How Gaming Can Be a Force for Good | Noah Raford | TED

譯者: Chun Ju Wang 審譯者: Shelley Tsang 曾雯海

Do you spend more money on virtual fashion in video games

你在電玩遊戲中購買虛擬時尚的金額

than you do on physical clothes?

多於花在實體服裝上的錢嗎？

About a third of all teenage gamers in America do.

美國有約三分之一的 青少年電玩玩家會這麼做

Do you think the government is actually run by a secret cabal

你認為政府實際上是由一群 崇拜惡魔的變態組成的秘密團夥操控嗎？

of demon-worshiping perverts?

About 50 million people do.

大約有五千萬人相信這件事

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

These numbers sound crazy to you?

這些數字聽起來很離譜嗎？

It's because they are,

確實如此

but they're also a sign of things to come.

但它們也是將來之日的徵兆

The world feels like a pretty insane place right now.

現在這個世界看似已是個荒誕之地

And if you spend any time on the internet at all,

但只要花一點時間上網

you can probably tell that people think it's going to get a lot worse.

你可能就會發現 人們認為更糟糕的還在後頭

Now, that may be the case,

或許這真的會發生

but this feeling is why I believe

但正是這種感覺讓我相信

that we're going to see a rise in social unrest

我們在接下來的數十年中 將經歷更多社會動蕩

in the coming decades,

and that is going to come from a surprising place.

且這些動蕩將來自 一個令人感到意外的地方

Video games.

電玩遊戲

Now before you think, "Is this going to be another talk

在你心想「這又是把電玩遊戲 和暴力扯上關係的演說嗎」前

linking video game to violence?"

Sorry to disappoint you,

抱歉要讓你失望了

that’s been proven conclusively wrong, and that is really old thinking.

這已被證明是絕對錯誤 且非常陳舊的想法

But what I am going to argue is that video games are going to become

而我要論證的是 電玩遊戲將會變成

the platform through which tomorrow's social battles will be fought

未來社會戰役的戰場

也會是未來某些最奇怪 和可能極具影響力的

and the source of recruitment for some of the strangest

and possibly most impactful social movements of the future.

社會運動 招兵買馬的大本營

I like to call these video gamecults.

我喜歡稱之為電玩遊戲異端

Sounds kind of scary, I admit,

我知道聽起來有點嚇人

but I hope to show how they might also be used

但我希望這能讓你感覺到 它們為什麼可能被用來

as a tool to cause some serious hope.

作為引發某些堅定理想的工具

Now this is all just my personal opinion.

目前這些都只是我的個人意見

But I started thinking about this a few years ago

但我開始思考這件事 是從幾年前

after I heard a very interesting story while working in the Gulf.

我在灣區工作時聽到的有趣故事開始

The story was about Hassan ibn Sabbah,

故事的主角是哈桑．薩巴赫

a charismatic young preacher who lived about 1,000 years ago

這位具有領袖魅力的年輕傳教士 來自大約一千年前

in an age full of drama, conflict and social change.

在一個滿是紛亂、衝突和社會變革的年代

Hassan became famous for creating the Order of Assassins:

哈桑因創造了阿薩辛教派而聞名

a fanatically devoted group of young men

這由一群狂熱的忠誠青年組成

known as the fedayeen,

人稱為「費達因」

"those who sacrifice themselves."

意指「那些犧牲自己的人」

His men were so devoted to him

這些人對哈桑無比忠誠

that, the legend goes,

以至於在傳說中

they would throw themselves from the rafters to their death

他們願意赴死從屋椽上跳下

at his command.

完全遵從哈桑的命令

Actually, this is where we get the expression "a leap of faith" from.

實際上，這也正是 「信仰之躍」一詞的由來

So this got me thinking.

所以這讓我開始思考

Why would someone do this?

為什麼有人會這麼做？

What could convince someone so fervently to believe in something

要多強烈的信念才能說服一個人

that they would welcome their own death?

慷慨赴死？

The answer is 11th century virtual reality.

答案就是十一世紀的虛擬實境

See, Hassan had cultivated a myth

你瞧，哈桑造出了一個神話

that he could send people to heaven and bring them back again

講述他可以送人們去天堂 再將他們帶回來

without actually having to die.

完全不用經歷死亡這一關

And of course, he didn't actually have this power,

想當然，他並不是真的有這種力量

but before a mission, the story goes,

但故事還沒結束呢 在出任務之前

he would dose his soldiers with massive amounts of hash.

他會給士兵們一劑巨量「哈薩」 也就是大麻麻醉藥

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Their enemies actually called them the "ḥashshāshīn,"

敵人其實都叫他們「哈薩辛」

which is also where we get the word "assassin" from.

