A World Awaits Inside Your Computer

January 31, 2008 7:39 PM

Second Skin[is a documentary that] takes an intimate look at computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by the emerging genre of Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs).

World of Warcraft, Second Life, and Everquest allow millions of users to simultaneously interact in virtual spaces. Second Skin introduces us to couples who have fallen in love without meeting, disabled players who have found new purpose, addicts, Chinese gold-farming sweatshop workers, wealthy online entrepreneurs and legendary guild leaders - all living in a world that doesn't quite exist. (quicktime)

posted by Dave Faris (29 comments total)

Tnanks for posting this - when does it come out, and where will I be able to download it? I find it a little odd & aggravating that the website will sell me a t-shirt with the movie's logo on it, but not the movie itself. The movie's clearly finished; it's won awards. How can they make a movie about people who spend their lives on the internet and not understand how it works?
posted by chudmonkey at 7:54 PM on January 31, 2008

Sorry, I mis-read some copy on the site; this film hasn't won any awards yet. But it is finished.
posted by chudmonkey at 7:56 PM on January 31, 2008

I'm really interested in this documentary. I know people whose lives aren't really affected by MMOs, and people whose lives were ruined by MMOs, but not so much with the glorious stories of victory.
posted by moxiedoll at 8:05 PM on January 31, 2008

Sounds interesting. I think calling the Chinese gold farmers "sweatshop workers" is a bit misleading, as most of them work in decent office spaces and are paid much more than the average unskilled laborer.

Here's an interesting article about the gold farmers. It's very typical of American articles in only quoting an hourly wage that sounds ridiculously low to us ($.33) without commenting on local buying power or how it compares to average wages.

.33 * 12 (hours) * 7 (days) * 4 (weeks) = 110 USD, which is about 800 RMB a month. That's quite a decent pay if you consider many retail workers in China make only 600 RMB a month.

That point aside, I think the article was a pretty interesting read:

He is that rarest of World of Warcraft obsessives, a Chinese gold farmer who has actually bought farmed gold. (“Sure, I bought 10,000 once,” he said, “I don’t have time to farm all that!”)
posted by pravit at 9:03 PM on January 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

I remember hearing that 1RMB has the effective buying power of around 1USD, comparing in China with in the US, (for rent, food, etc.) So a worker making 800 RMB lives like someone making 800 USD here.
posted by sebastienbailard at 9:09 PM on January 31, 2008

This sounds great, actually.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:09 PM on January 31, 2008

Picking a representative seven MMORPG players when WoW alone has 10 million is a heck of a trick.
posted by chronkite at 9:22 PM on January 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

I remember hearing that 1RMB has the effective buying power of around 1USD, comparing in China with in the US, (for rent, food, etc.) So a worker making 800 RMB lives like someone making 800 USD here.

It's really quite hard to compare. Even within China, 1RMB goes a lot farther in rural areas than in big cities. And some things, like food, are still cheaper in China even when you account for PPP. You also have to consider that Chinese workers don't need a car and often live in factory dormitories. It's no worker's paradise, but it's not as bad as it's often made out to be in Western reporting.

But anyway, back to MMORPGs.
posted by pravit at 9:26 PM on January 31, 2008

Slightly off topic, but I just got done watching King of Kong, a documentary about those people obsessed with high scores on classic arcade games. Highly recommended.
posted by wastelands at 9:29 PM on January 31, 2008

Even within China, 1RMB goes a lot farther in rural areas than in big cities.

Even within America, $1 goes a lot farther in rural areas than in big cities.
posted by Bonzai at 10:39 PM on January 31, 2008

According to WoW Insider, a "casual" WoW player is someone who plays 2 hours a day. I thought this was odd, as I considered myself a casual player, but I only play about 2-3 hours every 4 days. Then I realized that I am not a casual player; I'm an "employed-full-time-with-a-2nd-job-and-married-with-kids" player. I am fascinated by the subject matter of this movie for sure, and I only hope it isn't in any way intentionally sensationalistic.
posted by Brocktoon at 10:43 PM on January 31, 2008

I did World of Warcraft for like a week. Ridiculously boring game. Theoretically I was on a Role Playing server and I tried to spice it up by deciding my character was racist against night elves and had other amusing characteristics I forgot, but basically no one interacted.

