The Game Technologies - Essay Example

How do Game Technologies affect the living world nowadays in different category compared to the past and the near future? 1. Introduction The dawn of the age of computers has given us many benefits and has made our lives more convenient. There are many sources available for people to have fun and improve their logical skills. Gaming technologies also tend to provide the same opportunities to their users. Gaming technologies have intervened deeply in the lives of the modern man. Gaming technologies offer games for users of all age groups, ranging from children to middle aged users. Just like other computer technologies, this field also keeps on improving year after year in terms of speed, graphics, logical and skills requirements. Games have great effects on their users and these factors have been impacting the societies since their invention. Some of the effects of gaming technologies in the past, as well as predicted effects in the future will be discussed in the paper. The current trends and effects of the gaming technologies will also be discussed. 2. Gaming Technologies in the Past The gaming technology initiated in the 1970s and has seen remarkable response from the customers ever since. Kooijmans provided the information that Nintendo was one of the pioneers in the gaming industry; they were known to sell 3 games every second from the year 1983 to 1995. This figure meant that every teenager in the world possessed one of their games. The first generation of computers was based on geometrical shapes, slower motion of objects and limited quality of sound effects, for example PONG and Pacman. The technologies were limited in those days since gaming technologies have always made use of the prevailing technologies in the market. Only one or more objects screen could be controlled by the player. 2.1 Impact on Health Gaming technologies were considered to be a occasional source of entertainment, whereas other activities included outdoor activities and sports. Media and gadgets had not taken over the society; rather they were used as means to get work done. Gaming technologies had limited features, controls and possibilities that were soon conquered by the user. The limited nature of entertainment played a role in the technology staying as a source of entertainment, and not becoming a addiction. The situations and graphics were not very close to reality. The sound effects also did not participate in making the whole experience addictive. Due to the lack of addiction, individuals spent less number of hours in playing games, thus no health issues became evident among the users in those times. 2.2 Impact on Social Skills Gaming technologies in the past were not available on a variety of gadgets which limited its usage and impact on the user’s lifestyle. The immobility of the gaming technologies helped the individual to maintain his personal relations and outdoor activities. People were still socially active and would participate productively in discussions. 2.3 Impact on Aggression Level The aggression level in gaming technologies was not a matter of concern till the 1980s and 1990s when Nintendo and Sony PlayStation launched new generations of games, respectively. Earlier, the games mainly involved the journey of a character to a certain place, coupled with minor barriers. The games were not known to have any element of aggression in them. On the contrary, Gardner used classic games, like Mario Bros, to help in the psychotherapy of children in activities like motor coordination, foresee and handle matters on the basis of past experiences etc. These games would not be chosen for clinical purposes if they had high levels of aggression in them. 2.4 Impact on Education There is no significant role of the gaming technologies in the field of education in the early years of the invention. 3. Impact of Gaming Technologies in the Current Times The advent of innovative technologies has improved games to a great extent as the game developers can incorporate greater level of details and sound effects. Game developers have started making games closer to reality thus making them more violent and gruesome. The gaming technologies have significantly affected the current lifestyles; some of the effects are below: 3.1 Impact on Health A survey was conducted in 2003 with a sample of 1000 students. The students constituted of fifth, eighth and eleven graders in Michigan and Indiana. The study conducted that around 23 hours were being spent by eight graders in playing games in a week, on average (Children Spend More Time Playing Video Games than Watching TV); this figure amounts to around 3.5 hours every day. Whereas, according to Clark, it has been agreed upon by doctors that users, especially children should spend less than two hours in front of a multimedia screen (like TV, game console, computer games etc) in a day. Spending excessive time on gaming technologies has been researched as the cause of different types of health issues, for example, fluctuations in the blood pressure level, initiation of epileptic fits and musculo skeletal problems. The increasing addiction to games becomes a barrier in the outdoor activities of the individuals. The concept of playing sports and excelling at them is soon becoming a thing of the past. In 2004, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studied the health issues in America and concluded that obesity was the greatest health issue in America. It also concluded that 15% of the population (under 18) comes under the category of being overweight (Understanding Obesity). Gaming technologies is considered to be one of the major causes of producing this significantly high number of unhealthy people in America. Playing games has known to develop eyesight issues in grownups and children. Bedinghau pointed out some of the common eye problems related to gaming; eye discomforts, blurry visions and headaches. 3.2 Impact on Social Skills Gaming technologies are considered as sources of entertainment for some, while others play them to escape their worries. In both cases, the social skills of individuals get affected. Grown-ups and children, both tend to prefer their virtual world instead of the real life due to the level of control they have in the former one. Individuals start spending so much time playing games and looking for information about games that their personal relations cease to hold any importance for them. Online gaming technologies offer interaction with the online users; this aspect makes the individuals feel that they can fulfill their social needs by interacting with the online users. However, this type of interaction cannot be considered complete, neither productive since it takes place in a virtual world which is devoid of face-to-face interactions. Anti-social attitudes worsen with the passage of time due to the launch of newer and more realistic gaming technologies. The individuals, who excessively play games, like to talk about games in their conversations; this proves to be uninteresting for other people. It has been witnessed that many gamers do not get their required sleep in the night. This makes them irritable and devoid of the energy to put in their social skills (Social Consequences of Gaming Addiction). 