Documentary on online gaming comes to WestConn
Film addresses growing problem among computer users
DANBURY, CONN. — Online games are nothing new. But what may be new is the growing problem of addiction that comes with them.
At 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, Western Connecticut State University will premiere the documentary, “Second Skin,” which shows how online gaming has affected the lives of seven gamers. The screening will be free and the public is invited. It will be in Warner Hall on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury.
“This is an up-and-coming problem on college campuses,” said Sharon Guck, coordinator of WestConn’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program. “I deal with students who are up until 3 or 4 in the morning with these kinds of games. It starts with interest and goes to habit and then goes to out-of-control behavior.”
In the 90-minute film, problem gamers are said often to have dead-end jobs and find that the games give them power by allowing them to play a heroic fantasy role: “A new world waits inside your computer.” A pure west film, “Second Skin” reveals that an estimated 50 million people play an MMORG — massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. The documentary has only been shown at the 2008 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival.
One woman admits to have fallen in love with an animated prince — she plays the animated princess — and one day hopes to meet him in real life. Another gamer admits to spending between 14 and 16 hours a day gaming before falling asleep at his computer, only to awake and continue playing. He had thoughts of suicide. “I knew I was sick,” he said. “My whole life just fell apart.”
“Virtual worlds are a huge part of today’s social life,” said WCSU Associate Professor of Psychology Dr. Robin Flanagan. “We’re incredibly lucky to have a documentary on such a hot topic come to WestConn, fresh from its premiere at SXSC. Everyone should come to the screening — chances are very good that many people right here in our community are struggling with online gaming — or know someone who is.”
Flanagan said that all three of the filmmakers — Director Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza and Producers Victor Pineiro and Peter Schieffelin Brauer — will answer questions after the showing.
“They are totally interested in being a major part of the discussion on this topic,” Flanagan said.
For more information, call the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.
