SXSW is around the corner and Avatar Secrets to Real Life & Love is less than five days away!
The session is on opening day, Friday March 11, at 5:00PM, in Room 5ABC at the Austin Convention Center, 500 E Cesar Chavez St. Come out and join us for a crash course in epic living before heading out to the opening night parties!
What real world wisdom can we learn from online video games? Head over to the Austin Convention Center this Friday to find out! In this session I’ll share the Avatar Secrets to Real Life and Love that I’ve collected in my adventures in virtual game worlds, as I’ve searched for secrets to happiness, meaning, self discovery and true love.
I’ll be leading a fun, interactive conversation on the real life lessons we can learn from online video games. I’ll share the harrowing trials and tribulations from my own epic journey into the rugged virtual terrain of World of Warcraft, and some of the sage wisdom I’ve learned from the hundreds of gamers I’ve interviewed over the course of this adventure.
Open to everyone – from seasoned gamers, to people who have never logged into a game – “Avatar Secrets” will be your crash-course videogame guide to real world fulfillment.
If you have questions about the session, send me a message here or on Twitter !
I look forward to seeing you in Austin 
Ramona
p.s. The Twitter hashtag for this presentation is #avatarsecrets
There’s a famous Plato quote,
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
I’ve always loved it, and when it floated through my Twitter feed this afternoon, it brought to mind one of my recent “aha” moments playing World of Warcraft.
A few months ago, as I wandered around the virtual world of Azeroth exploring, as I’ve become prone to doing, I discovered the Flying Gryffon – giant birds that can transport you from town to town. The first time I got onto one of the Gryffon, I had no idea what to expect. (It would seem I am a trial-and-error-type gamer)
As we soared over the fields and forests and towns I’ve quested though, the vista of expansive rolling terrain was truly epic. And there, below, were different characters and players running around, completing quests. I hadn’t though of before: Inside the game, we tend to think only about our own experience, our personal journey, but from the aerial vantage I was instantly aware of all of the simultaneous journeys at play. When we play, we are the heroes of our own game experience, and the people we pass seem like characters in our game. And in a sense they are. But the flip side of that, is that we are supporting characters in their game experiences.
Flying overtop of the world, it was abundantly apparent that every player, every hunter or druid or priest, is in the midst of his own quest, his own journey, and the formation of his own relationships. Maybe even falling in love.
And so, as Plato so wisely states, be kind.
Sure enough, the kindness of other players has been one of the strongest factors keeping me in the game.
I haven’t yet decided how to classify this reflection in this greater “guide” I’m compiling – it’s not quite one of the Avatar Secret’s to Real Life and Love, and not part of the personality guide. But it is a reflection on the real world, from the game world… and it seems Plato agrees, it is a profound reflection, that we ought to be conscious of.
What consistently amazes me about online games like World of Warcraft is that they allow us to look at the world around us with fresh eyes; they enable us to see our lives from a new perspective. So what new heading do these kinds of “aha” moments fall under? Maybe, “Epic Aha’s”? Or, “Epic Truths”? Suggestions are welcome
I’m excited to be speaking at IGNITE SOCIAL MEDIA WEEK at the Drake Hotel in Toronto, Canada, on February 10th.
I’ll be presenting the Personality Guide – what your choice of avatar reveals about your true self, for the first time publicly! Doors open at 8, click here for tickets … Additional speaker information can be found on the Ignite Toronto website, here: http://igniteto.com/
Even if you can’t make it out to the event, you can still check out my new Avatar Personality Guide, online, and share your “Avatar Type” with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!
I hope to see you there,
Ramona
In anticipation of this week’s Ignite, during Social Media Week, I’ve just posted the Avatar Personality Guide, revealing what your choice of avatar says about your true self!
What avatar-race appeals to you?
Certain people are drawn to gnomes, small but clever and extremely powerful, while others are drawn to the looming stature of the Tauren, or the dark, mysterious beauty of the Blood Elves. Some players want to be warriors while others choose to be healers or magical shape shifters.
Try it. Then, share your results with your friends, see what their choices reveal, and stay tuned for the Avatar Compatibility Guide, coming soon!
You don’t even have to play the game yet, the information is all here; As you go “identity shopping,” what races, classes and characteristics are you drawn to? Each decision is a clue.
To get started, visit the new Personality Guide…
Enjoy!
Ramona
I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be sharing the Avatar Secrets to Real Life & Love: The Game World Guide to Real World Fulfillment, at SXSW Interactive, on March 11th in Austin Texas. Gauging by the incredible feedback and discussion in the Panel Picker online, this is sure to be a really fun, lively and informative conversation.
The Twitter hashtag for this presentation is #avatarsecrets
Stay tuned for the exact time and place… and in the meantime, check out some of the Avatar Secrets, now online.
Ramona
I spoke with Canadian Women in Communication’s Nadine Anglin (@nsharona) about virtual worlds, women gamers and more, at the NEXTMedia 2010nCanadian New Media Awards…
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