Ali
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Scramble "With Friends"
Recently, I've been realizing that having an iPhone has slowly turned me into an addict for basically all and any of the games that end in "With Friends". So what's the buzz all about? All of these games log you right into your Facebook and we can safely assume that most gamers have one, and you're ready to play with any of your hundreds of Facebook friends. Besides the fact that most of these games are addicting and easy to play in any boring lecture, they also offer this instant communication aspect. While some of the games only allow you to play against friends, most of these games including Scramble allow you to chat with others- similar to texting. In short, these games offer most college students an escape from their classes or from being productive- and instead sit attached to their phone playing "with friends". In reality, this is terrible for society because it's completely antisocial and promotes an environment where we all just want to communicate through digital media... but I'm not giving up scramble anytime soon. Incase you've never played Scramble (which also means you're most likely a loser), here's an article on the greatest game: http://www.iphonesavior.com/2012/01/scramble-with-friends-is-zyngas-next-big-thing-.html
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I agree with this in that I am completely addicted to the "with friends" games. Words, hanging and scramble: they offer an escape from my classes. While I sit in lecture, bored and unable to focus on what the professor is saying, I can easily take out my phone and begin to play these games. However, I noticed that as soon as I begin playing any of these games I tune out everything the professor is saying. I end up missing important topics discussed in lecture and the only way to stop myself from playing is to put my phone in my backpack and turn it off. If I do not play on of my friends back immediately in one of these games, I will often get a text from them saying "play me back". These games truly distract from school, and as fun as they are to play, I believe they are an unhealthy addiction. The only way to break this addiction is to play so much that you end up so sick of the game that you have no desire to play anymore. But then you find a new game and the cycle continues...
ReplyDelete-Alexa Levitz
I would have to respectfully disagree with you here, Ali. I think that these games can be fun and enjoyable without being "terrible for society," provided you don't take it too far. As college kids, we're trying to keep up with what's new and hip, especially because 99.99% of us have smartphones. But maybe the addiction to these games is being fueled because a) all of our friends are playing these games, b) communicating with one another via these games, and c) creating on-going competition with one another. The constant playing of these games is just another way to conform with what everyone else is doing! I have all of these crazy games on my phone, but in no way am I "addicted," and neither are the people I socialize with. We have to know when to just put the phone down. Perhaps it's time to take a step back: rather than "Scramble with friends," we should "go out to lunch with friends" or "watch a movie with friends" or "go to a party with friends." This doesn't have to be an addition: WE make the choices.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to approach this from a different angle and say these games are good for society. Zynga, the social gaming company that makes the app games ending with "with Friends" as well as the well-known Farmville, by definition adds value to society just by merely existing and making a profit. A business that has no value to provide to anyone eventually goes bankrupt and is forced to close. The sports and entertainment industry exist precisely because people demand means of enjoying themselves. While these are no save-the-world endeavors, they add directly to national GDP, a leading indicator of economic success. We need companies like Zynga, making products like Scramble with Friends, to ensure the future growth of the United States. Even if you personally don't like their product, look at it from a top-down perspective and realize exactly how their existence is essential to a functional society. Without new businesses that provide value in some way, shape, or form, innovation would cease and our position in the global economy would decline.
ReplyDeleteI cannot agree more with this post, although these games are supposed to be with "friends," I have realized that my friends who play this game (this means you Ali) would rather sit and play me in Scramble with Friends, instead of having a conversation during dinner. Not to call out certain people, but it just shows what type of lifestyle Apple, along with all other types of games and gaming systems that allow players to interact not in person, have created for us and the direction that communication is moving in. Hopefully in the future we will be able to put our phones down and actually play games or interact with our "friends" but for right now I'll just have to get used to Scrambling and Hanging!
ReplyDeleteJordan started to touch on this idea that people are hanging out with each other and are all on their phones playing games. The amazing thing a lot of the time is that the people all hanging out together are often playing games on their phone with the people that are in the room right there with them. I think that things like this are absolutely awful for our society and are bringing people further and further apart and are hurting people's ability to communicate with each other. I really think that our generation has been effected by this, and it worries me for generations to come. How will our children interact with each other? Will our children be even further removed from each other than we are and what is the solution? I agree that the games themselves are great and are not a problem in moderation. Almost everything is okay in moderation, the problem is that these games and our phones are not being used in moderation at all, but have become an addiction for our generation.
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