The Idea of Gaming through Computers - Term Paper Example

Video games: A mainstream pastime worldwide: 1. History of video games: This is an irrefutable fact that different things at different times have vogue for people all over the globe. It goes without saying that people naturally develop a genuine fad for a certain thing which after sometime may get replaced by another passion. According to Kartha (2009), video games were first introduced in the 1970s and have now become an invariable source of fun and entertainment. A massive revolutionary change was brought in the world with the invention of arcade games, home video game consoles and personal computers. First arcade games were introduced to the people. Mostly arcade games encompass video games and these games were the source of inspiration that later led to the formation of online games. People adopted this emerging trend fast since video games have been an addictive source of pastime from the beginning. Technology keeps modifying things and later video game arcades also began to lose their captivating charm when they were superseded by home video game consoles and computers. The idea of gaming through computers across internet was favored specifically and this gaming trend is spreading quickly throughout the world affecting not only youth but people from all age groups and social backgrounds equally. The fame and attraction of video games and online role-playing games is sky-rocketing currently. 2. Introduction: This is understood from the above discussion that people have been playing video games for many years to entertain themselves. Video games have come a long way with features and storylines constantly being modified to match the public’s changing tastes. Now thousands of free online video games can be surfed and downloaded from the internet in no time. New innovative ideas related to video gaming keep cropping up, one of which is online role-playing games. This allows online gaming between people themselves from different areas of the world. A broader term for such games is massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). Another genre of popular online video games among people is party video games which is quite a patent source of entertainment. It seems like video games have been growing alongside internet keeping people from all age groups equally engaged. This is a reality that video games interestingly allow people a chance of forgetting their day-to-day tensions for a while, replacing them by little joys that are absolutely necessary to keep going on with life. 3. Thesis statement: I, on my part, have been forming opinion regarding the vigorously spreading charm of video games for years. I myself have suffered from a long-standing addiction to these games, spending days and nights totally hooked by them. Now I see many others around me going through the same phase. Keeping in view all this bedlam, “I think that online video games, if not totally, have at least almost succeeded in becoming a mainstream pastime affecting people from varying socio-economic backgrounds alike.” 4. An overview of the mounting attraction of video games: A new report from the market research firm Nielsen suggests that the popularity of home video game consoles is currently on the up side. This authentic report suggests that more and more people are getting directed towards video games to escape from the daily chaotic situations of life. Nielsen prepared the report while analyzing 12000 television-using households in US. The soaring popularity of video games can be judged by the fact that since late 2004, the number of game consoles in those households has risen by staggering 18.5% when the number of television households has only increased by 1.6%. by the end of 2006, there were 45.7 million homes with gaming consoles (cited in Cheng 2007). This data impressively underlines the fact that video games have become a major pastime, introducing new dimensions to game lovers all the while. Online action and thriller games which once were a credible source of attraction only for children have now managed to grab the attraction of adults increasingly since some of these games play an energy boosting role. “The best part of the free games is that one can play them anywhere and anytime without buying expensive game consoles.” (Gupta 2009). Men are especially enthralled by such games like wrestling and fighting since they require quick and speedy response and also men find it an amazing source of entertainment and refuge when bored at offices. The thing that makes these games an instant hit among youngsters and adults is their easy approachability. This is the magnet due to which people get attracted to them insanely. Obviously one can go on playing online games for hours continuously without having to pay anything. Gaming industries are quite critical when producing new games, taking care not to produce bogus and mindless sort of games. In this way, it is ensured that playing video games remains the major entertainment for people. “MMORPGs have evolved into a muti-billion dollar industry with World of Warcraft alone generating $1 billion in annual revenue.” (Schiesel 2006). This proves the success of online role-playing games. New games with excellent animation combined with a mind-blowing storyline are introduced, kinds of which can keep the users alert and steady. Actually this is just the thing most needed because mostly people turn to games in order to escape the pandemonium haunting their lives. The top most of the video games are popular primarily because they demand the player’s total attention and so in the long run, online games become the primary source of pastime. Latest reports done on the growing fever of video games among youth and elders alike have led to the evidence suggesting that video games and online role-playing games can grab anyone’s attention to the point that many more important matters begin fading out of their lives. Just to name a few games, World of Warcraft and Starcraft are those games the people are reportedly most addicted to. “There are now over 50 million people playing these games making it a huge market for game companies.” (Light 2010). Undeniably, the popularity of online video and computer games has increased exponentially in recent years and this proves that people are fast adopting this method of entertainment. In recent years, sales of video games have begun to pass all other entertainment revenues. “Growth of gaming in 2007 far outpaces movies” is a very reliable article by Bangeman in which important facts are revealed by the gaming industry regarding the popularity