Impacts of Video Gaming in the Society - Essay Example

IMPACTS OF VIDEO GAMING IN THE SOCIETY Introduction Recently, video games have become an important element and culture in our society. Children aged between 8 to 18 years play an average of eight hours of video games every week. (Gee 2005). The video game industry has expanded greatly . As a result to become a multi-billion dollar industry signifying the growth and importance of video games in our contemporary society. This paper examines some of the effects that of video games in our society including the major developments that have occurred in this industry over the past decades HISTORY OF VIDEO GAMING Video gaming is not just a recent phenomenon but started ages ago. The history of video gaming can be traced back to 1940 when Edward U. Condon designed a computer that played a traditional game known as Nim in which players try to avoid picking up the last matchstick (Kent 2001). Many people play the game, but the computer wins most of the time. In 1947, Thomas T. Goldsmith and Estle Ray Mann made a cathode ray amusement tube hooked to an oscilloscope. It challenged players to fir a gun at a certain target. In 1950, Claude Shannon together with other Englishmen created chess programs. The breakthrough came in 1952 when A. S. Douglass created OXO. This game was known as Noughta and Crosses in the UK and tic-to in the USA. Douglass created the game as part of research on human-computer interactions for his doctoral dissertation. In 1958, Engineer William A. Higginbotham who had previously helped build the first atomic bomb invented an interactive computer game, Tennis for two to entertain visitors at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. This led to the anticipation of later video games such as Pong. In 1959, students at MIT created mouse in the maze. In this game, users drew a maze with a light pen and then a mouse navigates the labyrinth in search of cheese (Kent, 2001). In 1962, Steven Russell in MIT created Space war. This was the first computer based video game. In this, game two spaceships battled to the death in space. This game spread quickly to other universities and research centers. In 1963, the US department of defense completed a game showing their victory in the battle field (Bower 2014).This was followed by a creed by Dartmouth “everyone is a programmer” by creating a computer time-share system and basic programming language. The program made it easy for students to experiment and create their games. As a result, many other video games were developed. In 1965, a Dartmouth student created the first computer football game. In 1966, Ralph conceived the idea of playing a video game on television. This leads to the development of television video games. In 1967, Ralph developed the “brown box” the video game prototype that allowed users to play tennis and other games. Magnavox released odyssey the first home game video system in 1972. In 1975, Atari introduced pong. In 1977 Atari also introduced Video Computer System (VCS), which allowed a variety of games to played from the same hardware (Kent 2001). In 1985, Nintendo Entertainment system (NES) was introduced to the gaming market. This system used a pad controller. The NES initiated a revolution in the video market which continues to expand up to date. New developers joined the market. Today, companies such as Sony and Sega have entered the video game market. This has led to a variety of video games being developed making this market a multi-billion one. People have also embraced video gaming and made it part of their life. WHO PLAYS GAMES AND FOR WHAT REASON Various groups of people play video games and for various reasons. Most of them are children below 18 years. However, video games are not only meant for children. In fact a huge proportion of adults plays video games. The first group that plays video games are adults. 81% of adults between 18 and 29 are gamers. Most of them play these games with their children or young ones as a way of spending time with them. They also play to teach the young ones how to play especially when they are growing up (Kent 2001). Therefore, the video games act as a connection to their children. Other adults play video games as a way of spending their leisure time. They play video games for relaxation. Others also play video games as a distraction mechanism from the stresses of life. In fact studies have shown that most adults who play video games are happier and more relaxed ("10 Reasons Why Adults Who Play Video Games Are Happier"). As a result, the adults play these games as the way of removing daily stress. Adults play video games so as to bond with other people. This is more so in parties, and other got together where gamers meet. They also present an opportunity for the adults to compete and come up with a winner (Bower, 2014) Children are the other category of people who play video games. The children play video games to satisfy their curiosity. This is more so when a new video game is released into the market. They are interested in learning what happens and as result end up playing them. Children also play video games as a form of entertainment Bower (2014); this is because they present the child the opportunity to be part of the game itself. This makes them happy and entertained. Children also play video games in order to bond with other children. They create relationships based