"Second Skin" gamer documentary

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J. DOe
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"Second Skin" gamer documentary

The documentary, "Second Skin", was released over a year ago. One review of it, at ">http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-9889170-52.html]'Second Skin' documentary a bleak look at life of online gamers, says:

Quote:But my take was that the film--which focuses mainly on three distinct stories, a gamer who is so deeply addicted to World of Warcraft that he loses almost everything in his life; a household of gamers who spend almost every waking, non-working hour playing; and a couple in the early stages of a relationship that bloomed in EverQuest II--depicts these people as largely dysfunctional, out of touch with the world around them and not very capable of dealing with that world.

Of course, that's an extreme view of the film, and I know for a fact that many in the audience saw it very differently. I overheard many saying afterwards that they thought the film was uplifting and a positive, realistic look at these games and the people who play them.

The author goes on in this fairly long article to describe the major elements of the film and his view of them. In particular, he says:

Quote:My problem, I guess, is that the stories presented in this film did not present anyone living a life enhanced by their experiences with MMOs.

I know that the filmmakers had to go with the subjects they chose and followed for a year. So they got what they got. But they stood up after the film and talked glowingly about how lucky they were with these people.

He later describes how gaming can enhance some people's lives, including that some of the film's participants lives turned out better than what is shown in the film.

I have not yet seen it but I definitely want to. Although this documentary may not be as balanced as the reviewer would like, I believe that it will help to educate the general public that gaming addiction exists and it can be a serious issue for some people.

- John O.

[em]Carpe Diem![/em] (Seize the Day!)

J. DOe
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The article at Second Skin

The article at Second Skin gamer documentary coming to DVD, theaters (WARNING: This contains some small gaming graphics) says:

Quote:

We'd love you to check it out- the first five minutes are available on Current TV- here. The movie's coming to NYC, LA, Austin and Boston in mid-August, and DVD everywhere on August 25th.

I did not see where to access this "Current TV" to see the first five minutes of it but, instead, just saw the trailer. This documentary is something that, as I mentioned in my original post above, I would like to see.

- John O.

[em]Carpe Diem![/em] (Seize the Day!)

bgh
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I use a trailer from the

I use a trailer from the film when I talk to groups about gaming. I'm looking forward to finally seeing it. I know that Liz has seen the movie and has some strong opinions.

The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.
-Alfred Lord Tennyson
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lizwool
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Here is a link to the Second

Here is a link to the Second Skin movie: http://www.hulu.com/watch/87648/second-skin WARNING: There are clips from games in it. Liz

Liz Woolley

J. DOe
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Thanks, Liz, for providing

Thanks, Liz, for providing that link but it does not work outside of the U.S. However, Jojo Rainbow has kindly provided the alternate link of http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/second_skin in Reply #1 of THERE IS NO HALFWAY HOUSE ... and other myths from Second Skin. She says that it works from Ireland and I can confirm that it also works from Canada, although I don't have time to watch it right now. However, since the linked page says that the video is available only until August 13, I (and anybody else interested) will have to watch it quite soon.

- John O.

[em]Carpe Diem![/em] (Seize the Day!)

J. DOe
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Yesterday morning, I watched

Yesterday morning, I watched the entire documentary. I enjoyed it and, on the whole, I thought that they tried to make it quite well balanced, more so than what the reviewer in the article linked to in my original post here indicates. For one thing, they were not trying to show what a typical MMO gamer is necessarily like, partially because I don't think that anybody really knows and also because they were trying to focus on how a lot of people are spending more and more time in virtual worlds. I agree that it shows some significant negative effects of excessive gaming, but I disagree that "the stories presented in this film did not present anyone living a life enhanced by their experiences with MMOs." For example, at least one married couple met each other through an on-line game and there was the person in a wheelchair who could not talk, but found that he could he did not have those physical limitations while he was immersed in on-line worlds instead. Keep in mind, though, that as Liz mentions there are some game clips in it. Since on-line games were not my issue, I did not have a problem with that but some of you may find those images and sounds to be triggering.

- John O.

[em]Carpe Diem![/em] (Seize the Day!)

KrisKay
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Second skin is what brought

Second skin is what brought me here. My 21 year old (who is not the WOW addict) told me about it. We are concerned at the amount of time my husband is spending online gaming. I also have a 16 year old and an 11 year old. My husband was partially laid off from his job of 23 years. He is now working 8 days a month which leaves an awful lot of gaming time in between working. He is sitting at the computer 20 hours a day when he is not at work. He is having trouble sleeping, having hand and arm issues, has extreme mood swings, etc. You all know the rest. But I am not here to berate and bemoan my life. I looked at alot of other "gamer widow sites" but I like 12 step aspect of this group. I have been involved in several 12 step groups including: AA, Alanon and OA. I know that I can only change myself and how I react to people and situations. So basically I guess I am here for support and to help others. thanks for this safe place to share!!

I can only change myself.

bgh
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I recently ordered the DVD.

I recently ordered the DVD. The extra features include prolonged interviews and other material not seen in the feature release. It's worth owning.

The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.
-Alfred Lord Tennyson
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GottaBeDone
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Watched Second Skin on

Watched Second Skin on Netflix this weekend and did not like it. Here's why:

1. I am addicted to escapism of any kind and, as such, embrace the fantasies that best mask my personal pain points.

2. I latched onto the story lines that involved 'successful' romances and marriages and discounted/ignored the story lines that involved loss and destitution. (Liz was good tho, natch.)

