Has materialism gone too far?

[Merlins Boon]

I first thought to post this thread on a board that would be viewed mainly by people who play computer games, but that might give me a biased opinion on the subject.

The subject here is: Has materialism gone too far in the age of technology?

I'm young (21) and so I still find myself enjoying video games, and especially computer games. A popular trend now in the video game world is playing games online, games that you can play with your friends over the Internet. Together with your buddies from school, work, or whatever, you can hack/slash/shoot/blow up/beat down your way across numerous virtual environments.

The focus of this topic is on Fantasy and Sci-Fi RPGs or Role Playing Games. In video game RPGs you play a character and go out on quests to save the world from whatever evil plagues it. Doing this involves fighting and killing monsters of all types. When monsters die, they leave behind treasure in the form of magic weapons and armor. Some of these items are rarer and more powerful than others, and as such, they are highly sought after. People will play hours on end just to find a single item that they seek, or they will search out other items that they can trade for the item they want.

However, these days, people have become more desperate for these items. Go n EBay and type in the names of popular online games like Diablo II, Ultima Online, or Everquest, and you'll get dozens of listings for people who are selling these video game items for ten, twenty, or even fourty dollars, depending on the game and the rarity of the item. And what's worse, is that people are willing to pay the money for these sets of 0's and 1's*. Not only will you find this trend on EBay, but people have even set up webpage shops to sell these items at even higher prices, with certain items demanding as much as $150!

So, I put it to you, the people. Do you think that this trend is a new, dangerous level of materialism? Or is it no different than paying you're montly service fee for your ISP?


*For reference, 0 and 1 refer to the binary computer code, which consists of nothing but 0 and 1.

 

[Willing and Unsure]

I bought one video game in the last 2 years. and I got myself Half Life. It was a gift actually for my birthday, from my parents cuz I had wanted it really badly. I'm a college student in a rather tough major. I started playing it and eventually became addicted to it. When I realized I had a problem, I was failing two classes. And when I tried to quit playing it so that I could study, I found myself going to play it more and more, to the point I wasnt sleeping much at night for a few weeks just so I could play. It becomes addictive. Any game is that way. And I learned the hard way and will now spend an extra semester in college to make up for that mistake (and it's an expensive semester at that). I dont think a lot of people realize that its hard to catch up in life when you fall behind. I've got a few friends that way and they're semi-dependent on me now to do their homework for them and I wont do it anymore.

 

[freakygirl]

Let me see if I am understanding this..

People are buying objections (like a powerful spell) to video games on Ebay? They aren't buying the video game itself?

If I'm correct.. that's pretty fucking stupid if you ask me (an non RPG player). But if you were to ask a on old friend of mine (A religious player of RPGs) he'd say it wasn't.

 

[Merlins Boon]

I started playing it and eventually became addicted to it. When I realized I had a problem, I was failing two classes. And when I tried to quit playing it so that I could study, I found myself going to play it more and more, to the point I wasnt sleeping much at night for a few weeks just so I could play.

I had the same problem. I had this simple little computer for years and was never able to play the really good games like Half-Life and Starcraft and Diablo II. Then I got a brand new computer as a graduation gift and just went crazy. My uncle gave me a lot of games to start off with and I went out and spent about two hundred dollars of graudtion money buying the games. Suffice it to say that I've only recently been able to break myself of the habit of staying up till 3 in the morning playing. Now I usually spend maybe an hour or two a day playing when I get home from class and from there on I focus on the important things like school or work or eating.

If I'm correct.. that's pretty fucking stupid if you ask me (an non RPG player). But if you were to ask a on old friend of mine (A religious player of RPGs) he'd say it wasn't.

I'm a religious RPG player myself...it's my favorite genere. But if I'm going to spend money on something, it's not going to be on a item that can only be used in a video game. This is especially true of video games that you just do the same thing over and over and over, like Diablo II.

 

[Tap-Out]

I have a couple of friends who have dropped out of schools (one from high school, the other from college) because it cut into their Everquest playing time. They both spend the time from when they wake up to when they can't hold their eyes open anymore playing EQ. They both sell items on EB and other places. I feel that it ruined their lives, because I don't think they can support themselvs on what little they make doing this. In both cases the game caused a huge rift between my friends and their familys. Both were kicked out of their homes, and went to live with a mutual friend (who also played the game, but not to the extent they do).

I play RPG's myslef. Not the online ones, but the ones on PSX. I don't get overly involved in them, but I do enjoy playing them. I tried playing EQ just to see what all the fuss was about, but I didn't enjoy the game all that much, and failed to see why they seemingly devote their entire lives to it.

 

[Merlins Boon]

I'm actually planning on doing an article over this matter for a college magazine I write for. I first found out about all of this stuff when I was playing Diablo II over the summer and people kept putting up the webpages for their sites in the chat rooms. I think it's a very, very disturbing trend in the video gaming industry.

 

[Spinaroonie]

How is it materialism when there's no material good?

 

[hogjack]

This is not materialism

However, it is a strong obsession with electronic fantasy. Of course, one person's obsession is another person's hobby.

Materialism definitions:

'The tendency to give undue importance to material interests; devotion to the material nature and its wants. '

'A desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters.'