In this excerpt from Bennahum’s Extra Life: Coming of Age in Cyberspace, he describes his experiences with his first computer. He discussed how fascinated he was by the machine and how it practically consumed his life. How did you feel when you received or bought your first computer? Was it a monumental occasion or did you just nonchalantly accept it and use it for select tasks? When I try to answer this question two events come to mind; the first time my family got a computer and the first personal computer I received. My family’s first computer pretty much went unnoticed. There were no “good” games for it and the graphics were not very good. It was mainly used for word processing and doing taxes. I stuck to my Nintendo 64 for video games. My first personal computer was a very different story though. It was a laptop and you could not get me off the thing. I was always on it burning compact discs or surfing the internet in the comfort of my own bed. This was another topic that Bennahum discussed; the fact that his computer consumed his life and the same occurred with his friends. He was fascinated with the possibilities and the “fantasy of parallel universes” (186). This is what we have been talking about it class; the computer’s lure and seduction that cause its user to become addicted. Have you ever been addicted to something? If so, what? How did it affect your life? Did yo
u overcome your addiction, if so how?
u overcome your addiction, if so how? 
7 comments:
I'm old enough that when we got our first computer (pre-Internet) people really still didn't know what to do with them...but my Mom was nerdy enough that she dove into it...I remember getting free copies of games when we'd go to college libraries where they were still trying to treat software like books...you could sign them out and install them on your computer...I participated in online communities via modems by calling up bulletin boards (BBSs) which is mentioned in the reading...It's hard not to look back nostalgically on such stuff...I wonder about your experiences, though...
The first time i really got to use a computer was on my dads labtop. ironically enough, all i did was play wolfenstein. My brother an i worked out a rotation between the computer and our state of the art, 16 bit, sega genesis. At about the same point in time, we were also hooked on "Full Throttle", which we played on my grandmothers MAC. I know my grandma's computer didnt have the internet, but im not sure about my dads. Once we got our "family computer" i remember it didnt take long for me to figure out how to make an email address, and soon to follow was a screen name. At the time, anything other than AIM wasnt worth running because it took forever for a page to load up, and i would have to listen to that annoying dial-up tone that the computer made every time i sent an email.
I remember being so excited when my dad brought home our very own family, home computer. I had used computers a lot at friends’ houses or at school so I knew a lot about them. My dad had his friend come over to set it up. I couldn’t wait until my mom ordered AOL and I was able to play games. It was one of the most exciting events that have happened in my house.
I think that my dad thought that the computer would make us smarter or better students. He didn’t and still doesn’t know much about computers. He turns the computer off with the button, rather than shutting it down. Anyway, I agree with Bennahum that computers are somewhat a distraction from schoolwork or other things. Computers are seductive in that they make you want to surf the web or play a game. I used to think that they were for fun rather than work. Now, I don’t look at computers as just fun and games but I use them as a tool for my job as a student.
As far as addictions go, I really don't care what the circumstances are- you cannot get addicted to video games. Period. People get addicted to cigarettes(my fav), alcohol, heroin, cocaine, sleeping pills and DRUGS. I think it's ridiculous that people think one can become "addicted" to TV and video games...and it's for this simple reason: Video games have an OFF button. If you can't bring yourself to push it...you can always unplug the damn thing. You can just push the "kick it" button on heroin...if you're addicted you need to go to rehab. I just wanted to get that out there...
As far as my family computers go, we didn't get one until I was in middle school. I mainly used it to email the few friends I had that also had computers, and I played Age of Empires and Roller Coaster Tycoon on it. You could say my laptop is a different story, because I definately "do" much more on it, i.e. burn CDs, play different games, use numerous e-mails and web accounts...but I was never "stuck" or "addicted" to it. Maybe I'm alone on this, but I get tired of surfing the internet. Unless I have a purpose (to find a game, information, or to check something) I rarely use it. If I ever was hooked to anything, it was Nintendo waaaaay back in the day when we first got it. But if I played for too long, my dad would turn it off- and that was that. No consistent nagging about how I HAD TO FINISH. It was off, and that was it. I'll be the first to admit I have a smoking problem- but I'll also be the first to say that NO ONE is addicted to video games...they might have convinced themselves they are...but they aren't.
As is probably not surprising, since I basically wear it on a “hello my name is” tag in class, I am not overly involved with or excited about technology. However, I will concede that it has profoundly affected the way I live my life and receive my education. I was the last of my friends and acquaintances to break down and buy a cell phone or develop a Facebook account, and I still do not own a laptop. I do not play video games (except one summer when I was obsessed with getting a million points in super Mario brothers…) or watch TV, and I do own, but do not commonly utilize, an IPod.
But damn, computers truly do run my life. I would estimate that I check my e-mail about fifteen or so times a day, sometimes probably more. I go on our English websites and Facebook at least once or twice per day, and am constantly headed to the library to work and type in peace. I am not overly excited about all this, but it is a reality in my life and so be it. This guy is so out of my league it is a joke. The Torah?! Come on.
This article reminded of me of the movie The Wizard with Fred Savage where his little brother was really sweet at all those super-old school video games. Interesting article though, except that it kind of sucks that he didn't hang out with his buddy after his mom took his computer away. I can't say I ever got into computers like that, but when I was little my dad had a couple of the old apples through his job. My favorite game (and the only one I remeber) was crystal quest.
After that I always had a game to play on the family computer. Doom II was one of them and then Command and Comquer: Red Alert, then the Age of Empires series. I still play all those games on my laptop that I got this past summer, an aquisition that has kind of changed my life. No more sharing with roommates or siblings. I haven't ever had a problem with playing too many video games though. If I was Bennahum I'd probably feel a little regret if I spent so much time playing those games. I might feel differently if it was current games, though. The games now have so much more content, story, realism etc than those really old games, one could even benefit from playing one.
Prior to having the internet I don't think I used our family computer much. My mom would occassionally bring home an educational game of some sort, but it was really my brother who spent a lot of time on the computer playing games. Once we got the internet I would get online frequently, mostly because I was bored. This is still true today. If I'm just hanging out around my apartment I will probably jump online or chat with someone over AIM. I will even do this when I should be doing other things. The internet is definitely a major distraction at times.
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