也就是現在英文中 「刺客」這個字的字源

This would knock them out and then he would lower them down

他藉由這個舉動讓士兵昏迷 然後讓他們躺在

into a secret garden he had built behind his mountain fortress,

他在山中堡壘後方 搭建的秘密花園

designed to look exactly like a replica of heaven.

這裡完全仿照天堂而建

Waking up in this simulated paradise,

在這座模擬的天國醒來後

his men would gorge themselves

他的手下會縱情享受

on all the things they had been denied in life.

過去被視為禁忌的一切

Then, after a night of ecstasy,

經過這一晚的神怡心醉

they would awaken back in their barracks,

他們會在自己的營房中醒來

convinced of Hassan's powers,

此時他們已完全信服於哈桑

eager to fulfill his suicide missions in order to return to heaven again.

迫不及待地要去完成他交代的 自殺任務，好再度回到天堂

So.

所以

What does this have to do with today?

這跟今天我們談的主題有什麼關係？

Well, most scholars agree that this is probably just a myth,

是這樣的，雖然大部分的學者 都認為這很可能只是道聽塗說

but that's not the point.

但這不是重點

The point is that people believed deeply in Hassan

重點是這些人對哈桑本人

and his vision for the world

及其世界觀的的信仰

and were willing to sacrifice their lives for it.

堅定到了願意犧牲自己性命的程度

He gave them a sense of meaning and purpose

哈桑讓這些人感受到意義和目的

during a time of great uncertainty.

即使處在在這個充滿不確定因素的時代

A purpose which he communicated using the best tools of his day.

他用了當時最好的工具來傳遞他的目的

And that is what brings us to video games.

而這就是我們今天會談到電玩的原因

Video games are already the world's dominant form of entertainment.

電玩已經成為世上娛樂的主流形式

They're three times larger

它們的規模

than the entire global film and music industries combined.

足足是全球影視及音樂產業總和的三倍

Every year,

每一年

the top streamers on Twitch receive on average twice as many views

遊戲影片串流平台 Twitch 上 流量最高的實況主其影片觀看量

平均是好萊塢強檔電影的兩倍

as the biggest Hollywood movies.

And collectively,

且總體來說

we spend twice as much time watching and playing video games

我們在打電玩和看電玩影片上花費的時間

as we do using all other forms of social media combined.

是在其他社群媒體形式上總和的兩倍

That's a lot of eyeballs.

相當可觀

Game sales are huge,

遊戲銷售額是個大數字

but the real action is in in-game economies

但真正熱絡的經濟活動 其實發生在遊戲裡

where people spend over 130 billion dollars a year

人們一年可以在此花上一億三千萬美元

buying and selling virtual goods online.

購買和販售線上的虛擬貨品

Everything from outfits to avatars, to vehicles to weapons,

任何東西——造型 虛擬化身、交通工具、武器

to dances to architecture to music,

舞蹈能力、建築物、音樂

to access to live events and more.

實況活動的入場資格等等

Haven't even mentioned NFT or Web3,

我甚至還沒提到非同質化代幣 NFT 或第三代網際網路 Web3

but these hopefully will become the infrastructure

但這些東西有望發展成基礎設施

that drives this going forward.

帶領這世界前進

So if you're wondering what the metaverse looks like,

所以如果你正對元宇宙的樣貌感到疑惑

this is it.

這就是答案

The reason games are so successful

遊戲能如此成功的原因

is because they provide a deep sense of engagement,

在於它們提供了深度參與感

community and purpose.

社群意識及使命感

Yes, we use them to escape and to entertain, and that’s OK.

沒錯，我們利用這些特質 來逃離現實並娛樂自己，這完全沒問題

But at their best,

但這些遊戲最厲害的地方在於

they speak to some of our primal social and psychological needs,

它們能直擊我們根本的社會和心理需求

from feeling effective to achieving our goals,

從大顯身手、達成目標

to belonging to a group,

到團隊歸屬感

to working for something bigger than yourself.

甚至是為比自我更遠大的目標努力

Describing his experience in a top World of Warcraft guild,

在《魔獸世界》的頂級工會中

the player Wincy once wrote,

玩家溫斯曾這樣描述他的經驗：

"It felt so amazing...

「這感覺很不可思議……

Thinking back, it was probably the most intense,

回想起來，這可說是我人生中最強烈

positive emotional experience of my life.

也最正向的情緒經驗

Not my kid being born, not getting married."

