文章大意:本文是一篇说明文,主要讲的是Against Flow: Video Games and the Flowing Subject这本书作者Soderman对于游戏中的“flow”状态表示警告,认为它可以被用来操纵玩家以获取利润并导致社交孤立。
Video games can spend hours intensely focused on leveling up — progressing to the next level of skill and challenge- in a virtual world, while their everyday troubles fade into the background. Called “flow”, this profoundly immersive state is familiar to artists, musicians and athletes, and has become a popular topic in the media. But video game scholar Braxton Soderman urges caution.
In his new book, Against Flow: Video Games and the Flowing Subject, Soderman aims to “create a little turbulence (湍流) in the smooth flow.” Among his criticisms of flow in relation to video gaming is that it can be used to manipulate (操纵) players for profit and socially isolate them.
“Developers of video games and apps design their technologies specifically in order to produce these intense states of concentration, to addict people to these kinds of experiences,” says Soderman. Money, of course, is the driving force behind most game design, not happiness.
Soderman has played video games almost his entire life, but as the father of two young children, he’s careful to limit the types of games and amount of time his kids spend on video games.
As with flow, Soderman worries that the concepts of play are already being manipulated by capitalism. Business owners, he says, arc being encouraged to use play and creativity to establish “playgrounds of profit” instead of creating more open, inclusive environments that actually make people happier.
“Play is an activity that is really about creativity, exploring possibilities, and freedom,” he says. “But it can be hijacked (操纵) and used in a wrong way”.
The concept of play, like flow, is one that Soderman will challenge us all to step back and think about critically. Because, as he shows in Against Flow, getting lost in a video game for a while can be fun, as long as you don’t end up swept away in a lonely current of someone else’ s profit.
8. What’s a key sign of video games being in a “flow” state?
A.Profound interest in arts and music. |
B.Increased focus on everyday troubles. |
C.Persistent engagement in online chatting. |
D.Intense concentration on game progression. |
9. What is the ultimate purpose of most game design?
A.To foster genuine happiness. | B.To enhance social interactions. |
C.To build up concentration skills. | D.To profit from player involvement. |
10. According to Soderman, what is a concern about “play”?
A.It’s subject to capitalist influence. |
B.It blocks creativity and possibilities. |
C.It’s unfavorable for game development. |
D.It promotes addiction to virtual socializing. |
11. What is the text most likely to be?
A.A review of recent video game research. |
B.A report about game development practices. |
C.An introduction to a newly published book. |
D.An essay on the concepts of “flow” and “play”. |