Diablo 3—predicted to be one of the hot games for 2009.

BY SUZANNE BHAGAN

Wow. Not the exclamatory remark, the game. You don’t know about World of Warcraft (Wow)? Like many role-playing games (RPGs), Wow provides a three-dimensional, Technicolor utopia for those suffering from the humdrum of modern-day existence.

“Although people may say get a life, I find it an escape from reality,” says Gregory Pantin of Shen’s Minions, winner of Trinigamers’ DOTA League 2007.

Jesse, a cyber cafe owner, spends up to 30 hours a week cybergaming. Playing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare calms him after a stressful day at work.

Gaming in T&T

Trinigamers (TG) is one of T&T’s foremost cybergaming associations. According to acting president Aleem Mohammed, TG trains local gamers to achieve international standards of play.

Mohammed anticipates the day T&T can send cyberathletes to the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) and World Cyber Games (WCG). TG prefers to host tournaments online, given the prohibitive cost of renting a venue.

Although many gamers are students, working professionals have also joined the bandwagon.

“Gaming attracts a diverse section of the population. We have gamers from ages 12 to 39, even a handful of female gamers,” Mohammed said.

A woman’s perspective

Of the 300 active members on the TG’s local DOTA server, there is only one female. Diana, aka Sky (her DOTA alias), got into gaming at UWI. Diana explained that some girls use male aliases when playing. In the beginning, Diana said, it was hard to gain acceptance. She was just “an extra man” to complete a team. Now, she is being asked to captain one for TG’s 2008 DOTA League.

“Girls are treated like royalty. It’s not a tackling thing at all. Once you are a girl who is serious about gaming, the guys will take you under their wing for training,” Diana said.

Because few girls play, however, they can become targets of many a male’s affection. As a result, TG’s administrators grant girls certain privileges and frown on any sexually harassing behaviour.

Misunderstood

Parents do not understand gaming. Its peculiar lingo baffles them. Diana said, “My mother, who has never been on the Internet, Googled gaming addiction and gave me stuff to read.” She could not fathom why Diana would lug her PC to a friend’s house for a “sweat.” One night, she decided to find out. She appeared unannounced and saw everyone sitting around a dining room table, placidly glued to their PCs.

“To parents, drinking and going to Zen is normal behaviour. A sweat is not,” Diana said.

The good

While for many the after-work lime involves kicking back with some beers, for Diana, gaming is a “positive alternative.” Also, gaming is not a “young people ting.” In her DOTA guild, there is a 40-year-old, a couple, even a single mother.

Society considers gaming anti-social. Gamers disagree. Jesse explained: “I prefer to play with people because they tend to be more competitive than the artificial intelligence (AI) in the game.” Gaming is also not just about violence.

Diana said: “Many of the strategy games, like Starcraft, forces you to think on your feet.” Even if some games are violent, if someone can vent in a virtual world, who are we to complain?

Gaming also crosses borders. Massively multi-player online role playing games (MMORPG) create common platforms where global players can interact in real time.

Diana said she has met countless individuals on the local DOTA server and the international platform.

“I will be in Siparia playing with a friend in London,” she said.

The bad

When does too much of a good thing become an addiction? Roddy* was among the top ten Wow players in the world. Gaming became his life. He was kicked out of university in his first year. That was his breaking point.

Today, he has lost his world rank status, but leads a more balanced lifestyle.

Mohammed admitted that TG had lost many good players to addiction: “Gamers have been known to play all nighters. Players sleep a maximum of 3-4 hours in order to play Wow.”

Many players use gaming to escape from their terrestrial problems. A player may feel that he exerts more control in his fantasy world. Psychologists worry about young gamers who limit their social development due to heavy interaction in a fictional environ- ment.

All eyes on the screen! Gamers at TG/UWI’s Gaming and Anime Society Console War Championships 2007.

Recognition

Gaming is slowly gaining recognition as a competitive sport. In July, TG partnered with the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs’ iStand initiative for a Technology Gaming Tournament. Maybe one day, T&T will send cyberathletes to the ESWC. Maybe.

Trinigamers’ Web site: www.trinigamers.com

Hot games to anticipate:

Diablo 3

Starcraft 2

When gaming becomes a problem

Signs of video game addiction:

1. Playing for increasing amounts of time.

2. Thinking about gaming during other activities

3. Gaming to escape from life’s problems.

4. Lying to loved ones to conceal gaming.

5. Feeling irritable when deprived of gaming.

6. Feeling isolated.

7. Deserting social networks (non gaming related).

8. Abandoning other hobbies.