the tough love approach to too much MMO gaming ?

[stumpy]

A blog I read linked to this Slate article because of its interesting headline. However, the whole notion struck me as somewhat amusing in itself. In summary, a father sees his unemployed 23-year-old son spending too much time ("the bulk of his waking hours") playing an online shooter instead of looking a job. The father hires players with higher level toons to kill the son's toons as soon as he logs them on, hoping the son will get bored of the game and use his time more productively. Let's presume, for the moment, that the father's evaluation of his son's activities is accurate. It's certainly an unusual attempt to put what most would consider PK griefing to some useful purpose. And, I wonder how the people hired for that task view themselves. Is it okay to ruin someone's gaming experience if his gaming is ruining his life?

(BTW, we have no way to judge the validity of the father's claim. Perhaps the father is right and his son's priorities need realignment. Perhaps the father is wrong and the son spends 10 hours a day sedulously pounding the pavement and comes home for a little online stress relief and that's when his father looks in on him. Ultimately, we don't know.)

[Grendal_71]

Man, this is "tore up from the floor up" on SO many levels.

I make an honest effort to not pass judgement on how others live their lives, and as Stumpy said, there are too many unknowns to the story for us to have a good view of the full issue, but that is one ugly, ugly situation.

[Reepicheep]

I'm all for imaginative discipline... but this doesn't sit right. He doesn't want his kid to spend time on MMOs, so he pays professionals who spend even MORE time on MMOs.

Put your money where your mouth is.

[stumpy]

I'm all for imaginative discipline... but this doesn't sit right. He doesn't want his kid to spend time on MMOs, so he pays professionals who spend even MORE time on MMOs.

Put your money where your mouth is.

Heh. Maybe that's consistent with the father's goal: He doesn't want his kid spending so much time on MMOs, but he might be happy that those other people spend their time playing and not competing with his son for jobs. 

BTW, I tend to agree that, while there are some points for creativity in the father's approach, it's not likely to be the most productive one. Ultimately, his method is likely to make his son resentful and make him view the job hunt as part of a punishment. The father would be better served in getting his son to realize that adults who can pay their own way don't have to justify to their parents how they spend their leisure time. So, making employment his highest priority will earn him the reward of guiltless gaming, among other things.

[Grendal_71]

Well said.

[captmorgan72]

Are you kidding me? The young man is 23 years old, spending all his time playing video games instead of looking for a job and his father does what? Ok, this is a very clear case of enabling. The 23 year old has an addiction and instead of helping his son, he enables the addiction by not being a father. He is 23, a grown man, why is the father allowing him to do this? Only in America I guess.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Only in America?  I know of quite a few countries where it is a cultural obligation of people to support their family members, even if they have no money because they don't want to work.  Member of the family with any money are all are expected to cough it up and are considered the vilest of the vile if they do not, even if the people they support are sitting home playing computer games all day.

No no, not only in America.  Lazy people are everywhere.

[Tomato]

Ok, Imma just head this off before it goes any further: I've already PMed Captmorgan, and I'd prefer if no one else responded to his comment. k thx.

[AfghanAnt]

Was there a post deleted because I feel like I'm missing something.

[stumpy]

Since I didn't make it clear in my summary (it didn't occur to me that it was worth mentioning) and not everyone has read the article that the summary links to, I'll just note that the father and son at the heart of the dispute live in China.

In the interest of further clarification, according to the source articles, there are some other helpful tidbits:

* It's not that the son has been unable to find work, but he hasn't stuck with the jobs he's found. He apparently considers them unsuitable.

* The son confronted his father and explained, "I can play or I can not play, it doesn't bother me. I'm not looking for any job—I want to take some time to find one that suits me." (BTW, I am pretty sure the "not looking for any job" meant "not looking for just any job".)

* The father was "relieved" by his son's explanation, though it isn't clear if he has called off the PKers, if the son has found suitable employment, or if some other resolution has been adopted.

BTW, the livedoor article also has an amusing illustration.

[BTW, no deleted posts in this thread, AFAIK]

[captmorgan72]

Sorry guys I had a little too much of my namesake and spoke out of term. I meant no offence.

[BentonGrey]

Ha!  Thanks for sharing this Stumpy, it gave both my wife and me a good laugh!  It's just so silly...man, digital hitmen.  I wonder how you break into a racket like that.  How much does it pay?  Do you get paid per kill, or is it a blanket fee?  Ha, inquiring minds want to know!

As for the ethics of the entire situation, yeah, as Stumpy said, there is just too much we don't know.  Still, it's certainly a novel approach to the problem...

[daglob]

Hmmm... so that's how to keep my daughter from wasting so much time on Farmville... hire digital hit men to wipe out her farm!

[stumpy]

Hmmm... so that's how to keep my daughter from wasting so much time on Farmville... hire digital hit men to wipe out her farm!

"Young Nate West had been scorned by his green-thumbed peers as he grew up in Farmville. But, he would return to take his vengeance as a hired gun. They would regret the day they made an enemy of The Locust..." 

[BentonGrey]

Ha!  Excellent!