連小孩出生或結婚都比不上。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

"My mind was convinced we were in a war against an insurmountable foe

「我內心相信我們正在 對抗一個堅不可摧的敵人

and we won."

而且我們贏了。」

You can probably see where I'm going with this.

你大概能看出我接下來想講什麼

Although he later went on to regret the amount of time he spent online,

雖然接著他就開始懺悔 自己花在遊戲上的大把時間

gamers develop a deep sense of commitment to a shared narrative world.

但玩家在共享的敘事世界中 建立出一種強烈的使命感

A world which provides for them in a way that "real-world" jobs

某種程度上這個世界能提供他們 在「真實世界」中的工作

and relationships often do not.

和關係無法給與的東西

And this is already the world that our children live in.

而我們的孩子正活在這種世界中

The only thing that my son and daughter want for their birthdays

我兒子和女兒唯一想要的生日禮物

are Skyblock coins and digital emotes for their characters.

是遊戲《空島生存》使用的金幣 和屬於他們角色的表情動作

Most of their social time outside of school

他們在學校外的社交時間

is spent hanging out in-game with their friends.

大多都與朋友在遊戲內相處

My son Teo, he's already flipping NFTs to, in his words,

照我兒子泰奥的話說 他已在 NFT 市場迅速買低賣高

get rich as quickly as possible

好用最快的方式致富

so he can take care of us when the world falls apart.

這樣當有天世界分崩離析 他就能夠好好照顧我們

Thanks Teo, appreciate that.

謝了，泰奧。不勝感激

That's why I think games

這就是為什麼我認為遊戲

are going to be one of the driving forces of tomorrow's culture.

將成為近未來的文化推力

But if that's the game's part, what about the cults part?

但如果那是遊戲的部分 異端的部分又會如何呢？

Well, I'm sure we can all agree

這個嘛，我相信大家都能同意

that the coming years are going to be interesting, to say the least.

接下來幾年至少還能說是有趣

From climate change, mass migration,

從氣候變遷、大移民潮

pandemics, job loss

大規模流行疾病、失業

and now war.

到現在開戰了

The future feels terrifying for many people.

對很多人來說 未來令人心生恐懼

And this is having a tremendous impact on our mental health.

而這也對我們的心理健康造成嚴重影響

One third of all US undergraduates surveyed

接受調查的美國大學生中 據報有三分之一

report having moderate to severe anxiety.

患有中度到重度焦慮

Their rates of suicidal thinking and severe depression

他們出現自殺念頭和罹患重度憂鬱的比率

doubled over the last decade or so.

在過去十年左右成長了兩倍

And COVID didn't help.

新冠病毒更沒讓事情好轉

But it's not just the US, either.

這也並非只發生在美國

Two thirds of those surveyed in a study of 17 different countries

在包含 17 個不同國家的調查中 有三分之二的受訪者表示

reported that they thought their children were going to grow up poorer

他們認為自己的小孩 會在更貧窮的環境中成長

and not have successful careers.

而且不會有成功的事業

In other words,

換句話說

the world feels like it's falling apart for a lot of people.

對很多人來說 世界正在分崩離析

And when worlds fall apart,

而當世界崩塌

people start looking for answers wherever they can find them.

人們會開始窮盡一切只為尋找答案

And charismatic leaders like Hassan have always been happy to provide them.

歷來像哈桑這樣充滿個人魅力的領袖 從不吝於提供方向和指引

And their actions have shaped the course of history.

這樣的行為也就形塑了歷史的航向

From the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century

從十六世紀的宗教改革

to the rise of new religious movements in the 19th century,

到十九世紀的新興宗教運動

every era of social change historically has been followed by a wave

歷史上每個時代的社會變化都伴隨著

of new believers and fanatical behavior.

一批新的信徒和狂熱行為

QAnon is just the most recent example.

匿名者 Q (QAnon) 是最新的例子

And while each generation's cults look different

儘管每個世代的異端看起來都不太一樣

and the definition of a cult is certainly up for debate,

且異端的定義確實還有待商榷

they do share general characteristics.

但它們的確有些共通的特質

The first is that they inspire a sense of higher purpose,

首先是它們會喚起你內心的崇高理想

often through a lens of good versus evil, where you are the hero,

通常由你做英雄 經由正義對上邪惡的視角

that creates a sense of passion or commitment that seems insane

創造出旁人眼中看來荒唐或無理的

or irrational to the outsider.

熱誠或使命感

And the second is that they adopt the form of

第二是它們會採用

and use the tools of the dominant organizations of their day.

當代主流組織的形式和它們的工具

From the church

從教會

to the corporation

集團公司

to the social media network

到社群媒體網絡

to our subject for today, the metaverse.

