Impact of Xbox-Live on Indian Youth - Essay Example

Use of “Xbox-Live” in India and its impact on Youth Written using MLA Style of referencing of the essay: The essay is a trumpet call for the youth and internet users who get addicted to internet gaming. The essay forays into the advantages and disadvantages of internet gaming and video culture. Also the essay brings out arguments favoring internet gaming and video watching culture by various people and provides arguments countering the arguments of others. Also the essay throws light on the past culture and habits of youth in India and compares how with the advent of time these habits and culture took a change. Also the essay focuses at the reasons for change and critically analyzes the affect of the change. Introduction: Microsoft India launched its otherwise famous “Xbox Live” in India on November 5, 2007*(“Microsoft India to Launch Xbox Live on Nov.5”.BS reporter, Tech world, Business Standard, Friday, 13thMarch, 2009, Mumbai Edition). Xbox Live, a famous internet gaming software that otherwise provides other facilities like videos of films*(“Microsoft India to Launch Xbox Live on Nov.5”. BS reporter, Tech world, Business Standard, Friday, 13thMarch, 2009.Mumbai edition) is very popular among youth across the world and naturally the system savvy; internet crazy Indian youth were lured to it. There are nearly 3.3 million active internet users in the rural India*(Rishi Joshi, “Growing number of net users in rural India”, Hyderabad, Business Today, Jan.22, 2009, Hyderabad edition) who browse internet either regularly or once a week in the least. With such huge market potential it is no surprise that Microsoft is aiming to gain a huge chunk in the Indian market*(Pragati Verma,“We are building muscle in core areas”, The Financial Express, Wed, Mar.11, 2009, Hyderabad Edition). Use of technology and the gains associated with it cannot be questioned; however there are question marks about the direction in which such technological advancements are leading our youth needs to be answered by all of us. The present marketing strategy adopted by many companies is to start a trend and Xbox Live has become one in a short span of time. A large proportion of urban population use internet for various purposes. One common purpose is playing internet games and to watch videos, it is observed that many working people of various cadres and ranks during their leisure hours login to internet to watch videos of latest English or Hindi hits or watch item numbers of popular movie stars instead of going to a café for a cup of coffee with colleagues or friends. In one way this new culture has radically reduced the hazard of grapevine*(see appendix #1)( Human Resource Management, Strategic Human resource management, ICFAI center for Management Research, August,2004, P.56) if we wish to call grapevine an organizational hazard, but on the other hand the new trend has stolen the spirit and life of informal office atmosphere. Exchange or sharing of food items from lunch boxes is missing in many offices. During a recent visit to a software company in Hyderabad I observed that during lunch time also people are sitting in their respective cabins, glued to their computer screens or laptops, busy chatting with friends or watching latest trendy films on internet. Xbox Live – a boon or a bane: During my last visit to ICFAI Business School*(see appendix #2), a premier management institute offering courses in management studies, I was surprised to see youngsters sitting in the corridors or on the grassy lanes, the entire compound is covered with lush green grass, a very pleasant sight to watch, glued to their laptops and fiercely typing or rocking, listening to music in utter silence, there is barely a whisper. Many of them feel that the availability of software such as Xbox Live actually makes life easier for them. They go through a busy schedule from morning to the dusk and internet games or movies give them a welcome break. Also they feel good after a terrific gaming experience; according to them it gives them the right impetus and puts them in the right perspective to face the unknown challenges which life is going to throw at them. Another interesting dimension in this essay is the striking similarity in opinions given by the grownups and the college going students with the young, school going kids and old and retired people. While the young and the school going type usually use Xbox Live to play fast action packed internet and liked the software for the extensive use of graphics, animations and not to mention the thrills and frills associated with games of these sorts, the old and the retired community basically likes the software because it gives them much wanted company without moving away from the comforts of their homes. All these people say using internet gaming and other software makes them feel pretty good. If you turn the leaf the other side of it opens to a totally different scene. Office goers are missing all the important communication, most of which happens in an informal way, the time spent on internet games is effectively reducing the chance to communicate with others to nil. Reading is an important factor which plays a vital role in overall development of a student’s career and is a much needed component in shaping them into persons. Unfortunately reading is missing from many of these young blokes schedule. Old people for example long for companionship. This companionship they are missing by watching videos on internet. In simple terms it is gross misuse of internet whose applications and uses can be used for much useful purposes. A number of man hours or lost and were unaccounted both by the employer and