Are You Having an Identity Crisis?

Do you think the identity play allowed in many games is beneficial or harmful? Why? How does the identity play in games compare to that in reading different novels and taking on character perspectives?

I think that identity play can be both harmful and beneficial. When children are allowed to create new identities it can be harmful because they may choose to make their character in the game do negative things or make bad choices. It also gives kids a false sense of security. All children do not understand right from wrong or that it's just a game. So maybe their video game identity does something wrong, but doesn't get caught or doesn't get in trouble. The child may attempt a similar action but he/she will get caught and not fully understand why. I think that something like that is rare but I'm sure it does occur. I think that it may be possible for a gamer to become obsessed with the identity they have created. They may want to live their lives similarly to their character in the game. This could potentially cause an identity crisis.

I feel that creating an alternative identity can also have a positive effect on ones life. I believe you can try to feel how another person feels. I realize that video game characters don't necessarily have feelings. In Gee's book it says that many game players choose to create a player who is of the opposite sex. The games are so sophisticated now that by creating an opposite sex character, people might be able to see how the other half lives. Through the game you can create an awareness of what life is like for the opposite sex. This might also help children to be more accepting of people with different personalities. They might learn to be more open to new ideas or new ways or doing things.

I see this in my classroom all the time. Some students do not know how to tolerate another person's idiosyncrasies. I hear them saying all the time "You are so annoying". This could be minimized by students playing video games where they choose a player that is different from themselves. They might not like everything about that character but they must learn to deal with it if they want to be successful at the game. That theory also extends to life. To be successful in life you must be able to get along with many different types of people.

I agree that when a person reads a novel they do the same thing, most of the time you choose books where you can assimilate with the main character. Or at other times you may chose a book because the main character is so different that you would like to live through his or her experiences. The only main difference I see is that with a video game the person is interacting differently. In some games you can chose to change your players attributes such as in Arcanum. Gee decided that he wanted his half-elf Bead-Bead to be stronger so he used one of his points to make her stronger. So I see it as a person making connections to other identities whether it be through a book or a video game.