NOTE: THIS MESSAGE IS FROM THE FUTURE! (I accidentally read ahead, thinking that today was the first day of week 11.)

I'm not really impressed with the examples I saw in this section of the book. Of the gamers identified, we saw: 1) a disadvantaged loner at a self-diagnosed low intelligence level who escapes the stress of his life via video games, 2) two D&Ders that escape the stresses of their lives playing video games (and also learn "community ethics," although I'm not entirely convinced of this), 3) three nintendo geeks and 4) a couple who bond over video games.

For me, only the last really goes beyond the cultural stereotypes associated with gaming. A lot of people think that gamers are all loners who need to relieve the stress (and sexual frustration) that the real world heaps upon them in a virtual environment, so example one doesn't think outside the box. I've heard nary a kind word about D&Ders outside of the D&D community (and, I'm sorry, but the D&D kids I knew tortured cats. That's how they rolled. "How about some D&D?" "Ok!" "And then we'll torture cats!" "Count me out!"). Nintendo geeks have a wider base of support than some other game subgenres, but it's still commonplace (we've all got that "Mario Kart" friend. Or friends.).

The story of Stephanie and Josh was the only one that seemed to break the mold, and as a guy who likes video games, it gave me hope for future romantic endeavors. BUT there were two things about the story that were suspect:

1) TWG was the only game that Stephanie plays. Fishy.
2) She never wins. She's won one time.

OK- a situation where a partner does something only with their partner and rarely wins strikes me more as a series of isolated incidents than a trend. And she talks about being nervous at Josh's "mastery." And he designed her character. This doesn't feel to me like a real partnership in video games- it seems something Stephanie does for Josh. She says she doesn't, but I'm suskeptipal.

Whether it does allow her to negotiate multiple roles is another question entirely. She does seem to relate to Josh and his dad (note: no mother playing the games), and she likes her virtual self, but this is far from the grand utopia of everyone playing games. I think my standards are just too high.