In this internet age, how do the boundaries between real life and cyber-life lose their distinctions? This piece provides an engaging narrative of just such a boundary blurring, a social reality that the younger members of our culture may very well come to regard as the norm.
This is a fun, quirky piece that will make a nice sidebar for discussions about virtual relationships or cyber-lifestyle. It isn't terribly appropos for in-depth discussions about the STAR WARS universe per se. The punchline at the end of the piece is a bit tangential and the pacing feels a smidge jagged. Those familiar with online romances will find the plot less surprising than cyber-newbies, but it is charming nonetheless. This might make a fun April Fool's Day segment.
While it is natural to be alarmist about things that are foreign to us, I'd like to shed some light on what may have motivated our two protagonists to enter a virtual life. They temporarily abandoned what we'd like to think of as "real" life for one reason, job dissatisfaction, which is a form of identity loss. I would argue the distinction is not about what is real, but what is flesh life and not flesh life; ALL life lived is real.
When we define ourselves by what we do for money, we lose a self-concept very quickly. As a result, these two got lost in a world that allowed them some control over who and what they wanted to be. Eventually they emerged from a purely imagined existence into a goal-oriented existence. First, however, they had to play out the fantasy of what to do next before actually doing it. As the story's end reveals, we are capable of weaning ourselves off of the fantasy life, yet others become addicted to it as they don't really like who they are and fantasy allows a detachment from the self. Our protagonists learned a good lesson by engaging in a comparative study: What is “me”? and What is NOT “me”?
The comparative experiment, when done consciously, will tell us the right way and wrong way to conduct life, as well as who we are and who we are not. Just like religious fanaticism, drug addiction, workaholism or any other form of unilateral obsession in our life, we do not discover the power to live until we find the power to create who we are. That power to create must be in our own hands or we’ve given it over to someone or something else. This is what is frightening, not the entertainment of a game. All life lived as a game, with regard for the self and the other players, is a life without suffering.
Why don't the young vote? The answer is here in this documentary. They are 're-mixing' their lives with on line games. An absolutely intriguing glimpse into the gaming life style.
As a player of many MMORPG's I found this interview to be very truthful and almost disconcerning. I have experienced many stories very similar to what is discussed and I feel that this is truley an untold story.
Having read many theoretical articles on gender and technology, I kind of knew what was going to happen, but I think this is a story that everyone should hear. Technology, and video games in particular, are having very real impacts upon the way we perceive, construct, and project identity and gender and this piece illustrates that very nicely. The interviewee alludes to that fact in his statement about "reality and fiction." This means he has thought about this story in detail - he's a better interviewee because of it. Great piece, nice use of sound and music. Well done.
The first thing to be said is, I badly want this story not to be true. But it clearly is--a brilliant piece of radio, operating on an onomatopoetic level: that is, it immerses you in a world which is about immersion in a world. Not only that, but it has a wild story to tell as well. If I were going to do anything with it, I'd make it longer--I want to hear the voices of these other people.
This piece takes us into the weird parallel universe of serious gamers through an amusing story showing the sometimes blurred lines between "virtual" and "reality." The greatest strength of the piece is its storyteller, himself a former gaming addict, who relates his tale with verve and relish. I think the piece would benefit from substantial editing for length; cutting some of the less important details would speed up the pace of the story and make it more engaging. I also think the piece might work better without the additional narrator; at the very least, he should consider using a lighter narrative touch more in keeping with the offbeat feel of the story. Still, the piece is cleanly produced and silly enough to be scary. I laughed aloud when the narrator said, ten minutes into the story, "This is where things start to get a little strange." That was ten bizarre minutes too late.
[redacted]
Posted on September 17, 2004 at 02:08 PM
| Permalink
Not a bad piece. The story was well told with all the listener's questions eventually answered. The character telling the story had good storytelling technique (or was that clever editing?) and caputured the in's and out's of the online gaming society well.
