Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

For once, we don't put real life on hold...
GamersInfo.net talks to Mark Jacobs of Mythic about the social impact of MMOGs today and in the future

GamersInfo.net: In Asia we see players who are literally playing themselves to death, and there are numerous cases in the States of players with mental health conditions.

Mark Jacobs: And in America, we have people who become so obsessed with stars (and the characters that they are portraying) that they become stalkers. Should we ban actors/actresses, because they are so good in their roles that people forget they are simply players and not the real thing? Should we stop making films because some people get so upset over them that they cry or become depressed? One of the beautiful things about America is that we are a country where people get to express their artistic, creative, personal, political, etc., opinions/works and other people are free to agree/disagree/participate or ignore them. Nobody forces anyone to buy a video game any more than a person is forced to buy a book or watch a television program. I'm all for Rating systems that work to satisfy the legitimate concerns of parents but at the same time I also believe in the ability of individuals/companies to create great entertainment no matter whether it is a book, game, movie, etc. People do terrible and tragic things everyday. Should we ban cars because some drunken fool kills somebody else? Should we prevent all the elderly from driving because some elderly people aren't fully capable of handling a car? Should a pharmaceutical company stop making a drug because somebody decided that taking 30 of the pills instead of one was a good idea? Should we ban all high school sports because some parents and kids become so "addicted" to winning that they throw common sense, decency and fair play right out the window? A wise person once said, "people are broken" and sadly, we see the truth in that statement play out every day in the news.

Check out the GamersInfo.net Q&A with Mythic's Mark Jacobs, one of the true long-timers in the industry.