Social Implications of Militarized Video Games - Research Paper Example

?Social Implications of Militarized Video Games. Task: Social Implications of Militarized Video Games INTRODUCTION. The simulation of war-like environments in the development of video games is a trend that continues to rise. This could be partially due to the popularity that such games enjoy in the world of gamers. Such militarized games rely upon the various types of guns and other war equipment as the primary and sole tools that are used throughout the game. As such, the games exhibit heavy weaponry and war throughout its entire plot. Such games are normally referred to as First Person Shooter (FPS) games due to the nature of the game in relation to the manner in which the main character terminates the challengers (Bryant & Vorderer, 2012). The most obvious feature in such games is the manner in which they are highly militarized, from the vehicles, the characterization, the weaponry, the environment and the general way in which the game is set. Popular games that adopt this form of militarization include Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, America’s Army and the Crysis series of games. Though the basic nature of these games is the militarization, there are variants in the form in which they are technically designed. As such, while some take the basic form of human extermination through military warfare, others take more technical plots that flow through a mission and narrative based platform (Bryant & Vorderer, 2012). Nonetheless, the underlying fact is that they are of First Person Shooter type, in addition to being highly militarized. This nature of entertainment has some social implications that are yet to be fully looked into. This is especially since the nature of such gaming is that it may tend to create a culture of adopting violence and war as the sole means of solving disputes, yet this should never be the case. As such, in the quest to establish exactly how such militarization impacts on the individual is a social issue that deserves proper scrutiny as it could offer insights into various behaviors associated with gamers and those brought up playing them heavily (Bryant & Vorderer, 2012). 2. Age and the issue of militarization of video games. Video games are generally developed for the young to help in their recreation activities and in addition help in instilling some values and desired behavior. In this quest, the age at which an individual or a child for that matter engages in these games is bound to impact highly on the outcomes. A young child who is introduced to such games, especially the militarized ones that exhibit and simulate war-like environments is most likely to take the same line and could lead to such a child viewing war and violence as something likable (Bryant & Vorderer, 2012). This is because the young is at their most crucial developmental stage. On the other hand, such games played at a later age result in lesser negative implications since implications since at such later ages an individual is deemed to be past the developmental stage and can discern good from bad. Considering the above explanation, the right age at which the effects of militarized games can be minimal is that age at which an individual is considered to be able to have self-control. In most settings, this is eighteen years and above and quite appropriately, such militarized games are aimed at these audiences. However, as much as these games are directed to such age groups, most of those who play them tend to be of a much younger age, justifying the need for their scrutiny (Bryant & Vorderer, 2012). 3. Propensity to violence in relation to militarized video games. Militarized games are increasingly becoming more and more violent with every subsequent release of their various sequels. With their continued increase in violence, the target audience also tends to be more inclined towards exhibiting violent behavior. This is especially true for cases in which the games are played form a much younger age. Nonetheless, the fact that these games are mainly targeted for older people is not justification enough for them to increasingly become violent, as this could eventually lead to increased proclivity to violence being exhibited even by the older individuals who enjoy playing such games (Bryant & Vorderer, 2012). Given the popularity and manner in which such games enjoy a wide fan base, the tables can be turned round and this popularity be used for a good cause. This is especially so due to the way that these games usually lead into the creation of a culture. Therefore, the creators of such games could develop plots that as much as they still exhibit some form of violence for the sake of maintaining the fans, the script could be turned to show a lack of approval for violence. This could greatly assist in eliminating the ills that tend to be associated with militarized games. Moreover, militarization cannot be the only way that recreation can be drawn from FPS type of games. Given that their negative implications in seemingly endorsing violence seems to pass their recreational capabilities thereby raising questions regarding their positivity. Due to this there should be creation of awareness and sensitization on the availability of other non-violence games that still offer the same level of entertainment (Bryant & Vorderer, 2012). More practically, the makers of militarized games could adopt changes to move away from the heavy militarization. 4. Psychological scrutiny into the issue of militarization in video games. In order to effectively notice the psychological impacts associated with heavy playing of militarized video games, the best approach is considering any typical gamer and considering their age and the amount of time they take in playing the game. This way, the variables would be the age and the time that the individual being studied takes in playing the game. In addition, more variables could be adopted in the form of the level of militarization incorporated, from merely militarized to those that adopt heavy militarization. Such a methodology can be fathomed to have quite realistic and reliable results. The above methodology can be used to simulate the real life implications of the militarized games. A hypothesis of the result would show that those individuals who are relatively young for the games yet spend a considerably long amount of time gaming could be highly influenced by the game to a much larger extent. Similarly, the heavily militarized games would result in more far-fetched implications than the less militarized ones. What is more, those who spend more time gaming are likely to relate most of their life experiences to the game environment and given the violent nature, this could be dangerous (Bryant & Vorderer, 2012). 5. A look into the methodology adopted. Given the aforementioned methodology, the quest to understand how militarized games influence individuals could be laid bare. This proposition is mainly due to the fact that the hypotheses seem legit and can be reliably used in discerning the implications of such games on persons. In addition, the methodology has a variety of variables that can be controlled independently to distinctly determine the way that militarized games psychologically affect various categories of individuals. The changes and modifications that can be adopted in the mission to reduce or eliminate the negative impacts of militarized games must lie on the variables that are the main factors of the proposed study. This means that such factors as time, age and level of militarization adopted play a crucial role in determining any changes that can be incorporated (Bryant & Vorderer, 2012). In this light, the main factor to limit is the level of militarization in such games. Indeed, there is a need for committees that monitor the development of such games to be formed to ensure limit in the violence adopted. 6. CONCLUSION. Video games have always been part of development and, in addition, they are among the most popular social gadgetry. Due to this, they occupy a very essential part of societal development. This means that their psychological effects on individuals are bound to be reflected in their behavior, and if this is negative, then the whole society can suffer undue consequences. Hence, this is the brainchild of the foregoing conceptualization of a study aimed at trying to view the implications of militarization in video games. References. Bryant, J. & Vorderer, P. (Eds.). (2012). Playing Video Games: Motives, Responses and Consequences. California, CA: Routledge. Read More