There is an enormous draw to MMOGs, people are willing to immerse themselves in these worlds and spend large amounts of time devoted to learning about them. The virtual worlds that people are participating in are complex and yet participants are compelled to learn how to operate within them. Even though the first perception of online games of this sort (at least in our class) is that they are frivolous, yet there is much more to see than the superficial first impressions of these games.
The way we are communicating is changing, and we will not know exactly how our communication has changed until more research on the topic comes out. Within the realm of computer mediated communication we cannot rely on the nonverbal cues of the other communicator, and it may not seem very different superficially but when you think about it there is a lot that is different, not all human communication can be translated through a computer. Whether we like it or not technology is taking over, and it is going to be used as a communication device in the future.
The way we communicate over computers is different than how we communicate face to face. Not all of our emotions and thoughts are conveyed as we would like them to be over a computer. For instance sarcasm does not translate well at all through a technological medium. Not to say that communicating through such a medium is invalid, we just need to adapt to it and perhaps change the way we convey emotions. If we can overcome the challenges that come from computer mediated communication, the possibilities for furthering communication are endless.
Not only are MMOGs shaping online communication, but they are also producing a new way to learn. Users are willing to come into a complex virtual world and to learn as they go. If this kind of learning can be applied to other platforms, such as education. This goes back to McGonigal, in that MMOGs have more potential than just for game play.
The important thing to take away from the success of these MMOGs are the things that can come out of the furthering of technology. I am not sure if a great number of businesses will prescribe to meeting online, at least right now. In the future there will certainly be more options for businesses to connect at far distances. There are also things to come from the learning process in MMOGs. It may seem from the outside that MMOGs are not important, but many good things can come from observing how people use them.
