Fix 9-10

I am continuing with my semester long game, The Settlers Online.  Perhaps I will play this game after the semester, although Elder Scrolls Online has just entered beta and I am a tester, so that may take all of my free time.  I'm a huge fan of the Elder Scrolls universe.  They are launching a MMORPG similar to World of Warcraft (WOW) which I have discussed in previous posts. 

Elder Scrolls Online loading screen during beta testing

I am also continuing to read Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGoniga (2011).  In my previous posts, I disucssed fixes 1-8. 

Fix 9 is "More fun with strangers: Compared with games, reality is lonely and isolating.  Games help us band together and create powerful communities from scratch" (McGonical 2011, p. 172).  I know quite a bit about community and creating a sense of community.  My research from my master's thesis dealt with how participating in an activity, in that case urban gardening, can help to create a sense of community.  Gaming is no different.  A shared activity, in this case gaming, brings people together.  Once together, the people get to know each other and form their own social circle.  Think of a place that you go where you enjoy yourself and always have fun talking with friends.  It could be church, it could be your workplace at lunch, it could be a hobby, it could be anything.  Now think about how you feel when you are there in the social setting, enjoying your friends.  Games give gamers the same kind of feeling.  A sense of community.  A feeling of belonging.  People are coming together to "cultivate a shared interest among strangers" and to "interact with each other around that interest" (McGonical 2011, p. 172).   

The main difference between the community as I study it and community in games is the length.  Most gaming communities are fleeting.  They are intense, but brief.  They often last from a few days to a few years, unlike neighborhood community which may extend to a persons entire life.  Although brief, they are beneficial.  McGonigal (2011) writes that the community formed in gaming gives social benefits by making people feel less isolated.  From my own experiences with games, the people that you meet within the game are no less real to you than someone you know.  Often, I am more excited to see my game friends than I am my coworkers or other people that I interact with in person on a regular basis.  The friends in the game often know me better too.  We spend more time together, we talk more, and we have fun together.  Although we are sometimes across the world, it is a friendship as real as if we were hanging out playing in the same room.  Occasionally, the gaming world can even take place out in the real world through games such as Cruel 2 B Kind, which was actually developed by McGonigal.  Some even get out into the real world making the city their playground, such as this zombie game. 

Fix 10 is "Happiness hacks: Compared with games, reality is hard to swallow.  Games make it easier to take good advice and try out happier habits" (McGonigal 2011, p. 189).  People in games generally are appreciative, thankful, and well... nice.  That isn't to say that you won't have some noob trolling you (a jerk being mean to you).  The point of the game can even be to be nice, such as McGonigal's game that I mentioned above, Cruel 2 B Kind. 

Fix 9 (More Fun with Strangers) in the Settlers Online.
Participating in a clan helps to increase the sense of community in the game.  Without that, the only real source of community is through the chatroom.  If you are in a clan, you have a private chatroom, but more importantly, you are working together as a team to make something happen.  All members of the clan have to pull together to ensure that they are going to reach the goal - getting guild coins.  The words guild or clan are synonymous.  Technically I am in a "guild" but the guild is a clan.  It's just a word choice, for those who are unfamiliar.  We have the common interest of doing well in the game.  On a more basic level, we have the common interest of all succeeding to get Guild Coins by completing the common tasks.  We are all sitting on our computers planning fake little cities.  Tell that to someone else and they might think you are crazy.  Say that to someone in settlers, who is a part of your community, and they will totally get you.

Fix 10 (Happiness Hacks) in the Settlers Online.
There are people, especially in the clans that are generous.  One of my clan mates comes to my city daily and buffs the heck out of me.  A buff is something that you put on your buildings to make them work better.  So he buffs my fishermen - I get more fish.  My mines - I get more iron ore.  My bakery - more bread.  You get the point.  The buff is helpful.  The clan is also willing to share goods sometimes, especially among the newbies like myself.  Although I am about a level 30 in there, it is always nice to get a shipment of something that is difficult for me to make from a mate, and to return it for a lower level mate.  Things like this and group speak tend to make the game more enjoyable. 

If it wasn't for that pesky thing known as work and school, I would probably play more often.  That is the worst part about games - you would probably rather be playing than doing whatever else it is that you are supposed to be doing.  The hardest thing in life is finding balance between what you like (school) and love (sleeping, playing games, and being lazy). 

