Some Chinese internet users are asking: “Can venting frustration and anger virtually work when there is too much unfairness and injustice in the real world?” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11599047
Video games are a lifestyle in China. Not to downplay the popularity of the gaming industry elsewhere, but it’s not uncommon for a Chinese adult to eschew social interaction for screen time. Whether it’s in the arena of massive multi-player titles such as WOW(World of Warcraft) or another role-playing foray, adolescents and adults will often forego the traditional habits of socialization for a more digital approach.
Time formerly spent chatting with friends over BBQ or drinks has been supplanted by clipped communiqués over a virtual landscape, all the while clicking away furiously on a mouse. And whether the context for this brief, disconnected exchange is in the realm of some fantastic landscape, or some desperate battlefield, the concept of authentic human connection grows more remote by the day.
Internet bars are a staple of nearly every city block in most Chinese cities. Young men and boys, and even some girls, are drawn to them to get their gaming fix. With many of these wired refuges offering escape from the outside world 24 hours a day, there is no limit to the amount of time gamers can spend racking up the virtual points.
Interestingly, a few gaming titles have been drawing inspiration from real life and offering players the chance to act out a not-so-subtle fantasy or merely have fun beating up on A.I. opponents. The latest video game allows Chinese to take a stand against semi-official enforcers called ‘Chengguan.’ This inversion on the classic role-play of Cops vs. Robbers puts the players in the shoes of the seemingly oppressed everyman, and they earn points by hurling bottles, stones and whatever else at the waves of enforcers.
Most mainstay online games allow for more mundane fare though. Like the hugely popular gardening games, for one. These catty and cutesy browser games can dictate nearly all the free time of Chinese netizens ages 6 and upwards. My colleague logged on to her computer the other morning at 9 a.m. only to find that a girl from the next office had already been ‘stealing’ her digital crops that morning.
Sublimating real-life frustrations with virtual therapy; a disturbing trend towards dependency of the online realm, or healthy breeding ground for social change?
The web has changed the landscape of a country with a robust online population but anemic national media.
Rory Keane is an American-born teacher and writer who has logged nearly two years in China, and is working on another year-long stint in the Middle Kingdom. He writes about travel, sociopolitical issues, health, entertainment, and culture, among other topics.
