Observation Paper Final

Some of the most dramatic expressions of humanity that I have witnessed in my life have occurred in seemingly mundane scenes of everyday life. Take the interaction of an angry customer in a 7-Eleven. The heatedness of the interaction between angry customer and annoyed (probably underpaid) clerk is hard to ignore and neigh impossible to not be curious about. This facet of human curiosity is responsible for a large number of traffic jams, as drivers gape at any sign of disturbance. It is pretty easy to find simple yet complex human interaction in real life, but one medium that has gone largely unrecognized in the sphere of human interaction is that of the online variety. Yes, its true that the information high way leads us to most of our daily intake of...well...information. But how often does one find themselves drawn into an online interaction between two other strangers? The answer for me is, not very often. This can be largely attributed to the fact that human transactions online are mostly private. However, as I considered my options for observation of human interactions online for this paper, I came to recognize that the world of online gaming is rich with displays of unique human behavior, that would be challenging to witness anywhere else.

I own an Xbox 360 Elite, and I have a membership to Microsoft's online service for the Xbox, called Xbox Live. Xbox Live allows Xbox gamers to connect online and play their favorite games with or against their friends and strangers. Microsoft rarely bans anyone for social misconduct; they only ban for cheating and hacking. Instead they place the burden of conduct supervision on the gamers. They accomplish this through a system designed to allow players to rate the people they play with as being good or bad players. You can avoid other gamers, or prefer other gamers, but this has no real consequence to the person being rated (outside their interactions with you). Even the most offensive gamers can continue gaming to their heart’s content all while spewing offensive, misogynistic, racial, hateful, and ignorant slurs to anyone they encounter. Even after being rated negatively. This also leads to some shocking, but amusingly offensive gamer tags (the name in which you go by on Xbox Live, Think of it as your Xbox Live name).

You can some times anticipate an unsavory gamer by their gamer tag. If you find yourself starting a match with someone by the gamer tag of “xxGreasyballsxx”, it is safe to assume you have a potential hooligan in your presence. The “x” in front of the name typically indicates that this person was not the first to think that “Greasyballs” would be an appropriate gamer tag. After the match started this gamer fulfilled my expectations by using misogynistic phrases in reference to his teammates.

In my time on Xbox Live I have tried to reason with these virtual delinquents only to receive unsavory results. One such occasion took place upon my breaching the subject one day, with one young man with the gamer tag “Boobie McFarland”. In response to my efforts at communication, he retaliated with a comment about my mother! My mother! Stooping to their level doesn't seem to phase them either. In another match, I ran across an individual named “MsgMe4DickPix”, when I expressed how highly inappropriate his name (and user picture) was he began to relentlessly call me racial slur after racial slur. I lost my temper, and found myself without any control over my actions. I told him he was a sexist pig! To which he replied that I sounded like a “fat negro.”. The temerity!

Another fallacy of social conduct that one may expect on Xbox Live is the concept sportsmanship. Your teammates can, and will, betray you at any moment allowing the other team to win. I have been shot at by a teammate because they did not appreciate my appearance. I have also been shot at because I found a shotgun, and my teammate (going by the name of “HurricaneKatrina”) wanted it for himself! These instances are not uncommon and really ruin the game play.

Through my experiences on Xbox live, I have determined that the Internet as a whole is no place for any person who requires a sense of social decorum at all times. Furthermore, the addition of the Internet to human interaction can and does create unique situations that would be rare or non-existent in real life. Xbox live is certainly a reflection of this assertion. In the end, it comes down to two options. Play with friends and family whom you trust, or be prepared to face the wrath of the Internet.