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Reality Sucks

Second Skin is a visually stunning documentary about video game addiction. Following the lives of seven avid gamers, Second Skin offers an insight into World of Warcraft and Everquest players who devote a significant amount of their social life to virtual reality. While some gamers find love and romance, others play to the point of losing their jobs and being evicted. This documentary lets the gamers speak for themselves and refuses to push a single interpretation or agenda. Highly recommended!

18 comments Micah White , 27 Feb 2009 Duration: 2:29

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The reaction I had is pretty

by Frank on April 14 2009, @06:23 am The reaction I had is pretty much the same one that I had reading the Pornocalypse Now piece. The problem in both pieces is simply this, real experience costs something of ourselves while virtual experience only costs money. for the most part, at least here in the "developed world", one only needs to learn to obey and tolerate boredom to gain money whereas to develope "self" one has to tolerate a great many vague and awesome things. So, we can have all of the sexy, violent, fantastic and even transcendental experience we can hold for the cost of an ISP connection or we can face the unknown, uncontrollable void of our own freedom for the cost of our lives, which do most people take? Thing is, sex with a five vaginaed goddess on horse back while slaying a robot dragon with a lazer sword is NOT A REAL EXPERIENCE and so provides none of the spiritual nourishment that a real experience that learning to produce fire with a fire drill provides. This is the basic problem. Peace Frank

i like boys.But the truth is

by mud flaps on April 09 2009, @08:12 am i like boys.But the truth is im an uber gamer.. My name is Niptuck and i have a big pouch. Go gamers

“Bad logic. A person

by ian.berg on April 04 2009, @03:39 pm "Bad logic. A person doesn’t get depressed simply from playing the video game. They almost always are depressed or are heading towards depression before they start playing. The majority of World of Warcraft players don’t play anywhere near as close to the amount of time as I’m assuming some of these people play." the video game itself does not cause the depression. It's simply an activity that can distract someone from important daily, weekly, monthly tasks. Certain personality types are easily swayed by emotion and pleasure. The instant gratification that awaits at their computer can thus draw them in. Before I had a video game system I loved playing video games because it was with people. Playing at home just isn't that fun, even multiplayer online. Video games can have social activities over the web, but there is a significant difference between cold pixels on screen and a warm fleshy body next to you. The deprivation from human contact, the lack of exercise, and lack of sunlight are major contributors to sadness.

I’m not a geek but I’m

by Both worlds can suck. on April 03 2009, @04:29 pm I'm not a geek but I'm addicted to a MMO. I'm a 21 year old female and I've been a model and lifeguard. Sorry, not meant to be egotistical but almost everyone in this trailer looks like the same stereotype and that can't be a good thing. I've played one character for 7 years now because I've built a kind of celebrity reputation I wont ever achieve in real life, and I've made great relationships with other players who have also played for years. None of my real life friends have been my friends for that long since I keep moving. I'm a social person and I don't forget about them, but its hard to put real life friends first when they're honestly not your best friends. You can call it a hobby if that's what it is to you, but to me it really is another life. I don't see this addiction as a bad thing. If I started avoiding everyone completely in order to play, then it would be a bad thing. Its really up to the individual to recognize if their addiction is destructive or not and then get help if it is. If I want to spend every second of my free time playing or thinking about the game, then that's up to me and you just can't tell me you know a better way to spend it.

Smug documentary is smug.

by Anonymous on April 01 2009, @06:40 pm Smug documentary is smug.

Bad logic. A person

by Anonymous on April 01 2009, @06:39 pm Bad logic. A person doesn't get depressed simply from playing the video game. They almost always are depressed or are heading towards depression before they start playing. The majority of World of Warcraft players don't play anywhere near as close to the amount of time as I'm assuming some of these people play. I played for maybe 5 hours a week, and quit without any negative side-effects. This is the case with most everyone i met playing that game. I believe MMO's are FAR more rewarding for people to play than spending time watching mindless t.v. or a trashy novel. WOW has an incredibly amount of cooperation, community, and social interacting that dwarfs most other forms of hobbies.

No need to be defensive, the

by Anonymous on April 03 2009, @03:34 pm No need to be defensive, the point of this video isn't to bash MMOs or to generalize the people who play them. It's reporting on the minority, people who are admittedly addicted. I hope they do a good job of making that clear in the video so there is no confusion.

I actually wrote an article

by Dann on March 31 2009, @04:08 pm I actually wrote an article about this (depression strongly linked to MMOs) a while back. http://coreminimalist.blogspot.com/2009/02/link-between-depression-mmorpgs-and.html An online universe are clearly where our society is headed, and we need to take real care in planning it out.

But its true, the world is a

by Anonymous on March 17 2009, @08:52 pm But its true, the world is a boring place. If you have to go somewhere it costs, if you want to see exotic places you find alot of tourists. There is no real adventure out there.

Are you kidding me?

by Anonymous on March 26 2009, @01:45 pm Are you kidding me? Masturbation is amazing! Alcohol occurs without chemical help! I think the time I have the most fun is when I am talking to people (quite obviously in real life) or following a brain-storm like on 4chan.

Cell phones, iPods and those

by Anonymous on March 16 2009, @07:01 am Cell phones, iPods and those who can't exist without their handhelds and laptops whereever they go are serious addicts, a vast global army of cell phone zombies. All it will take is a couple of nuke induced EMPs or a major solar flare and thye'll be crawling on all fours, dazed and confused I've worked in high tech my entire life, well over 60 years old and as much as i like technology it has gojne a long way toward contributing to the isolation and alientation that's so common

The institutions,

by Rom on March 28 2009, @02:56 pm The institutions, organizational structure and techniques which allows the technology to be produced creates alienation. Namely State Power, taxation, welfare benefits to corporations, cartels etc. This creates massive firms/corporations both in the private sector (e.g. IBM) and in the public sector (e.g. state education). Man becomes 'a job' in a huge inefficient hierarchy taking orders from above and doing what he is told. This leads to anxiety and alienation which leads to further consumption of the products like IPods etc. A circle, hooked, screwed, dehumanized...and do not forget the system depends on this and many people earn their livelihoods because of this...state educationalists, lawyers, therapists, social workers, etc. all paid to try and help people to become better adjusted in a system that works against their better interests.

You are grumpy. I

by Anonymous on March 17 2009, @12:51 pm You are grumpy. I like that.

since i’m on adbusters, i

by El Guero Mestizo on March 15 2009, @10:42 am since i'm on adbusters, i wonder how effective it is to cultural jam? cultural jamming takes place in a "world that doesn't exist." playing with images,texts and sounds instead of being on the streets. how can one manage to be heard in cyberspace? creating more catz memes? http://elgueromestizo.blogspot.com/

people who gain threatening

by Anonymous on March 14 2009, @04:12 pm people who gain threatening addictions to anything are simply just weak people. i played wow on and off for years and always seemed to live a productive life, as a teenager rather.

Well thank fucking god that

by Anonymous on March 26 2009, @09:18 am Well thank fucking god that there perfect boring people just like you ready to judge the rest of us. Thank you

I think this is a bit of an

by Anonymous on March 21 2009, @11:08 pm I think this is a bit of an over generalization. Emotional or physical differences may make someone more prone to an addiction than another. I don't know if I'd call this weakness, but if it is, society should address this 'weakness' just as we address weaknesses in literacy, or physical abilities. These people need support and kindness, I haven't seen the actual video but I hope its intent isn't embarrassment.