Fix 7-8

 Over the past few weeks, I have been reading this book Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal (2011).

I've talked about several types of games over the past few weeks.  One that I have not discussed yet is an ARG.  So what is an ARG?  The name kind of makes me thing of this:

An ARG or Alternate reality games is really not that complicated as Fry from Futurama would make it seem, although the concept would likely baffle him has he has difficulty putting on his pants correctly.  This video is a brief introduction to ARG.  Unlike many games that have directed outcomes, an ARG is a game that is shaped by the players.  Their decisions shape the game and the outcomes.  It's the real world, in digital form.  It can be more like a parallel universe or it came make real life tasks seem more interesting, such as housework.  To read even more about it, check out this PowerPoint Lecture by Jane McGonigal (the author of the book I have been discussing for the past few weeks).  McGonigal writes in her book Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World about Chore Wars, how her husband and her use it to make their real life obligation of cleaning the house into a competitive game.  As much as my husband likes games, I am not sure that this one would work on him.  I can wish though, right?  McGonigal (2011) and her husband work to complete their chores then login to Chore Wars to reap the experience - literally.  You click what chores you accomplished and you get points for it, XP points.

Fix 7 in McGonigal's (2011) book is "Wholehearted Participation: Compared with games, reality is hard to get into.  Games motivate us to participate more fully in whatever we're doing" (McGonigal, 2011 p. 124).

Chores are hard to get into.  I can honestly admit I don't enjoy doing all of our dishes by hand, mostly because it ruins my nails.  I do it because I have to do it.  Most people have a job that they have to do and rarely enjoy.  I like teaching and I like researching (most of the time).  I'm lucky enough to enjoy my job.  If I was still a daycare worker or waitress I might need a lot more motivation to wholeheartedly participate - if it was even possible.  Games are often more fun and one thing that is nice about games - at the end of the day if I don't like the game - I quit.  As much as I would like to, I can't quit many of the tasks that I am not wholeheartedly participating in.  Maybe all I need is a few good ARGs.  Games can motivate people to do what they don't want to do, like these children at the Quest to Learn school, which McGonigal also addresses (p. 128).

Fix 8 in McGonigal (2011) "Meaningful rewards when we need them most: Compared with games, reality is pointless and unrewarding.  Games help us feel more rewarded for making our best effort" (Mcgonigal, 2011 p. 148).  McGonigal discusses her dislike of flying and how many other individuals also feel the same way making "airports and airplanes the perfect target for game-design intervention" (McGonigal, 2011 p. 149).  Video games and scavenger hunts are among some of the distracting rewards for flyers. 

I am continuing with my adventure playing The Settlers Online.  My guild has been getting more active, so the social portion of the game has been increasing for me.  Although I am not just chatting randomly, my guild has been helpful in figuring out how to be a good guild member.  They even have their own website that we can join with a discussion board.  My participation is Wholehearted (Fix 7) because I find the game a welcome distraction from whatever work I am trying to dodge at the moment.  I am rewarded with a distraction and delighted when I actually have enough soldiers or resources to complete the task.  It's nice seeing my map cleared of bandits.  It's nice actually having soldiers live through the event, although I am not above sending wave after wave of my own men.

Fix 5-6

In my last two blogs, I talked about fix 1-2 and fix 3-4.  I am continuing today by talking about fix 5-6.  The fixes are discussed in the book Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal.  

Fix 5 is "Stronger Social Connectivity: Compared with games, reality is disconnected.  Games build stronger social bonds and lead to more active social networks.  The more time we spend interacting within our social networks, the more likely we are to generate a subset of positive emotions known as "prosocial emotions"" (McGonigal, 2011 p. 82).  Mcgonigal defines a prosocial emotion as one that is a "feel-good" emotion towards another person (McGonical, 2011 p. 82).  She discusses the teasing and boasting that comes with winning.  Teasing can stimulate these social emotions, increasing our bonds (p. 83).  So can being silly (p. 84). 

A lot of the social games, which are the small games that you play socially on Facebook or your phone are often best at this.  It brings people of all ages together to make little towns, such as Farmville.  For a time, Farmville was all you heard about.  Send me some of this, help me get that, check out my town, tend to my crops.  This video talks about what went into Farmville 2 (got to change to keep it fresh and to keep people interested!).  My mom even played, although she quit after some time because she was scheduling too much of her day around when her crops would be done.

