I wanna get physical. Let's get into physical. Let me hear your body talk--Olivia Newton-John (1981)If Heidegger is correct in his assertion that the body is the point of insertion into the world, and numerous media & technology theorists are correct in arguing that the conscious self is incorporated into, if not engulfed by, interface cultures, then what can we make of this NYT story on Nintendo wii videogame injuries? The lived body suffers due to damage inflicted via extended interfaces of the consciousness with the game program. Simple enough...but what about accountability? Who is injured, who caused the injury, and is the phenomenology of interface body breakdowns something to further investigate? This is not merely wordplay. If the body suffers as a result of its lived experience in a world that the body inserts itself into, and a secondary (virtual) world the body again re-inserts itself into, does the consciousness have a legitimate claim of abuse? Does the psyche enjoy the ride while the body pays the fair? Has the disconnect between lived corporeal experiences in the wild/unsafe outdoors and the virtual world become an irreparable schism? Do we now embrace the experience of simulacra over the hopeless quest for "authenticity"?
Interface Physical Education
Anecdotal evidence, slightly sensationalized. Let's see, a doctor treated some patients injuries which might have been associated with video games.
ReplyDeleteA rise in Wii tennis can be correlated to a decline in actual tennis courts, a decline in leisure hours, and stagnant incomes during the past 30 years. I'll side with Alan Bairner on this one: ascendancy of class and material conditions as the defining variable.
The difference between actual tennis play and Wii play may be kinetic momentum. Not only tennis but any sports require various movements such as swing, step, dash, and so on. It's combination of movements, and therefore necessary for elders to take some breaks. But play in Wii tennis requires less movements. just one movementm, swing. It' gonna be more repetitions of swings than you actually do in actual play.
ReplyDelete“But sometimes when you start a new exercise program, it’s good to remember that you’re not a kid.”
This is making a point, Absolutely.
This is a good point. It also made me think about how people (including myself) listen to music when I exercise, especially when I run. I always seem to feel less motivated to run longer distances or psychologically feel more tired faster when I don't have my Ipod. This may not be true for everyone, but I know that music and rhythm somehow affect the body psychologically, physiologically, or both. A "distraction" from reality seems to be the quick answer.
ReplyDelete-Shane Fandinola
When Nintendo Wii came out, I thought it was briliant idea. I am an advocate of the video game world, ie: Halo 3, COD, Lego video games. All which require to sit on my gluteus maximus and stare at the television screen for hours. I am different because while im not doing that, I am a very active person. But I cannot say the same for all the video gamers out there. And then Wii came it, it gave people a chance to move around and interact with other human beings, and no matter how much movement they are getting, it is better than no movement at all. Kaitlin LYnch kin 164
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