3. I got a view into WoW and SL and now understand how graphically rich they are compared to the game that was my downfall. They didn't grab me half so much as Everquest. Phooey. I would have really rather remained ignorant about that.

Sorry for whining.

Give me the wisdom to know what is right, and the courage to do it.
Give me the strength to change.
I left Evony on June 16, 2010 at 11:00 PM. Not the end but the beginning.

Cyphersnow
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I didn't like it either

I didn't like it either GottaBeDone. Here is the review I wrote about it when it came out:
http://www.olganon.org/?q=node/17467

Roberta, I don't know if Health Insurance covers gaming addiction; the idea is just now gaining some momentum. Because of that, I think it might depend on which country you're in. For example, I think there is a recovery problem in Canada.

There are various programs for youth at risk, in general, that you might want to look at for lack of anything else. But I bet Liz or somebody will have some more concrete information.

In the meantime we have a forum section dedicated to this as well:
http://www.olganon.org/?q=forum/19

The only winning move is not to play.

fly by night
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Thanks for the

Thanks for the review,and heads up Cypher.As i thought about watching that movie,but never got around to it.

"It's all in your mind...Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life.If you continue to believe as you have always believed,you will continue to act as you have always acted.If you continue to act as you have always acted,you will continue to get what you have always gotten.If you want different results in your life or your work,all you have to do is change your mind." Anonymous...

se.vuol.ballare
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Bleck! I wish I had headed

Bleck! I wish I had headed your warnings, Cyphersnow and GottaBeDone. I just watched most of the movie and found it both boring and depressing. I wish I had stopped after the first 20 minutes, but I kept hoping that it would get better. It did not. The film combines several semi-independent stories in a haphazard fashion that obscures any point that the film-makers were trying to make. I don't think that I will not bother to see anything else from them, whether or not it is MMO related.

As stated above, if you are recovering from playing WoW or other MMOs, I strongly suggest you do not watch this movie. The film-makers included more than enough WoW imagery to remind me how easily I can get sucked into that **** game. Unfortunately, this movie did not give me any insights that would help me with my recovery in trade for the WoW temptation. (Don't worry people, I am strong today. I will not relapse!).

If you want insight into recovery from gaming addiction, spend your time reading the forums on olganon instead of watching this ponderous documentary. I wish I had. (Although, I did have fun writing this...)

gotoutalive
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this movie is available on

this movie is available on netflix to watch online.

i watched it this evening. I had sort of mixed feelings about it. it did show how some gamers who seem hard core do manage to pull back and move on in real life and build their lives normally while others stay behind and feel lost. but - WARNING if you are triggered by images from WOW i would not watch this as it's full of them. it does glorify the commradery aspect of wow, the guilds etc. My objection to it is that it did not show the uglier side of gaming. they should have included one of the many family members we hear from here who is abandoned by a spouse who is lost in their virtual world, who ignores their children, can't hold down a job and whose life is falling apart.

I can't really relate to WoW and similar games as i was a second lifer myself and was never into the competitive/win-lose game model. you know the second lifers - they just shop and have sex LOL The movie showed several different aspects of gaming but it pretty much only dealt with the challenge/competitive gaming model. if you find images from WoW a trigger DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE. i don't even play it but i found the images intriguing enough to consider it - and then i slapped myself. LOL

starryeyed
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in response to those who

in response to those who didn't like the documentary.

I think the writer or producer was trying to remain unbiased and just present the overview of the lives of the gamers. I thought that was understandable as we cannot qualify what gaming means to each person who is involved or how destructive it will be or if indeed it may just be harmless entertainment for some. Some people may even find each other in real life but I had serious doubts about the male part of that equation that was presented.

I just thought that those 30 something men who had this brotherhood of gaming were emotionally just little kids who were not able to venture into a real manhood or real life. I wondered if they ever shot a few hoops or went fishing. Their house looked dark and depressing and no mother to clean up - oh there was the girlfriend of one of them.

Some stories ended up not too badly but I thought the sad part was that this was the only place that many of them felt importance or a sense of community and I wondered how much our society is at fault. I was glad that one of them broke free and married. I was glad the one who peed in a bottle got his life back even if he didn't do it with Olganon.

I appreciated where Liz was coming from and her story of tragedy.

It did slightly glamourize the 4 gameers but in such a way that they reminded me of teenage mutant ninja turtles(as opposed to the 4 Musketeers). I rest my case!! lol

se.vuol.ballare
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Hi Starryeyed, Thanks for

Hi Starryeyed,

Thanks for giving a well balanced review. Certainly much more balanced than mine. While I maintain my critique of the film, I do appreciate a lot of the points that you mention.

starryeyed
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no problem se, your points

no problem se, your points were valid too and yes, I was always more struck with art and imagination of computer graphics and creativity as opposed to the constant warfare and raids, communities and guilds of games like WOW and Everquest.

gotoutalive
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oh god i forgot that part

oh god i forgot that part LOL yes indeed one guy in the gang of gamers living together bought 2 liter bottles of soda - they stockedup on quick eatables so that they could game the new wow game for like 4 days straight. this one guy said he'd just drink the drink and then pea into the bottle LOL that is SCARY. am i the only one that finds that scary? yikes. i think that alone would be a wake-up call for me - I'M PEEING IN A BOTTLE SO I DON'T HAVE TO STEP AWAY FROM THE GAME!

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