I’ve been pondering the weight/meaningfulness of video games and the jobs working on them. Bill Slease (known for his work for Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, Cyan Worlds, and zombie-space-cowboy-pirates) has a similar conversation over at his blog. Perhaps typing a response to his post can clear up some of my thoughts:

Bill’s starting off with three main issues: Games Matter, Get a Real Job, or The Job is Not the Point:

Some Games Matter. Although I don’t think many people do this yet, I can reflect on my actions in Uru and compare them to my actions in real life. For example, during the DRC Liaison election process I learned lessons about myself and interacting with others. These lessons applied meaningfully to a real life situation I was facing at the time. (Discussing these lessons is for another time/place.) I think Uru lends itself well to this self-exploration. I can do it to an extent in World of Warcraft (Would I help this NPC in real life?), but it is nowhere near as meaningful.

I also know Books Matter. Ender’s Game, in particular, has definitely shaped how I interact with kids. So why can’t games get to a meaningful and artistic level that matches books and (sometimes) movies? I don’t know if it’s possible yet, but wouldn’t it be great for your job to get games to that level?

I’ve got a year left of school before I enter the workforce and Get a Real Job. I look up to my friends who work in social service-related jobs because of their impact on many lives. I also look up to those with summer jobs in food service and retail. They provide me a service and perform a task that I don’t think I’d be able to do each day without going insane. But I also know that every person affects many of the people they interact with each day. Conversations, good deeds, and all of your actions can be a testament to the people around you.

Because of this impact, The Job is Not the Point. Some jobs lend themselves to “changing the world” more than others. But you can change the world no matter what job you have. But how powerful is the potential of greater change via a Real Job? Why try to make a difference using a shovel instead of a bulldozer?

More to come (hopefully).

This entry was posted on Monday, August 21st, 2006 at 9:53 pm and is filed under Gaming, Life, Myst. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.