shift away from nature-based recreation... not on technology. I think technology is demonized in the media with some frequency.
I also believe that your presentation on the 18th is an EXCELLENT example of how to USE the technology to stimulate activity! Why can't the virtual world be an introduction to a natural world that many children have NO access to (as you mention the children who will never have a chance to see a manatee).
Additionally, there are so many changes going on in our cultures that it's hard to say which is the chicken and which is the egg? Are changes in economy, oil, and family structures, leading to increases in use of technology? or is technology changing the others? Even the study authors (in their previous research) state that they cannot make that assumption...
I agree that the virtual world could be an introduction to a natural world. For everyone, it could be a way to know/explore more about the world (although the map is not exactly the same). Besides pictures and videos, we can go visit some places with our avatars in world regardless of how much free time do we have.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I don't think the virtual world will take over everything from the natural world, cause we don't feel anything when manipulating the avatar (i.e. the wind on the face). But it might happen in the future depending on the progression of virtual reality.
I'll still take virtual world as an opportunity. At lease it could bring in more ideas/perspectives about global village. As a result, people won't be thought as aloof to the environment anymore once they get really involved to the virtual world.
Isn't it funny that all the evils of the world related to video games or VWs? Let me tell ya, I was an active kiddo until I got into reading. I remember spending some summers reading so much that I would get horrific headaches from the eye strain. Yet, books have never been labeled evil, and are never blamed for the obesity epidemic. Why not? Reading is a sedentary activity. It is not promoting the "movement" of our youth any more than a video game. Some would argue the knowledge gained from reading and the creativity sparked makes up for the sendentary nature of it. Yet, isn't that what SL is offering? Creativity abounds and as far as knowledge, it has a flipping library. Thus far, my son has learned much more from interactive games than from "reading." The strategy required for some of these games is ridiculous. Expanding your mind is not limited to reading books. So why are video games considered so evil while children are encouraged to read? I think it's an interesting question worth looking into. Personally I think that people have used video games to explain actions that they should not have done. I've played Grand Theft Auto - it did not make me shoot police officers, nor did I go beat up hookers, or any of the other things found in the game. There seems to be this idea that reading anything is fine, but video games need to be monitored. I find this absurd. As a parent I will monitor the games my son plays, I will also keep tabs on the TV he watches and on the books he reads, just like I'll keep up with his friends and where he's spending his time. That's my job, I'm the Mom.
ReplyDeleteAs a final thought, who here remembers all the concern about Satan worshipping teenagers that played D&D? Eventually, there will be another evil to blame the ills of our youth on and this one will pass too.