Too Much Gaming, Anyone?

I enjoyed this Slashdot post about what happens when your gaming reality blurs with your physical reality. This was in response to a Wired Story about what happens when you play a videogame for a BIT too long. CmdrTaco says:

For me it was Tony Hawk- I played so much that I started sizing up curbs for grinding while driving home from work. Katamari Damacy has been a problem too. I'm fairly certain my car is large enough to pick up the railings on the overpass near my house. I'm even more certain that these thoughts are bad.

I've been there, man -- immersive experiences can really mess with your head. I remember when I first learned programming, back in the early 80s. After an intense 8-hour programming stint, I'd have vivid dreams that took place completely in code. I also remember playing Myst for the first time, and noticing that hazy afternoon how well-rendered and high-resolution the mountains looked in the distance. Sheesh :-)

Comments

[Julian Bond]

My version of this was walking into the Broadvision building in the Valley after playing Half Life, Doom and Quake obsessively. Hmm. Nice level, I thought to myself. The entire architecture looked like it had been built in Autocad and then texture mapped. The reception area was a classic killing zone. ;-)