Jillian

I do not like Uses and Grats. Actually, I feel quite emotional and sad after reading it. I really love Jeremy [her boyfriend] but I really hate World of Warcraft. When we started dating two years ago, it didn’t seem like that big of an issue, but now that we’ve moved in together, I’m really not sure our relationship will outlive his game! It’s the first thing he checks in the morning and the last thing he does at night—he’s even popped out of the shower to check on the progress. He claims it’s no different than my obsession with Facebook, but it’s totally different. After I read Uses and Grats, I started thinking Katz might be on to something. Jer and I are using the media to satisfy different needs. A media choice might fill different categories; I think that’s true. Jer’s WoW playing seems to be about passing time (#1), escape (#3), enjoyment (#4), social interaction (#5), relaxation (#6), and excitement (#8). I mainly use Facebook to keep up with my friends (#5). As I thought, it is totally different. But now, the sad byproduct of reading this theory is that it’s made me wonder what Jer gets out of our relationship if so many of his needs are being met by WoW? Why does he need that kind of need fulfillment instead of relaxing by spending time with me? What’s not exciting about normal life that must be fulfilled by playing the dumb game? Is he just escaping everything and everyone—including me? See what I mean? This is a sad theory!