乃至我們今天的主題：元宇宙

So what happens when you mix billions of people looking for meaning,

想想當你把幾百萬個正在尋找

意義、 安全和保障的人

safety and security

with widespread virtual worlds,

放進鋪天蓋地的虛擬世界

crypto economies and gaming culture?

加密經濟和遊戲文化裡會發生什麼？

The answer, I believe, is “gamecults.”

我相信這個答案就是「遊戲異端」

Large-scale social movements

大規模社會運動

powered by extreme or bizarre beliefs,

從極端或怪誕的信念中獲取力量

birthed in virtual worlds,

在虛擬世界中誕生

driven by game dynamics,

靠遊戲動能推進

but with real-world consequence.

但由現實世界承受後果

The future is about to get weird.

未來會變得很詭異

We can already see examples of this all around us.

我們身邊已有一些案例

We just haven't had a name for it yet.

它們只是還沒有固定的名字而已

Softer versions look like BTS stans swarming Donald Trump rallies online,

防彈少年團的瘋狂粉絲在網路上 蜂擁至川普的集會是比較溫和的例子

but more extreme versions look like Hezbollah's own custom-made video game

更極端的例子像是 真主黨自己訂製的

called Special Forces, designed to recruit young people

電玩遊戲《特種部隊》 這是為了招募年輕人

and train them to kill their enemies.

並訓練他們殘殺敵人而設計

White nationalist groups are hosting Call of Duty tournaments online

白人至上主義的群體 在《決勝時刻》中舉辦錦標賽

to attract followers,

藉此吸引跟隨者

and there are Roblox games where you can drive your car

在《機器磚塊》中 有個場景讓你能開車

through Black Lives Matter protesters

輾過支持「黑命貴」的示威者

or assume the role of Kyle Rittenhouse and shoot anti-fascist protesters.

或者扮成凱爾．里滕豪斯 槍殺反法西斯主義的抗議者

And there are many other examples,

還有很多案例

but all of them are wrapped in a layer of Discord servers

但它們都被蓋在一層屏障下 像是社群平台 Discord 的伺服器

and YouTube channels and podcasts

影片平台 YouTube 的頻道 或各式音頻節目中

that act as the funnel to draw you deeper into a web of extremism

這些環境就好像漏斗一般 會引領你深入極端主義

and radical behavior.

和激進行為的網絡

What starts on the screen no longer stays on the screen.

那些從螢幕上起頭的事 再也不受限於螢幕中

QAnon is a perfect example of this.

匿名者 Q 正是一個完美案例

What started on 4chan and Facebook,

那些從 4chan 論壇和臉書起頭的事情

mutated into a live-action role-playing group

轉變成實景真人角色扮演團體

for evangelical militants

受熱衷傳遞自己觀點的極端份子所用

and ended up as an anti-vaccination campaign.

最終演變成反疫苗運動

Before you know it,

快速補充一下

we have a million excess deaths from COVID in the United States

美國有一百萬例源於新冠病毒的超額死亡

and a political landscape far stranger than anything we've ever seen.

還有比任何事都還離奇的政治局面

The same is going to be true for games.

這一切都會在遊戲中重演

First you're a player,

你先是個玩家

then you're a fan,

然後是個粉絲

soon you're in a clan,

你很快就會成為某個集團的一員

and before you know it, you're invading the Capitol.

然後在意識到之前 你已攻進了國會大廈

So I'm a futurist.

我是個未來學家

And there's a saying with futurists,

有句關於未來學家的格言是這麼說的

that your job is not to just predict the automobile,

你的工作不該只是預料到汽車的出現

but to predict the traffic jams.

而是能預見到塞車的情況

So what might this look like in 10 or 20 years,

所以在十到二十年後 當隨處可見的

when widespread augmented and virtual reality

擴增實境和虛擬實境 遇上蓬勃發產的加密經濟

meets thriving crypto economies and a generalized crisis of meaning?

和愈加普遍的意義危機 這一切可能會變成什麼樣子？

Well in the future,

在未來

games are going to be everywhere.

遊戲將無所不在

They're going to move from our screens and onto the streets around us.

它們會離開螢幕 走上街頭，到我們身邊

Hundreds of millions, if not billions of people

少說也有數以百萬人

will be buying, selling, making and trading virtual goods online.

會在線上購買、販售 製作、交易虛擬貨物

They're going to assume roles as characters,

他們會根據遊戲角色的定位

follow quests and get real-world money for in-game performance.

照著任務闖關，用遊戲內的表現 賺取真實世界中的錢財

Guilds, corporations and clans will form around them.

