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"Why did I waste all those months of my life on Nexus?" We've all heard it. Maybe we've asked it ourselves. We've spent all these hours in this place, all this effort on earning stats and wealth that are nothing but numbers in a computer. A waste of time? First, though, consider what else we might have been doing. True, we *could* have been studying brain surgery or writing the Great American Novel. But truly, how many of us would have? And how many of us would have just kicked back and watched TV? The proper thing to compare playing Nexus to is not the best we could have done instead, but what we are most likely to have done. IRL, I know a lot of couch potatoes, but no brain surgeons. And has this time we've spent here been such a waste? Dead time, learning nothing, doing nothing? I think not. Nexus is a microcosm of the real world. Don't ever believe that we do nothing real in this place. The people are real, and the relationships between them are real. I have seen so many players learn so much: tolerance, cooperation, understanding, respect for others. It is a place where we can test out new and maybe better ways of relating to others, without the risks we would face in reality. For some it is a place to peek out from our protective shells. For others, it is a place of healing. It is a place where we can learn how to tell who to trust and who not, with numbers on a computer at stake instead of losses in real life. Even a night of powerhunting is in some ways practice for reality. Consider how a good hunting team works together. That degree of coordination, of working with others, anticipating their actions and needs, isn't something you just pick up overnight. And that certainly does carry over to the real world, for any of hundreds of tasks. Dividing up responsibilities, carrying one's share of the load, sharing the rewards fairly ... all lessons well learned. And what else do we do here besides play video games? We write ... our rants on Comm, the stories we post on CotW, the tales we write of our characters. Some people serve in official positions such as clan official, Carnage host, subpath guide, many others ... all good practice for real life. As someone with real world management experience, I know that what we do here carries over to the real world. True, one cannot put "Carnage Host" or "Chongun Guide" or "Heavens Clan Primarch" on one's resume -- but the experience is there, and is as real as the world is imaginary. For it deals with people, and remember always that the people are real. I teach poetry lessons. Some people organize political movements. Others run businesses. Want to get dyed? Need a rare item? Want a character portrait? Someone in Nexus can do it for you. Running an event for your clan or subpath or kingdom takes the same kind of planning and coordination that running one for your RL club or business or charity does. Again, more lessons learned. No, the time we spend here is not wasted. We learn, we teach, we relate, we grow, we learn. For my own lessons learned, I thank all of you. |