by the employee himself. This results in less productivity and far lesser returns. The cause: There are certainly many causes for this change in culture in both young and the old and the change is not sudden. May be the changes went on unnoticed during the change process and were noticed only when its impact was felt. One prime reason for change in the culture is the rapid change in the work lives of people and the change in working styles. Internet opened the great possibility of access to information any time any place. The need for information and the possibility to obtain information from literally anywhere in the world at any time erased time zones and comfort zones of people. In order to sustain the impacts of change of that magnitude, people adopted life styles and working styles of choice and internet gaming became an automatic choice. Another cause for this trend is the serious lack of privacy. In the past people had plenty of time of their own to think and act, time for recreation and for a plethora of other reasons. The time is lacking in the present day life. Obviously the lack of time has distanced people and they have to resort to measures of other sorts to find the emotional stimulus. The effect: The academia in India is crying hoarse for a long time about the adverse impacts of this cultural transition. Their main concern is the number of unproductive hours which are accumulating due to the unhealthy trend. In fact many of these unproductive man hours are going unnoticed and unaccounted. This is definitely not a good sign for a growing economy like India’s is. Extensive use of internet games is planting unhealthy seeds of violence among youngsters. The shootings at Virginia tech can be termed as a result of behavior resulting from stimulus. Some internet games can actually act as stimuli for such actions. Security is a main concern with internet. The increase in demand for internet games increases the security threat also*(K.V.Kurmanath, “Four layers of security”, Business Line, Monday, March.9, 2009, Chennai Edition). Improved ways to hike up the security measures is the call of the day. Conclusion: Dependence on internet for better and cheaper communication, accessing information is understandable. Internet for entertainment sans reason as we need to understand internet is a twin edged blade which can be used both for healthier and for unhealthy reasons as well. Games are meant to revitalize us while it is not the case with internet gaming. Games are supposed to develop healthy and robust personalities and the usage of internet gaming software hardly do the needful. Presently the trends suggest people are pretty happy about the availability of tech savvy gaming software’s such the Xbox Live for various reasons. Probably our objectives need to be reassessed and corrected. Hopefully the trend may not continue for a long time, that is definitely a bad news for Microsoft and others. Appendix 1. Grape Vine: Informal gossip among employees forming in groups is called as grapevine. 2. ICFAI Business School: A premier management institute offering courses in management studies situated in 8 locations across India. References 1. “Microsoft India to Launch Xbox Live on Nov.5”.BS reporter, Tech world, Business Standard, Friday, 13thMarch, 2009, Mumbai Edition. 2. “Microsoft India to Launch Xbox Live on Nov.5”. BS reporter, Tech world, Business Standard, Friday, 13thMarch, 2009.Mumbai edition. 3. Rishi Joshi, “Growing number of net users in rural India”, Hyderabad, Business Today, Jan.22, 2009, Hyderabad edition. 4. Pragati Verma, “We are building muscle in core areas”, The Financial Express, Wed, Mar.11, 2009, Hyderabad Edition. 5. Human Resource Management, Strategic Human resource management, ICFAI center for Management Research, August, 2004, P.56. 6. K.V.Kurmanath, “Four layers of security”, Business Line, Monday, March.9, 2009, Chennai Edition. NEWSPAPER ARTICLES [5.7.5] Author. "Title of Article." Name of Newspaper Date, edition: Page(s). NEWSPAPER ARTICLES [5.7.5] Author. "Title of Article." Name of Newspaper Date, edition: Page(s). Take the name of the newspaper from the masthead, but omit any introductory article: Honolulu Advertiser, not The Honolulu Advertiser. If the city of publication is not part of the newspapers name, add it in square brackets: News and Observer [Raleigh, NC] Give the complete date, but not the volume and issue numbers. Specify the edition of the newspaper, if one is given on the masthead. If the article is not on consecutive pages, write the first page number and a plus sign: B1+. MAGAZINE ARTICLES [5.7.6] Author. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine Date: Page(s). MAGAZINE ARTICLES [5.7.6] Author. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine Date: Page(s). Abbreviate the months (except May, June, July). Give complete dates for magazines issued every week or every two weeks, written in this order: Day Month Year, e.g., 15 January 2000 If the article is on consecutive pages, specify the page numbers of the entire article, e.g. 16-20. Give just the last two digits of the second number, when possible, e.g. 188-89, but 196-200 If the article is not on consecutive pages — if, for example, it begins on page 27, then skips to page 30, and continues on page 32 — write only the first page number, followed by a plus sign: 27+. Do not give volume and issue numbers for magazine articles. Corporate Author [5.6.6] Cite a book by corporate author when a group — such as an organization or association — rather than individual persons, is the author. Accredited Standards Committee Z49. Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes. Miami: American Welding Society, 1999. Read More