Fix 6 is "Epic Scale: Compared with games, reality is trivial.  Games make us a part of something bigger and give epic meaning to our actions" (McGonigal, 2011 p. 98).  Epic is a word that is overused anymore.  You can have an epic win or an epic fail, often neither of which refer to actual games anymore.  You can go for an epic run or an epic climb.  You can eat epic food or wear epic clothes.  McGonigal (2011) is using epic to refer to the experience that a gamer is getting from participating in a game that she calls big enough to be epic on its own, because of the expense and the scale (p. 98).

I have been playing The Settlers Online for the past several weeks.  Several of the previous blog posts discuss my progress, as well as an overview of the game.  I have started talking to a few other players online occasionally.  I am often not on long enough to really benefit from the social potential of the game.  He has been playing almost the same amount of time that I have been playing.  Although I started first, he is a higher level than I currently am.  This is partly because he dedicates more time to the game than I do.    He plays about two hours per day.  He likes resource management and creating an army.  He rarely socializes other than to facilitate trades.  One aspect he dislikes about the social part of the game is how everyone talks with each other and becomes friends.  Those who don't spend as much time in chat aren't able to make friends as quickly and other players aren't as willing to trade if they don't know you.  At least not for a good price.  His main complaint about the game was about resource availability.  He feels that it is purposely limited so that you have to pay for never ending resources or to speed up resource acquisition.  The most challenging part of the game for him is resource management and to keep everything at a high enough level to produce enough goods and to create his army.  One way that he overcomes this is to focus on making several specific resources and then using those to sell/trade to get the other resources to ensure that he has enough of everything.  Although he plays the Settlers Online, he plays a variety of other video games, mostly on Xbox 360 and the Wii U.  He does not play many online games overall, but chooses this one because there is a lot of variability, you aren't required to pay money, and because you do not have to spend long periods of time playing to have fun. 

Based on my digital friends responses, I wanted to reflect on my own experiences to this point. 

My own social connectivity in the Settlers Online (Fix 5)
My social connectivity in the Settlers Online has been somewhat limited.  I often do not have time to play for very long stretches, and it is often at different times of the day.  It seems that many players often play at the same time daily.  I am still outside of the network of social connectivity in this game.  If I was able to dedicate more daily time, or at least more regular time, say between 8-11 PM, I would likely talk to the same people again and again.  I have experienced this in other games, and the closest that I can liken this to is being Norm in Cheers.  You come in, your friends all know you, everyone knows your name and often shouts greetings as you enter.  It's the digital equivalent of being Norm Peterson.  Your popular and your friends are glad to see you, just like you are glad to see them.  I have recently joined the guild "Hobbit Isle" in the Settlers, which may end up increasing my socialization.  When in a guild, you are associating with the same group of people again and again.  

My own epic scale in the Settlers Online (Fix 6)
I haven't really been playing long enough to experience epic wins or anything epic at all.  It is always nice to have the small victories, accomplishing tasks or fighting bandits and winning, but more often than not anything epic is the epic crushing of my generals and armies.  

Fix 3-4

I am still playing the game the Settlers Online.  In my last post I discussed Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal.  I wrote about fix 1 and 2.  In this post, I am continuing with that though on fix 3 and fix 4. 

Fix 3 is "More satisfying work - compared with games, reality is unproductive.  Games give us clearer missions and more satisfying, hands-on work" (McGonigal, 2011 p. 55).   I have to say that I agree with this.  I might leave my sink full or dishes, but I am going to be more willing to wash digital dishes in a game if it gets me XP to help my character along.   Sure washing virtual dishes is easier.  I'm sitting on the sofa, a bean bag chair, my bed, or the floor and pushing buttons.  I'm not standing there elbow deep in soapy water.  But how much of that is really contributing?  I feel that the virtual dishes are more satisfying.  When I complete them, I am rewarded in some way.  I feel a sense of accomplishment that isn't quite the same with that real pile of dishes.  I think that has probably contributed, at least in part to the popularity of games.  "Playing World of Warcraft is such a satisfying job, gamers have collectively spent 5.93 million years doing it" (McGonigal, 2011 p. 52).  What makes work satisfying?  According to McGonigal (2011) it is a clear goal and an actionable next step. 

