Richard Bartle, creator of MUD, the first Multi User Dungeon, and therefore one of the pioneers of the MMOG industry, has had enough of organisations or people in authority trashing gamers. In a scathing article over on Guardian.co.uk, he lashed out at all the nay-sayers that claim games turn us into anti-social psychopaths.
And he makes a pretty good point in everything he says. By his reckoning, half the people in the UK will have had access to computers from their early teens, and that figure is increasing year on year. He thinks to criticize something that so many people enjoy is asking for trouble:
Gamers vote. Gamers buy newspapers. They won’t vote for you, or buy your newspapers, if you trash their entertainment with your ignorant ravings. Call them social inadequates if you like, but when they have more friends in World of Warcraft than you have in your entire sad little booze-oriented culture of a real life, the most you’ll get from them is pity.
It’s well worth a read, and one that will hopefully get some notice in high up places.
Thanks Wanderinggoblin.com
Nice little read there… I’ve wondered for years what government and schools will be like when more and more leaders have played games their whole lives. Just imagine what it’ll be like when the "omg lol" crowd get into leadership.
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