There have been few times in my life where I felt like I truly fit in. Once in junior high at at a summer camp, second when I was a junior in high school and was elected Student Council president, and now, every time when I login to myspace.com; I feel like I fit in.
There is a quote out there that states, that human beings are particles trying to find a connection with anything, anyone, any idea. Online, everyone can find a place where they belong, a place where their particles connect and find their second or third life. In some recent articles I read for one of my graduate classes, one by Andrew Hinton and the other by James Gee; they touched on the online gaming realm and the possibilities it means for humans.
Hinton's article “We Live Here: Games, Third Places and the Information Architecture of the Future,” described online games as a mechanism for humans to connect with each other. Hinton also describes, “ubicomp” from the words “ubiquitous computing”, which is where virtual reality puts people inside of a computer-generated world. Hinton's point basically states, gaming environments are useful for the future of software and information architecture, which will help humans build connections through information.
Gee's article “Learning by Design: Good Video Games as Learning Machines,” focused on the learning opportunities online games present to different learning styles. Gee's article also addresses thirteen objectives that score any game on learning features it offers. The basic idea behind his article was that different people have different learning styles and speeds; allowing games to be used for learning, helps individuals with various learning styles and speeds to excel, which motivates them to strive for continual success in other avenues.
Both articles offer greater understanding on the gaming environment but also touch on the online realm for other activities. These activities allow humans to feel a connection with something or someone outside of themselves.
Now, as I look back on the different times of my life where I have found positive human connections, I realized those were the ones, where I fit in the most. The times like other online junkies where you feel like you can call a place your home and a place you can live out the things you wish to do.
I know that this “online” realm offers possibilities greater than we could have realized and allows us humans an opportunity to connect. The shy, the recluse, the wandering particles, we finally have a place we can call home and finally live our lives without barriers. Technology has allowed a vehicle for connection and what could be better than that.