About me and Online Gaming

My name is Justin Burke. I recently moved out to Corvallis to attend Linn Benton. I chose Linn Benton because my goal is to transfer to Oregon State University as soon as possible. My major is currently undecided. My career goal, much like my major, is also undecided. I am hoping to learn about how the media is affected by social media and cell phone use. I am very competitive and enjoy playing sports in my free time, basketball being my favorite. I also enjoy playing video games, snowboarding, and riding dirt bikes.

Second skin is a documentary on online gaming. More specifically, MMORPGs (mass multiplayer online role playing games). This documentary actually hit home for me. My older brother is a lot like the "gamers" in the movie. Not to the extent where he has lost control of his life like some of the gamers that were presented. But, it seems he is content with working a minimum wage job, even though he has a college degree. Probably because it leaves more time for gaming. And I was the exact same way. Currently I don't play much online games. About a year ago I used to play a popular game called Dota 2. I actually quit playing because it was all I did. To the extent that when I quit I managed to rack up about 2000 hours. Once I saw that number it was suddenly easy to quit cold turkey. And the craziest part of 2000 hours was that I was still considered "new" to the game, my brother and my friends all had thousands of hours more than me. 2000 hours is roughly 83 days. In that time I could have learned a new language, worked out seven days a week, one hour a day, for almost five and a half years. The reason I got so into online gaming is because it was an easy way to bond with both my older, and my younger brother. Not to mention all my other friends who also play. But one thing is for sure, I don't regret quitting gaming one bit.