I think when I have some spare time I might jump on Second Life for a couple days.

It'll be like a 19th century ethnographical and exploratory expedition to the cannibals in Darkest Africa, except instead it's furries and Goreans and people who think turning real money into video game money is a good investment. How much real money would it take to buy enough video game money to hire some native porters to carry my stock of virtual penises around? As the real European explorers were unable to resist exploiting the natives for diamonds and minerals, will I be able to resist exploiting these 21st century tribes for the only thing of value they hold for the outside world, lulz? The horror, the horror!
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:06 PM on January 31, 2008

I was wondering how long it would be until someone started snarking about Second Life. Took about 12 comments this time.

You're slacking off. More hate needed. We haven't gotten our dose of superiority today. Smug's optional, but worth extra points.
posted by Malor at 11:59 PM on January 31, 2008 [1 favorite]

I did World of Warcraft for like a week. Ridiculously boring game.

Those 10,000,000 players are idiots!
posted by Bonzai at 12:09 AM on February 1, 2008

How much real money would it take to buy enough video game money to hire some native porters to carry my stock of virtual penises around?

$2-4 in lindens (meaning L$500-1000) would probably be enough to entice a local to carry your collection of penii around on a golden platter, though considering SL, I suspect there'd be someone willing to do it for free if you'd only be so nice as to put them in chains. But if you're set on paying, perhaps try virtual Amsterdamn in the off hours?

As far as ethnographic surveys go, furries will welcome you into the tribe quite easily if you show a little interest and as for Goreans you can literally get an observer tag above your head so that your stay there should be relatively unmolested. Just try to keep a straight face if either group talks about their philosophy on life. (Surprisingly hard, even with the benefit of an avatar) Try Luskwood and Port Kar respectively.

*grins* I'm not surprised at your WoW experience, though in truth I've never played it. That's par for the course on RP servers, and you really wont find much interaction unless you're persistent, creative, and have time to waste. Just for comparison, try getting a trial for Guild Wars sometime if you want to see a game that makes WoW's role play neutral atmosphere seem positively pleasant. I've yet to see an interaction in Guild Wars that wasn't LOOKING FOR TEAM or DYES FOR SALE

Ok, snark filled derail and needless answers done. On topic, I'm really interested to see this movie now and was hoping the site would have more than a trailer. The part about "couples who have fallen in love without meeting" reminds me a great deal of the mostly satirical article 10 Ways Online Gaming Will Change the Future, which probably has been posted previously. I've seen online friends live out most of the stories and stereotypes that Second Skin mentions, and I'm curious how authentic the end result will be.
posted by CheshireCat at 12:30 AM on February 1, 2008 [3 favorites]

Gief teh docu plx.

Damn, wish this had been around a year ago when I wrote my undergraduate thesis on virtual economies. I remember reading about another documentary being worked on at the time, about Chinese gold farmers. Now that would have been useful.
posted by pyrex at 2:09 AM on February 1, 2008

I actually found the trailer much more engaging than I expected to. I look forward to seeing the whole film.
posted by emmastory at 3:02 AM on February 1, 2008

Interesting that they've just chosen WoW. It makes sense given WoW's such a cultural force right now, but it bugs me just a little that the trailer is all "OMG GUYS THIS IS THE FUTURE." People have been getting way too into the internet since AOL chatrooms came around, and people have been getting way into MMOs since UO (which is about 10 years ago now).

I am, however, glad they didn't cover 2nd life. It's an ugly game to watch, mostly due to the framerate (though I do enjoy exploring it).
posted by ®@ at 3:46 AM on February 1, 2008

Hello, my name is benzo8 and I am an addict. It is two months since I had my last WoW session, and I feel good.

I played WoW daily, every day (save a few) for two years (note the large gap in my MeFi posting history!) .10, 12, 14, even more hours a day. And I was good. Top spot in a top raiding guild. The game changed though - the talent that helped Blizzard create such an engaging world moved on, and patch after patch of more reputation grinding started to pall, enough for me to stick my head up and realise I was neglecting my friends, my family, my work (self-employed, thankfully). So I decided to stop, cold turkey, just like that. Man, it was hard... Still is, to be honest. I still get pangs of missing the whole thing, the people, the places. But I'm resisting at the moment, and my Real Life is doing so much better once again!