Some minor crit:
The music and sound effects (or were all the R2-D2 bits in the music?) were a little forced, and seemed to be too much in the foreground. The commentator could (possibly) help the story along by changing the tone of comment to a more comedic, amused, or even creeped out role, rather than the "just the facts" kind of reporting style used.
A view into the world of people who become totally engrossed with multiplayer video games that we don't often see.
There's a great twist that keeps you intrigued. The ending leaves you with nagging questions that linger long after the piece ends.
This would be a good companion piece to run if a technology and culture (or gaming) conference comes to your town, like South by Southwest, North by Northwest, etc. It'd also be good for running alongside stories that have to do with emotional fraud, bad relationships, or the social consequences of gender bending.
While narrated by a friend who witnessed the events and not the actual people involved, the story rings true to my ears. The Star Wars angle opens the story up to a larger audience because of our familiarity with the movies. This familiarity allows the listener to be transported beyond the idea that “This is a story only for and about geeks,” and into the realm of, “This is a story about people and their relationships with one another.”
Very, very interesting story. Tells several stories and makes enough of a generalization (about real life versus "in game" virtual reality) that it could be a headliner for This American Life. This seemingly shallow story about someone caught in a virtual world, goes much deeper than expected. You must hear this story. I don't play video games. I do like Star Wars, but this isn't about that at all, this is about humans, and is a very compelling story. If I don't hear this on TAL, I will be surprised.
This is so good, it has to be true. In ten years this will be even better, with more time to figure out what happened afterwards. Never has a game become so much like real life, not in the format of the game, but in the distinction of what is truth and what is reality. Of all the pieces I can remember, this one is my favorite.
Comments for A Disturbance in the Force
Produced by Aaron Henkin
Other pieces by Aaron Henkin
Rating Summary
11 comments
Gunnar Berg
Posted on October 24, 2006 at 02:44 PM | Permalink
Review of A Disturbance in the Force
In this internet age, how do the boundaries between real life and cyber-life lose their distinctions? This piece provides an engaging narrative of just such a boundary blurring, a social reality that the younger members of our culture may very well come to regard as the norm.
Christine Bush
Posted on February 22, 2005 at 09:19 AM | Permalink
Review of A Disturbance in the Force
This is a fun, quirky piece that will make a nice sidebar for discussions about virtual relationships or cyber-lifestyle. It isn't terribly appropos for in-depth discussions about the STAR WARS universe per se. The punchline at the end of the piece is a bit tangential and the pacing feels a smidge jagged. Those familiar with online romances will find the plot less surprising than cyber-newbies, but it is charming nonetheless. This might make a fun April Fool's Day segment.
Sondra Sneed
Posted on December 05, 2004 at 02:35 PM | Permalink
Review of A Disturbance in the Force
While it is natural to be alarmist about things that are foreign to us, I'd like to shed some light on what may have motivated our two protagonists to enter a virtual life. They temporarily abandoned what we'd like to think of as "real" life for one reason, job dissatisfaction, which is a form of identity loss. I would argue the distinction is not about what is real, but what is flesh life and not flesh life; ALL life lived is real.
When we define ourselves by what we do for money, we lose a self-concept very quickly. As a result, these two got lost in a world that allowed them some control over who and what they wanted to be. Eventually they emerged from a purely imagined existence into a goal-oriented existence. First, however, they had to play out the fantasy of what to do next before actually doing it. As the story's end reveals, we are capable of weaning ourselves off of the fantasy life, yet others become addicted to it as they don't really like who they are and fantasy allows a detachment from the self. Our protagonists learned a good lesson by engaging in a comparative study: What is “me”? and What is NOT “me”?
The comparative experiment, when done consciously, will tell us the right way and wrong way to conduct life, as well as who we are and who we are not. Just like religious fanaticism, drug addiction, workaholism or any other form of unilateral obsession in our life, we do not discover the power to live until we find the power to create who we are. That power to create must be in our own hands or we’ve given it over to someone or something else. This is what is frightening, not the entertainment of a game. All life lived as a game, with regard for the self and the other players, is a life without suffering.
