America Over Logging
Chris Teeters
Professor O Hearn
May 14, 2009
Humans are an interesting animal, ever since the first caveman humans have been adapting to the world in which they live. It all started out when man learned how to make fire to provide heat and light for the early cave man which helped theysurvive. Mankind has continued to keep the fire of bettering their lives bright in their hearts and always try to find ways to make life easier. One of the most resent inventions that humans have developed that helps them live their lives easier is the internet. The internet is an interesting tool to use, but there are many people who have found them falling into the trend of over logging and spending to much time on the internet. Many people find themselves being addicted to the internet, constantly playing video games, and even abuse the use of the internet for inapposite uses of it.
The internet is a useful tool that many people take for granted. It is a net work of information for a person and can even connect one to someone on the other side of the world. Before the internet was even created people would have to go to the library to do their research or receive the information that one would need. When the internet was created and was made for use of the public information access was only a click away. The internet also allows one to communicate with someone else. The idea of e-mails and instant messaging allows one to contact someone and receive an answer with in a reasonable time. Before the internet people simply had to call the person and hope to get a hold of them or they had to send a letter to them and wait a few days at least for the letter to arrive and a response to return.
Americans have become addicted to the internet and have accepted the idea that life should be centered on it. The basic definition of an addiction is something “that takes away from your life; it reduces your motivation to do things outside of the one activity” (Panel of Game Addiction). The idea that people can not continue on with their lives with out the internet is an example of addiction. Americans have become addicted to the internet so much that they see it as a way of life instead of an addiction.
When it comes to using the internet for information purposes the most common person who usesit is the college student, but sadly some students who spend more time surfing the web instead of studying. The internet is a very tempting thing for a college student, because of the unlimited internet access, free time and is a way to escape the stresses of college life. “When a freshmen register today, they get a student ID card, a meal card, and most, important, a free personal e-mail account.” (Surfing not Studying). Many internet providers out there charge one to use their internet and even has restrictions so the students encourages themselves to use the internet as much as possible. “Most college students attend classes for twelve to sixteen hour per week. The rest of the time is their own to read, study, go to movies or parties, join clubs, or explore the new environment outside their campus walls” (Surfing not studying). When students have this much time on their hands there are no doubt that they will use most of that time to do something else other than studying for their classes. The one thing that students have easy access to and don not have to leave their own room to do is the internet. There are many things on the internet that can grab the student’s attention and keep a hold of it for hours on end. Students also use the internet, because “students feel the pressures of making top grades, fulfilling parental expectations, and upon graduation, facing fierce competition for good jobs” (Surfing not Studying). Whenever someone becomes stressed that person looks for ways to relax and the internet is one thing that anyone can find something to entertain and relax you, like youtube or facebook.
Many students like to argue that they are not addicted to the internet and simply say that “I am not as bad as the geeks with the computer majors who never log off and have to know all the software programs” (Surfing not Studying). That is were they are wrong. Students usually have their noses in the computer and spend too much time on it. There are countless possibilities for a student to do on the internet and have a lot of free time to spend instant messaging their friends, playing video games, or watching sports on ESPN or something on youtube, instead of studying for there classes or simply interacting with other students in a physical activity.
One of the most addicting parts of the internet is the online games that one can play. Two of the most well known and commonly played games on the internet are the massively multi-player online role playing games or MMORPG, and multi-user domain or MUDs. “MMORPGs are networks of players, who interact with each other to achieve goals, go on missions, and reach high scores in a fantasy world, while MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, fighting, killing in social chat channels with limited graphics” (Addiction to MMORPGs). Both of these games allow the gamer to successfully escape the world and all of it trouble for a while.
The well know television show “South Park” does a excellent job of pointing out the trends and fads of the time and shows how they are affecting the American public, while having a few good laughs along the way. One of the shows entitled “Make Love, Not Warcraft” is a prime example of how people get addicted to the video game and give up living their lives. The story behind the episode is that the four boys start playing the popular game “World of Warcraft” and keep getting killed by a hacker who has hacked the system and is unable to die and can kill anyone at any location, since there are some locations were fighting can not take place. The boys then take up the mission to raise their levels to defeat the hacker. As the episode moves on the system directors observe them and entrust them with “The Sword of 1,000 Truths” to defeat the hacker since they have proven to have no lives. In the end when the hacker is defeated the boys are out of shape and continue on playing the game.
Many people will argue that gaming is just a stage in which a child will go through in his or her life and will inevitably get over it. The heart of the matter is that it is not just a stage in life; it is in fact an addiction. Gaming addiction can be just like a drug addiction. “Gamers who play almost every day, play for extended periods of time (over 4 hours), get restless or irritable if they can not play, and sacrifice other social activities just to game are showing signs of addiction” (Addiction to MMORPGs). These signs are the same as the signs that a drug addict would present. Online gaming is a very addicting thing in which people can interact with others, but they lose touch with reality in the process.
In one of the resent seasons of “SouthPark” the makers came out with an episode called “Over Logging”, which was an episode in which the internet was no longer working. When this happens the whole entire town of South Park goes crazy, like always. No one is able to read their e-mail, instant message, play their games, or use the internet for sick purposes. After a week with out internet Stan’s family decides to move out “Californi Way” to find the internet that is thought to be there. They end up in a refugee camp where there is only one computer with one bar of internet, so they have to rash in it out for everyone, which means everyone gets 40 seconds of internet time per day. Through out the episode Shelly, Stan’s sister, has an emotional break down since she can not talk to her boyfriend on instant messaging, while Randy, Stan’s father, tries everything he can do to get some adult entertainment. In the end the internet comes back and everyone returns to their normal selves. This shows that Americans have become too dependent on the internet.
Americans take great pride in the idea that they can do what ever they want, when they want. The internet is a tool in which enables them to do so. The internet has many uses that people take for granted. People have fallen into the trend of over logging and spend much of their time on the internet. People need to get out of this trend and start living their lives. If people do not start we will not have lives to live.
Work Cited
IGDA Austin Chapter, “Panel on Game Addiction”, May 10, 2009
Young Kimberly, “Addiction to MMORPGs: Symptoms and Treatment”, May 10, 2009
Young Kimberly, Surfing not Studying: Dealing with Internet Addiction on Campus” May 10, 2009