Computers are no longer machines that we use every now and then, we use computers everyday and they play a vital role in our day-to-day lives. Computers allow us to gain access to the internet that enables us to interact with other human beings. While online you can chat via text messages, verbal communications, or even web cams that allow you to have a more personal experience with someone. Many computer games today allow you to play online with or against a real human friend or opponent somewhere else in the world simultaneously. One game I have played that comes to mind is Halo. Halo is a game that most people play online and you are actually able to speak to people while you play through a headset. In most forms of online play, the game splits you up into two teams and you use a series of weapons to kill players of the opposing team. Even though this game is not real you actually feel like it is a dream world and you are in the midst of the action. I believe that the reason people feel this way is because you are able to verbally communicate with other players. It adds an element of reality to the game that you would not otherwise get if you were not playing online.
  

     Halo is played via an Xbox or a PC. Hundreds of thousands of users play this game all over the world, so the relationship with these computer systems is quite significant. I know that I can lose track of time and play this game for hours on end, almost as if I am not ready to come back to reality. The online portion of this game would not be available without the hardware of the computer and the ability to access the internet. Almost all online games have this same appeal and this is the reason why most of them are successful. Some are so successful that the creators are able to charge a service fee to play their game online. Most of the people I play with on Halo are on all the time, so they obviously value their relationship with computers and the internet as much as I do.
   

     As I mentioned when I play Halo online it almost feels like it is real, but it isn’t. This experience that I have through a computer, playing this game is much like a movie that we are all familiar with, The Matrix. This movie is set in the distant future where the real world has been taken over by man made machines. The human survivors are living underground in a refuge called Zion. There is a world created by the machines that they are able to “plug” into called the Matrix. The real world they live in now is a wasteland, and the matrix is a dream world much like the place they used to live in before the machines took over. In this movie they use computers to hack into the Matrix. The experience that they have seems very real but it isn’t, much like the experience I have when I play Halo online. They are able to interact with objects and people while they are jacked into the Matrix just like I am able to interact with people playing Halo online; however, they are both artificial worlds. Psychologically, I believe that the concept of being able to interact with others while playing a video game makes it all seem real. If you were not able to communicate verbally with other players while playing Halo, then I think it would not feel as real. I think it would simply seem like you were playing the computer as if you were not online. I mentioned that playing Halo online is like a dream world, this is because players like to play for long periods of time and they enjoy the experiences they have while playing with others. For players that play the game frequently, it might be a way to escape from the stresses of reality. If this is the case, then the relationship with computers is stronger than those that play the game casually.
    

 

 

    

    We all have relationships with computers everyday whether we are simply checking our email, browsing the web, typing a paper, or even playing a video game. Our time each day with computers takes up a large portion of our day. The ability to interact with others through the use of computers opens up many opportunities for communication in our lives. Playing online games like Halo enable us to have unique experiences each time we log on and play. This is the reason why online gaming is so popular, and the reason why we value using computers to break away from our daily activities.