3.3 Impact on Aggression Level The current games in the market bear high levels of aggressive combats and fights that induce aggressive behaviors among the gamers. An example of a highly intense game is America’s Army that was released by the US government to train their military forces. The level of aggression and realistic situations were so convincing that the concerned authorities wanted their men to practice their aims and strategic decision making with the aid of the respective game. Most of the combat games offer such a view that it enables the user to imagine viewing through the eyes of the character in the game; this aspect makes the whole experience more exhilarating and real. Such real experiences of combating, fighting and shooting (with heavy guns) are considered to be among the causes of increment of shootouts in schools and colleges. The cases of school shootouts have increased since the 1990s; as stated earlier, this is around the time when violent games had taken over the market. One of the worst high school shootings was witnessed in 1999 in Columbine High School, when two high school kids killed more than 12 students and one teacher. Jenkins stated that a debate started after the shootouts that demanded a gun control in the society, as well as measures to reduce the violence in computer games. According to research quoted by Clark; aggressive games increase aggressive thoughts, aggressive behaviors and decrease the spirit for social welfare. 3.4 Impact on Education One of the positive effects of gaming technologies is its impact on the acquisition of education. Games are being increasingly used to facilitate learning processes to make them more interactive and interesting. A diverse range of fields of study are being incorporated, for example, mathematics, second languages for natives of a region (like French for Americans), art etc. It has been witnessed that the integration of gaming technology in the field of education promotes collaboration between the students. 4. Gaming Technologies in the Future The field of gaming technologies is evolving like any other field of computers. The game developers are developing innovative technologies to make the games more accessible and real. Researchers have given a new perspective to the world of technology- virtual reality. This technology is expected to further integrate in the gaming technologies. 4.1 Impact on Social Skills The impact of excessive usage of virtual reality systems is feared to be witnessed on the way things will be perceived by the users. Virtual reality enables the users to interact with others in a different manner. According to Koltko-Rivera; excessive usage will make the individuals expect the same level of interaction in real life and hence affect the social skills of gamers. 4.2 Impact on Health Virtual reality is dependent on the perception and imagination of the humans. Virtual reality is expected to become accessible and common for all gamers. Gamers will be able to create their own world which would be free from things disliked by the users. The power will lie with the gamers to construct a virtual world to suit their needs and likings. Such a world would be more appealing to the gamers than the real world; this will prove to be a hindrance in their interactions with the real world and outdoor activities. As stated earlier, lack of outdoor activities increases the chances of various health issues. 4.3 Impact on Aggression Level Hartley explained that few other gaming technologies are also expected in the future, such as online 3D gaming, more detailed display and sound effect technologies and cloud gaming. These technologies are expected to make the gaming experiences even more real and make the person feel that he is actually present in the simulation. Aggressive thoughts and reactions are known to aggravate more in such experiences and will probably have a long lasting effect on the user. 4.4 Impact on Education Hartley stated that the field of education is also expected to witness an increased incorporation of gaming technologies. Students and adults will learn the evolving concepts of science and climatic alterations with the aid of simulations and recreated situations, rather than traditional sources of information. 5. Conclusion Gaming technologies have intervened deeply in the lives of children, as well as adults. After studying the respective are of research, it can be concluded that the past gaming technologies did not have such adverse affects on the society as the recent inventions in the field. The lack of details and realistic situations in the first generation of games did not make the users addictive to the games. On the contrary, the current gaming technologies offer realistic simulations with detailed graphics and sound that seem to have more effect on the gamers. Such technologies have known to affect the social skills, tolerance levels and health of the gamers. However, a positive aspect of the gaming technologies is their incorporation in the field of education. The future gaming technologies are expected to make the user more addicted to the virtual reality, rather than the real world, thus worsening social skills, health and aggression among individuals. Works Cited Bedinghau, Troy. Playing Video Games May Cause Eyestrain, About.com Guide, 19 February. 2008, Web. 15 May 2011. “Children Spend More Time Playing Video Games than Watching TV”, About.com, 21 April. 2004, Web. 12 May 2011. Clark, Sarah. Impact of Computer Games on Child Development, ToysAdvice, 17 September. 2010, Web. 13 May. 2011. Gardner, James. “Can the Mario Bros help Nintendo games as an Adjunct in Psychotherapy with Children”, Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, Vol. 28, No. 4. Hartley, Adam. Gaming in 2020: what the next decade holds, Tech Radar.com, 29 January 2010, Web. 16 May 2011. Kooijmans, Thomas. Effects of Video Games on Aggressive Thoughts and Behaviors during Development, Rochester Institute of Technology, n.d. Web. 12 May 2011. Koltko-Rivera, Mark. The Potential Societal Impact of Virtual Reality, Professional Services Group, n.d., Web. 12 May 2011. Jenkins, Henry. Lessons from Littleton (Part I), National Association of Independent Schools, 2000, Web. 13 May, 2011. “Social Consequences of Gaming Addiction”, Video Games Addiction.org, n.d. Web. 15 May 2011. “Understanding Obesity”, Obesity in America.org, n.d., Web. 14 May 2011. Read More