of video games that according to the data presented, exploded in 2007. According to Entertainment Software Association, total sales for 2007 were $18.85 billion, with $9.5 billion of that spent on games and $9.35 billion on consoles. Altogether, approximately 267.8 million games were sold across all platforms. "On average, an astonishing 9 games were sold every second of every day of the year." (Gallagher, cited in Bangeman 2008). This data leaves no doubt that people have practically made video games and other online role-playing games the main source of entertainment and the craze for these games is increasing by leaps and bounds. These facts are a bit of a blow for all those who openly defy the significance of video games and they should now envy gaming’s 2007 phenomenal growth. The important thing is that this not a kind of entertainment restricted for youth only. This is a mainstream pastime for people from all age-groups, like I initially emphasized. Another fact underlining the shift of fame for video games from youth to adults is that “In 1999, only 9% of the total adult population would play video games. The percentage has increased to 24% in 2007.” (Gary 2009). Parents, who once held a notorious view regarding these games, are now increasingly seen buying video game consoles like Play station and Nintendo Wii. They are beginning to realize that some extraordinary video games promote a lot of beneficial things such as hand eye coordination, character development and can make learning fun and exciting. 5. Addiction related to the video game pastime: With the many benefits introduced by this genre of entertainment, also come a few hazards that if left uncontrolled become too dangerous. Very quickly and even without themselves being aware, people develop a strong and unhealthy addiction for such games and start neglecting their studies, jobs and other parts of their lives that demand attention. Media has finally turned the angle of attention towards video game addiction with the incessantly growing fame of games like World of Warcraft. Children who spend unlimited time playing computer games not only are easily susceptible to long terms problems like bad posture and RSI (repetitive strain injury), but it also causes a disequilibrium in their daily routine. No social interaction is needed for playing these games and so those who begin depending heavily on these, ultimately face isolation that makes them excessively shy. Repetitive playing of such games instills in innocent children a deep note of violence that can permanently modify their personalities. “Sitting for hours before the video game consoles can increase the risk of obesity, carpal tunnel syndrome, muscular diseases and as well as skeletal and postural disorders in kids.” (Kartha 2009). Sometimes the hazards of video games are not merely related to one’s mental and physical frame. Imagine for a second the amount of money a person addicted to video game spends. Everybody knows that no good video game is below $10 and of course one video game does not last for life. The addiction keeps making one coming back for more and more. 6. Benefits of video games: Studies have also shown that teachers have found upgrading in their students' mathematics, spelling and reading for those children who are fond of playing reasonable video games, the kinds of which do not have violence in them. The government really needs to plan credible ways to include such games in the academic curriculum. “Griffiths, a professor at Nottingham University wrote in a medical journal that playing games could help children with attention deficit disorders.” (Rudon 2009). Playing video games instills cognitive skills and self confidence in people which they can use in their practical lives. Artistic sort of games are also capable of enhancing creativity. Many positive effects can be achieved if these games are played reasonably, all the while being careful not to be sidetracked by mindless violent games. “Since videogames have the capacity to engage children in learning experiences, this has led to the rise of “edu-tainment” media.” (Griffiths 2002). Video games have also been reported to be used for rehabilitation. In one case, a video game was used to improve arm control in a boy with Erb’s Palsy. The game served to motivate the child in succeeding in the game and focused his attention away from potential discomfort. (Krichevets et al. 1994). Plasticity is another thing that can be readily improved by playing video games. Plasticity means the capacity of the brain to learn and it improves mental fitness. "It seems that there is a lot more plasticity you can induce by playing video games than by training people with more classical methods." (Bavelier, cited in Steffens 2009). One’s willingness to accept new challenges when playing video games, plays important role in modifying one’s behaviour throughout life and self-confidence gets stronger. Conclusion: Wrapping up the whole discussion, I think hopefully it becomes clear how video games, which have long been criticized for causing aggression, have finally caused a big change in the world. They are not now blindly accused by the elders, rather they are also getting attracted by them increasingly. With every passing day, the popularity of video games and other online games is growing exponentially, regardless of socio-economic differences as a result of which people are fast adopting this all time favourite pastime. More and more researchers are now arguing in favour of these games. “Although video game playing may seem to be rather mindless, it is capable of radically altering visual attention processing.” (Green & Bavelier 2003). This shows that playing video games is not condemnable stuff, it has its advantages which cannot be solidly cancelled out by some disadvantages. References Bangeman, E 2008, Growth of gaming in 2007 far outpaces movies, music, viewed 24 July 2010, < http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2008/01/growth-of-gaming-in-2007-far-outpaces-movies-music.ars> Cheng, J 2007, Console gaming growing in popularity among all ages, viewed 24 July 2010, < http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2007/03/console-gaming-growing-in-popularity-among-all-ages.ars> Gary, 2009, The Increasing Popularity of Video Games, viewed 24 July 2010, < http://www.searchlistworld.info/article.php?id=83> Green, S & Bavelier, D 2003, ‘Action video game modifies visual selective attention’, Nature 423: 534-537. Griffiths, M 2002, ‘The educational benefits of videogames’, Education and Health 20: 47-51. 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