msn memories and SAO thoughts

SAO II aka survivor's guilt online - it's actually really good. so good i'm willing to let the ALO arc slide. also when did Asuna get so dere-dere? it's not that i don't like it but it just seems weird that all of her tsun would vanish so completely without a trace. Part of what made her such a compelling character in the SAO arc was how strong and independent she was but now she seems kind of relegated to the side-lines - her personality watered down. I suppose people do tend to change when they enter a new relationship - that being said, Senjougahara still seems very much like Senjougahara to me

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if virtual reality were possible think about what it would do for long-distance relationships

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The thing about online role-playing games is that it gives you a chance to be someone else - but not just that, it gives you a chance to see people in a new light. I'll elaborate on that in a bit.

There's a kind of unique good-will between players in online RPGs - as in, you're more likely to actively meet new people and initiate interactions and conversations because it's safer than doing so in the real world - they can't physically hurt you, nor can they actually injure you emotionally because all that they encounter is merely a virtual representation.

I posit that a special paucity of prejudice is present in MMORPGs, because you have no idea who the other person actually is. All you have to go on is the name and avatar they've picked. You don't even know what the other person's real gender is or if they're a good person or if they're older than you. As a result, players tend to reserve judgement and gradually build up their impression of others based on their words and actions - if you help them, if you're polite, that sort of thing. It feels as if a premium is placed on what other players say or do - and because of this, everyone is a little more deliberate in their dealings with others, while the mask of anonymity allows for freedom of expression with relative impunity. Consequently, the interactions which take place in-game are quite different from ones conducted in real life.

What makes MMORPGs different from the highly volatile (and sometimes blatantly hostile) environments of internet forums and comment boards is the imminent virtual reminder that the other person is a living breathing human being with hopes and dreams and feelings. In the comments section of a blog or on Youtube, all you have to do is type out an inflammatory statement, press enter and close the window. End of story. But if the subject of abuse is right in front of you, you're more likely to consider the consequences of your actions, especially if you both inhabit the same world and may have to rely on each other later to achieve a common objective. In this way, the sense of community mitigates the potential pitfalls and dangers of online anonymity.

I think the main reason I find online games like these remarkable is because there seems to be an unconscious but heightened awareness of the fact that a person's appearance is not always a reliable indicator of who they truly are