Fix 3 More Satisfying Work in the Settlers Online
In any game, how do you know you are doing well?  Leveling Up, of course!  In the vast majority of games, the first few levels come quickly and easily.  The longer you play, the harder it is to level up.  You have to fight (often figuratively fighting, it is only in some games that you literally fight to gain levels) to make progress.  I am currently about half way through level 28.  Could I be leveling up faster?  Sure.  For me, and many other gamers, the level isn't necessarily the purpose of the game.  The level matters, to an extent.  In some games it is bragging rights, in others you are allowed access to new places/materials/resources/jobs/other things that keep the game interesting.  
The main way to level up in the Settlers Online is to complete quests, which is a clear goal and an actionable step.  Some games use tasks, some quests, some each activity progresses you towards your next level.  Others are even more complicated where specific actions, such as running builds stamina, but you need to be well rounded across numerous catagories to actually make level progress.  As far as level progression, the Settlers Online chose a fairly simple route - do the quests, gain XP (shorthand for experience), level up.  Leveling up gives you a new number, but it also comes with prizes.  The prizes vary from game to game.  In the Settlers Online, you might get wood, gold, building permits, or more population.  It can vary by level.  To keep the game on pace, you can't give the same reward to a level 2 as a level 32.  At level 2, 5 coins and a few simple pinewood planks is a pretty big deal.  At level 32, it's essentially almost worthless.  The prize has to scale to the level to keep it feeling like an actual reward.  

My goals are to complete the quests to level up, gain experience, and to have resources to further my town.  I can gain all three through the clear goal provided in a quest book.  Seen below is a screenshot of my current quest book.  On the left, is my clear goal.  I am currently working to increase my population.  

 

I can reach this clear goal by following the actionable next steps shown below in this additional screen capture.  I have two tasks to accomplish this quest.  I had to open my mail and read a new message and I have to raise my population level.  When this is done, I reach the goal.  The goal in this specific quest is some settlers and some XP.  The XP helps me get closer to leveling up.  The settlers allow for a variety of things, including workers and soldiers.  They are essential to the success of my civilization.  After all, what is a civilization if no one lives there!

 By providing a clear goal and an actionable next step, I am able to easily see what I need to do to further my position in the game.  If I am lacking the clear goal or the actionable step, I may become frustrated.  Life often lacks clear goals or actionable next steps to reach that goal.  McGonical (2011) addresses this when she states that the lack of the clear goal and actionable step means that "it's not work - it's a problem (p. 56).

Fix 4 is "Better hope of success - compared with games, reality is hopeless.  Games eliminate our fear of failure and improve our chances for success" (McGonigal 2011 p. 68).  Hope helps us go forward, both in games and in life.  We hope we succeed.  We hope we will do well.  McGonigal (2011, p. 72) discusses the game Rock Band.  Rock Bank allows you to play with friends to form a band and go on to success as a rock star.  You play before cheering and adoring (if you are playing well) fans.  The game allows the player to live in a dream world where they are a rock star.  Of course they are not actual rock stars, but the little plastic instruments and the fun with friends all while your fans cheer is still pretty fun.  

Fix 4 Better Hope of Success in the Settlers Online
The Feedback in the Settlers Online gives you a sense of control and a desire to succeed.  The feedback comes in several different ways.  There is negative feedback - which comes in the form of running out of what your town needs to succeed.  This can be resources in the red or a factory that has stopped production because you failed to provide enough raw materials.  No one likes to see a huge warning sign showing them that something is really wrong and you aren't doing well.  This kind of feedback offers motivation to ensure that you are working to balance the tasks at hand.   Positive feedback comes in the form of rewards and completed quests, new lands, and new items you can access.  As you play the game, you get closer to Mastery.  Mastery is when you are good at the given tasks.  An example of mastery in the Settlers Online is getting to a point where you aren't running out of resources.  There are multiple levels of this.  In the Settlers Online, mastery can happen in small things - not just big picture.  You work and work and finally get where there are enough trees being planted to ensure that you will have a steady supply of wood, while ensuring that you have enough chopped wood and planks for factories and construction.   So you don't have to master every part of the entire game, small mastery gives hope that you are working towards running a successful and thriving society.