Michael White
Posted on November 05, 2004 at 07:24 AM | Permalink
Review of A Disturbance in the Force
Why don't the young vote? The answer is here in this documentary. They are 're-mixing' their lives with on line games. An absolutely intriguing glimpse into the gaming life style.
Chris Pugh
Posted on October 23, 2004 at 08:35 AM | Permalink
Review of A Disturbance in the Force
As a player of many MMORPG's I found this interview to be very truthful and almost disconcerning. I have experienced many stories very similar to what is discussed and I feel that this is truley an untold story.
Michael Nutt
Posted on October 15, 2004 at 12:34 PM | Permalink
Review of A Disturbance in the Force
Having read many theoretical articles on gender and technology, I kind of knew what was going to happen, but I think this is a story that everyone should hear. Technology, and video games in particular, are having very real impacts upon the way we perceive, construct, and project identity and gender and this piece illustrates that very nicely. The interviewee alludes to that fact in his statement about "reality and fiction." This means he has thought about this story in detail - he's a better interviewee because of it. Great piece, nice use of sound and music. Well done.
Bill McKibben
Posted on October 14, 2004 at 06:03 PM | Permalink
Review of A Disturbance in the Force
The first thing to be said is, I badly want this story not to be true. But it clearly is--a brilliant piece of radio, operating on an onomatopoetic level: that is, it immerses you in a world which is about immersion in a world. Not only that, but it has a wild story to tell as well. If I were going to do anything with it, I'd make it longer--I want to hear the voices of these other people.
Andrew Witmer
Posted on September 22, 2004 at 06:17 PM | Permalink
Review of A Disturbance in the Force
This piece takes us into the weird parallel universe of serious gamers through an amusing story showing the sometimes blurred lines between "virtual" and "reality." The greatest strength of the piece is its storyteller, himself a former gaming addict, who relates his tale with verve and relish. I think the piece would benefit from substantial editing for length; cutting some of the less important details would speed up the pace of the story and make it more engaging. I also think the piece might work better without the additional narrator; at the very least, he should consider using a lighter narrative touch more in keeping with the offbeat feel of the story. Still, the piece is cleanly produced and silly enough to be scary. I laughed aloud when the narrator said, ten minutes into the story, "This is where things start to get a little strange." That was ten bizarre minutes too late.
[redacted]
Posted on September 17, 2004 at 02:08 PM | Permalink
Review of A Disturbance in the Force
Not a bad piece. The story was well told with all the listener's questions eventually answered. The character telling the story had good storytelling technique (or was that clever editing?) and caputured the in's and out's of the online gaming society well.
Some minor crit:
The music and sound effects (or were all the R2-D2 bits in the music?) were a little forced, and seemed to be too much in the foreground. The commentator could (possibly) help the story along by changing the tone of comment to a more comedic, amused, or even creeped out role, rather than the "just the facts" kind of reporting style used.
Joel Greenberg
Posted on September 14, 2004 at 08:02 AM | Permalink
Review of A Disturbance in the Force
A view into the world of people who become totally engrossed with multiplayer video games that we don't often see.
There's a great twist that keeps you intrigued. The ending leaves you with nagging questions that linger long after the piece ends.
This would be a good companion piece to run if a technology and culture (or gaming) conference comes to your town, like South by Southwest, North by Northwest, etc. It'd also be good for running alongside stories that have to do with emotional fraud, bad relationships, or the social consequences of gender bending.
While narrated by a friend who witnessed the events and not the actual people involved, the story rings true to my ears. The Star Wars angle opens the story up to a larger audience because of our familiarity with the movies. This familiarity allows the listener to be transported beyond the idea that “This is a story only for and about geeks,” and into the realm of, “This is a story about people and their relationships with one another.”
Hans Anderson
Posted on August 31, 2004 at 11:52 PM | Permalink
Review of A Disturbance in the Force
This is so good, it has to be true. In ten years this will be even better, with more time to figure out what happened afterwards. Never has a game become so much like real life, not in the format of the game, but in the distinction of what is truth and what is reality. Of all the pieces I can remember, this one is my favorite.