I'd hate to imagine what would have happened had WoW existed when I was at school - an addictively designed game, a lonely kid with an addictive personality - disaster. I feel for the kids who play it now, because something else must be losing the time that its getting...

But I'm not one of those newly-clean, anti-advocates - I know a lot of people for whom the game has been the best-thing-ever[tm] - somewhere where they actually mean something, where they can make a difference, where they can interact with like-minded people to work together to achieve shared goals. It's a brilliant thing, to be honest, and I'm only sad I can't restrict myself well enough to dabble only...
posted by benzo8 at 4:37 AM on February 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Reading these comments, I realize how Metafilter is my substitute for an MMO. It is more intellectually stimulating and involves a constantly changing kaleidoscope of worlds. It is an ongoing virtual "Dinner with Andre."
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 4:47 AM on February 1, 2008

I recently canceled my account, too. After playing obsessively for a couple years, I only recently managed to take a toon all the way up to the maximum level. (I'd usually play a toon for awhile, hit the level 40 doldrums, get bored, reroll, etc. etc. etc.) Once I maxed it out, the anticlimax was overwhelming. And though the whole game is one repetitive task after another, the forward momentum was apparently enough to keep me going. The idea of 'doing the dailies' from then on lost all appeal. And the idea of starting over interested me even less. So, I let my account lapse.
posted by Dave Faris at 4:51 AM on February 1, 2008

"Once I maxed it out, the anticlimax was overwhelming."

I would suggest that in many ways, hitting level 70 is the beginning of the real game.
posted by UseyurBrain at 5:19 AM on February 1, 2008

I would suggest that, in many ways, hitting 25 is the beginning of the real game.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:17 AM on February 1, 2008

Those 10,000,000 players are idiots!

I'd actually say they were sucked in by the same methods that keep people playing slot machines all day, and perhaps once you join up a group to do boring things with your internet friends I imagine it could be more interesting if you're into internet friends. But the actual gameplay? Repetitive & boring as all hell. The closest thing to an element of skill seemed to be avoiding attracting the attention of more than one of [monster of my level]. Tons of activities literally involve all the fun of watching a progress bar.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 6:51 AM on February 1, 2008

hitting level 70 is the beginning of the real game.

You may be right, though I recognize that there are many aspects of the game that have great appeal that I just didn't get into, so I freely admit that my experiences must have been atypical. For example, I just never saw the attraction to pvp/arena/battleground game, though I know that they're wildly popular and the reason why many people play.

I almost think I enjoyed building devices and armor and selling them as much as the exploring and the questing.

Repetitive & boring as all hell.

I can tell you that what kept me plugging away was seeing the permutations of the different talents, and exploring new areas. So once I hit the point where I couldn't progress any more, it lost its hold on me. And it's amazing how much you can get done in a day when you're not sucked into some internet crap.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to metatalk and refresh the "recent activity" page over and over for the next few hours...
posted by Dave Faris at 7:38 AM on February 1, 2008

Interesting that they've just chosen WoW.

At least one of those clips wasn't WoW - looked more like EQ2 or LotRO.

But the actual gameplay? Repetitive & boring as all hell.

It's possible that you are doing it wrong.
posted by emmastory at 8:34 AM on February 1, 2008

Coming on the heels of yesterday's article on the delayed maturity of the modern male, I smell irony ... and not mine.

DISCLAIMER: I performed over 200 hours of musical performance last year in Second Life ... no interest in WoW ...
posted by aldus_manutius at 11:18 AM on February 1, 2008

Just chiming in to note that I spend most Tuesday nights playing WoW with best friends from high school and college, who now live seven hundred miles away. It is much less like chatting on the phone, and much more like being with them in person again. Admittedly, it's like being with them in person while we all play video games, but that counts for something.
posted by Squid Voltaire at 12:50 PM on February 1, 2008

It's possible that you are doing it wrong.

I may very well be failing to understand the pictorial allegory, but besides generally soloing that I acknowledged, I don't understand how I could have been doing it wrong. If I clicked on the progress bar would it expand into an amusing Blacksmithing minigame?
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 5:33 PM on February 1, 2008