Fix 1-2

Fix 1 and Fix 2 - Sounds a bit like something from Dr. Seuss doesn't it?  Well in gaming, Fix 1 is making things in games harder than they need to be.  We all need to struggle a bit don't we?  It makes the reward that much sweeter, plus it prolongs the game.  These are concepts discussed in a book by Jane McGonigal.  I end up talking more about this book throughout this posting, but basically it is a book about gaming.  McGonigal (2011) discusses the concept of Fix 1 and Fix 2 (p. 22; p. 38).

Game suffering isn't quite the same as real life suffering, which makes it OK.  I might be frustrated by a level or trying to get something to work, but that struggle is going to feel like something I can overcome.  My real life struggle might not even be able to be overcome.  Overcoming is something we like.  It's hard work, but we end up getting positively rewarded (McGonical, 2011 p. 28).  That brings us to Fix 2 which is that games are something we can change, we are good at, and we enjoy.  I don't enjoy doing dishes.  I don't hate it, but I don't enjoy it.  Just like games, dishes never end.  I finish them all and a few hours later the work is undone.  There was no reward, I disliked it, and I have to repeat it (at least until I can afford a dishwasher!).  In games, I am playing because I like some part of the game.  I like the social interaction, I like the activity, I find it more enjoyable than whatever else I could/should be doing.  I would prefer to play a game to writing a literature review.  I don't dislike reading/writing, but I like being a Dark Elf exploring the forest for herbs to make a potion more.  I might have to search for a long time, but I know that I will find the herb, make the potion, and expand my magical abilities as a result.  I have fix 1 and fix 2 all rolled into one.  It is hard (fix 1) and I have to search for a long time.  I get frustrated, but I am eventually rewarded.  I enjoy it more than real life and I am good at the game (fix 2).  That makes me happy and I continue to play. 

I'm continuing with the game Settlers Online.  Although a bit frustrating at times (fix 1), it is enjoyable (fix 2).  The resources are somewhat difficult to obtain and it is important to find a balance between each resource.  If you are unfamiliar with this kind of game, here is a little bit of information.

Traits of the Game
The goal of the game is to have a thriving settlement.  You are the mayor and you want your city to grow, expand, and succeed.  There are no real rules.  You can technically play in anyway that leads to your success.  The only real "rule" is to be polite in game chat.  As far as gameplay, there are no real rules.  You can work hard to balance resources or pour everything into one or two areas and use that to trade for everything else.  Each player has their own method of what they think is best.  There are quests to level up and to guide the player, but you can technically disregard the majority of the quests, and find other ways to succeed.  This leaves it up to the player to be creative, to find their own success in the game.  The game has something called "voluntary participation" which is a concept discussed in a book by Jane McGonigal, which I discuss more in a bit.  She has four concepts that regardless of game genre, are central in each game.  Goal, rules, feedback system, and voluntary participation (p. 21).  I've already discussed the goals, the rules, and the feedback system of this game.  Those three concepts are more straightforward than voluntary participation.  The goal - how to win.  The rules - ways to get to the goal.  The feedback system - progress towards the goal.  The concept of "voluntary participation" is just that everyone playing the game is adhering to the first three to make it a mutually enjoyable experience. 

So how to make sure that everyone has a good experience.  There are rules that are unspoken (and often written somewhere and enforced by moderators) in all games like this.  It's basically don't be a jerk.  You come into the game as a noob (a new player) but don't waste everyone's time asking stupid questions that are easily accessible on the forum.  Don't beg for stuff in the game.  Don't be rude.  Don't be a jerk.  Don't insult.  Don't have too offensive of language (it's generally assumed that you are going to swear, but there is a limit and generally a conversation topic limit that is considered offensive and not OK).  One thing that would be different in any kind of educational setting is that the rules chance to match the setting.  I wouldn't call someone a *&$@ noob in a classroom, but that is probably OK to say in the setting of a game like say Halo.  The environment and the people playing with you match the setting.  In a game like Halo or World of Warcraft, we aren't teacher/student, we are peers.  We are friends playing a game killing aliens together.  The rules are assumed and somewhat unspoken.  The best thing I can think to compare it to is High School.  You sit outside between classes while some of your friends smoke.  The tone and language used is casual and friendly.  People are swearing, sometimes it is inappropriate, but it fits the situation.  You move into the classroom and the tone/language/words change.  The casual gaming environment is the smoking area out back of the high school where you are just hanging out with friends.  The game has the potential to switch environments and move into the classroom, but in this setting casual is the assumption and the language/manners/behaviors reflect that. 

