Instant message is my preferred way of faceless socialization - maybe that’s too severe a word. Just with friends and coworkers ("stranger danger!" *calls Chris Hansen*). The majority of my non-work IMs consist of quotation marks (what I or someone else would say for maximum hilarity) and asterisks (what I or someone else would do for maximum hilarity). We all do it. We probably just follow different style guides. Mighty Laughs Aplenty.
Back in the day when computer games came on floppies, there was a genre whose interface consisted of nothing but text. These interactive fiction - or more commonly, text adventure - games always had the same setup: it tells you where you are and what you can see. A line break later, the game outputs:
If text adventure was a superhero, that would be its chest emblem.
This is your command, the game’s way of asking “what do you do?” Do you TURN AROUND? Do you OPEN DOOR? Do you PUNCH THOM IN THE FACE?
This type of gaming can be quite intimidating. You are given a world you have to visualize yourself. You dictate the pace since you’re still able to goof off for a bit without consequences. You move the story forward by asking or answering questions, by translating your actions into syntax.
This is what social networking tools feel like.
Something to think about: Text adventure games died a long time ago. Given our constant desire to be streamed with information, is it unreasonable to think these kinds of games can have a place as a windowed or portable distraction?