公會、企業和會黨幫眾會隨之建立

They might start offering salaries, paying benefits,

它們可能會開始支薪，提供福利

and providing real-world services like education or health care or even security.

並提供真實世界的服務 像是教育、健保，甚至是保安

People's entire lives will be built around their characters and their stories,

人們的生活將完全建立在 他們的遊戲角色和故事情節上

particularly if things get really bad.

尤其是當事情真的很糟糕時

And those stories will come to dominate popular culture and politics.

那些故事會開始主宰流行文化和政治

Now, thankfully, not all of them will be harmful,

好險就目前來說 並非所有方向都會造成危害

but some will be violently evangelical in their nature.

但有些內容本身就極富渲染力

It's got me thinking, there must be a better way

這不禁讓我思考 一定有更好的辦法

that we can use these dynamics

讓我們能利用這些動能

to heal instead of harm.

治癒社會，而非傷害

So I started thinking, what might this look like?

所以我開始思索 這可能變成什麼樣子？

How can we explore possible futures for positive gamecults?

我們要如何探索出 正相遊戲異端存在的可能未來？

So here are just three examples I came up with a few friends.

這裡我想提供三個 我和幾個朋友一起想出來的點子

Consider Druidica, a Minecraft-like nature game

想像有個遊戲叫《德魯伊女祭司》 一個類似《我是創世神》的自然類遊戲

designed to restore damaged ecosystems

其設計是修復受損的生態系統

and preserve indigenous knowledge.

並維護當地的知識體系

Or perhaps Walkabout,

或著《徒步旅行》

a Rust-like survival game for refugees

一個類似《腐蝕》的遊民生存遊戲

designed to encourage skill sharing,

其設計鼓勵分享技能

interdependence and mutual aid

互相依存和雙向援助

linked to scriptural messages of tolerance and compassion.

並連結有關寬容及關懷的經文訊息

Or perhaps Temple, a pray-to-earn game,

亦或是《寺廟》 一個以祈願來進步的遊戲

linked to a network of nondenominational meditation spaces

連結到不屬於任何教派的冥想空間網絡

where players can perform coordinated acts of care

玩家在此完成相應的關懷舉措

to level up on the good works board.

以在「善事榜」上升級

A kind of, decentralized church of kindness,

這有點像是去中心化後的仁慈教堂

powered maybe by HOLY coin.

經由「聖幣」營運

It's clear that something like this is coming.

顯然類似的東西即將成真

The question is: What can we do about it now?

問題是現在我們可以做什麼？

As we've learned from social media,

我們已從社群媒體上學到

technological fixes and regulatory restrictions will only go so far.

科技操縱和監管限制都有它們的極限

And in the attention economy of political priorities,

而在政治優先的注意力經濟中

gamecults are clearly quite low.

遊戲異端顯然未受到那麼多重視

But that’s OK,

但沒關係

it means we still have time to do something about them.

這代表我們還有時間為此做點什麼

That's why I think that everyone,

這也就是為何我認為每一個人

from policymakers to players to game designers and gamers

從政策制定者、參與者 到遊戲設計師和遊戲玩家

should be having a conversation about what this means right now.

都該一同對話 討論它們現在的意義為何

If you are a media company,

如果你有間傳媒公司

you should be talking to experts in radicalization.

你該跟激進化的專家談談

If you are a game company,

如果你有間遊戲公司

you should be speaking to those who don't understand gaming dynamics

你該跟那些不了解遊戲動態的人

and the communities around them.

及其附近的社群聊聊

If you're a church or a religious institution,

如果你有間教堂或宗教機構

you should be understanding how people use these tools to build beliefs

你應該要理解人們 是如何用這些工具來建立信仰

and what they're believing.

還有他們在信奉什麼

And finally, perhaps most importantly, if you're a parent,

最後，或許也是最重要的 如果你是一位家長

you should be playing games with your kids

你應該要跟自己的孩子一起玩遊戲

to understand the world that they're growing up in

去了解他們成長的世界

and to have a conversation with them about the role that they might play in it.

聊聊他們在這個世界中的可能定位

Someone's going to connect these dots.

總有人會把這些線索拚湊起來

The question is:

問題是

Who is going to be our modern-day Hassan?

誰會成為當代哈桑？

And will the games of tomorrow be games of subjugation and domination?

將來的遊戲會充滿征服和統治嗎？

Or inspiration and liberation.

還是啟蒙和解放？

It's really up to us.

這全取決於我們自己

Thank you.

謝謝大家

(Applause)

（掌聲）