Progress
In the top left corner of the screen is the player avatar showing your image, level, and progress to the next level.  This is also where you view active quests and collect the reward for those that you have finished.  In the screenshots below, the first window shows the player view.  My city is in the background.  My player profile picture, the masked red figure sits on the top left.  The quest dialogue box is currently open showing me the goals to make progress.  The feedback system is shown through this box and under my image, in the small semicircular partially filled green bar.  When that green reaches the far right side of the semicircle, I will progress to the next level. 

 

Unnecessary Obstacles

All games are filled with unnecessary obstacles.  In Settler's Online, the game has obstacles of getting resources, overcoming bandits to get land, not having enough workers, and other similar issues.  My goals are to try to balance my resources evenly, although this can be difficult to do.  I am trying to level up my buildings instead of building extra low level buildings.  In Settler's Online, you have a limited number of building permits.  You can purchase more (with actual $$ or earned gems) but the smart way to do it is to be careful in how many you allow for each type of item (wood cutter, farm, homes, and so on) and level those up to be better instead of making a bunch of cheap homes, I have many large homes that allow for more settlers to live in them.  The leveled up homes are larger, nicer looking, and have additional floors.  The feedback is continuous.  I am able to have my town continue.  My factories have enough raw resources to run or they don't.  That feedback allows me to make changes.  I complete quests to gain extra experience, which lets me level up, which allows access to items that can only be had at higher levels.  The obstacles of running out of wood or having a quarry collapse are part of the game - real life obstacles, in a more fun setting. 

Emotional Activation
 The intrinsic rewards that I am getting from the game are enjoying seeing my city succeed, my husband also plays so there is an element of both competition and cooperation (trade).  It is a nice break/distraction from other things that I have to do.  Occasionally I chat with other players and enjoy the social element of the game.  Consequences of playing the game could eventually be addiction.  I've played this type of game so much in the past that it doesn't hold the same appeal for me that it once did, but other similar games are easy to become addicted.  I'm a bit concerned about one of my favorite games who is launching a MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online.  I've spent far too much time playing these games.  I love sandbox games.  I love this universe.  This may be a difficult one to not spend more time than I should playing.  

Addictive Potential
Games have the potential to be addictive.  I've seen this in my own life.  I have a close friend who failed out of college because of Starcraft, another who failed her semester because of World of Warcraft (WOW), and another who missed his final exam because of Minecraft.  The video talks about life skills, such as managing money and the social interaction, but how these lessons and the interaction can interrupt "real life" by causing people to lose in-person friends or to be late to work.  I've lost sleep, had weird schedules, and avoided family/friend interaction to ensure that I would be able to play my game or meet my clan. 

McGonigal (2011) also addresses this, stating that "gamer addiction is a subject the industry takes seriously - it's a frequent topic at industry conferences and on game developer forums: what causes gamer addiction, and how can you help your player avoid it?" (p. 43).  Personally it seems like the industry would want addicted gamers, but McGonigal brings up a valid point that "the industry wants to create lifelong gamers: people who can balance their favorite games with full and active lives" (p. 43). 

Games - Love 'em or leave 'em
As I've mentioned earlier, this book by Jane McGonigal "Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World".  This book is talking about gamers/gaming and the real world relationship.  I like how she opens the book talking about how everyone has a bias.  You can't help it really.  Gamers and non-gamers are no different when it comes to opinions about gaming.  McGonigal (2011) states that the terms associated with gaming are ones that can have negative connotations, such as "player" or "playing the game" and even the term "game" (p.19). 

So regardless of your personal feelings towards games, hopefully after reading this blog, you are a bit more educated to the potential benefits and the potential negative side of gaming.   I personally feel that the good outweighs the bad, and my own bias has me hear the word gamer and associate it with someone more like myself than not.  Others may hear the word and their first instinct is still based on a bias that views gaming as something done by nerds in dark rooms who have no lives or is just something silly to waste time.  Regardless of your opinion, I urge you to keep an open mind when considering the impact that gaming has on students today and the potential to help us keep our students learning effectively and engaged.