on the games that they play. The games also form a means of socialization between the children as they play and discuss. VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES Virtual community is used to indicate a group of people with a commonality sharing information for mutual benefit. The people in a virtual community interact through a given social platform and have mutual goals, objectives, and interests. Each of the members in the virtual community has a specified role to play. The relationship in the communities must be beneficial to all the members of the group. They encouraged each other in their interactions and built each other to greater heights. The concept of the virtual community was introduced by Howard Rheingold in his book “virtual community”. He points out the potential personal and societal benefits of belonging to such a community. An example of virtual community is the social media such as Facebook as strong community bonds has come from them. Video games lead to the creation of friendships that in turn grow to virtual communities. They are interactive since most of them require two people to play (Kent 2001). Therefore, they form a platform for the creation of a virtual community PSN and box live. Most people who play video games have best friends and those close to them who are gamers too. Video games also make already existing friendships strong People from different states and countries come together and are united by video games. They shared ideas on the games and spent their time together playing them. As more and more games are developed and releases, more virtual communities are. There also exist online platforms for video games. Most gamers meet online to exchange ideas on the various types of games. They also play some the games online creating a community of gamers’ altogether. This makes video games a global platform where people from all over the world discuss them. IMPACT OF GAMES ON BRAIN Video games have various effects on the brain depending on the content and type of game (Bavelier et al. 2011). These effects are either negative or positive. The following changes are noted in the brain of those who play video games a lot. First, video games can lead to changes in vision. They improve contrast sensitivity that refers to the discrimination between shades of gray (Bavelier et al. 2011). This is important for activities such as driving at night, piloting and reading x-rays since they have shades of gray. The other change is the increase in attention. As one plays video games, his/her attention spans increase. The attention enhancement is known to increase the brain activity (Bavelier et al. 2011). This leads to the conditioning of the mind to have a higher attention span even when not playing the games. Video games also lead to the release of dopamine from the brain cells ("Effects of Video Games on the Brain"). This is more so with the violent ones. Dopamine is associated in motivation and emotion therefore enhancing the mood of gamers. They also lead to the acquiring of fine motor skills and improve hand-eye coordination (Bavelier et al. 2011). This is because video game requires repetitive behavior that strengthens the connections between brain cells and thus enhance motor skills. For example, a study on stroke patients who have damaged brain cells showed that they improved their motor skills after playing video games. They also lead to changes in social behavior. Some games such as football when played enhance collaboration skills. On the other hand, video games with violent behavior lead to aggressiveness among those who play them (Weger, U, & Loughnan, S 2014). IMPLICATIONS OF VIDEO GAMES ON EVERYDAY LIFE Video games are a pinnacle of culture in our society. It has many benefits and limitations, but most of the members of the society focus more on the negative effects of video games. It is therefore important to consider both the negative and positive implications of these games (Weger, U, & Loughnan, S 2014) Video games lead to a way of spending time and relaxing for many individuals. They spend their time playing these games with friends and relatives. This has led to the development of friendships and virtual communities on the basis of these games. They also introduce children and individuals into the digital technological and online world. This makes individuals adapt to computer concepts. This makes learning especially for the children. Video games also make members of the society to be creative. They improve the decision-making skills of individuals in the society of gamers. They also increase the accuracy and speed of decision-making especially among children (Michele 2014). In reference to Bavelier, D. et al., (2011).Video games also lead to collaboration. This is more so in those that require people to act collaboratively. This leads to cohesiveness and collaboration skills that help people to work together even in other environments. However, video games are known to contribute to aggressive behavior especially the violent types. People who play the violent video games are more likely to have increased aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The violent games could be a contributor to the current rise in the number of juvenile crime cases. Social isolation is another effect that the games have in the society. Too much, gamming by some people make them spend less time making friends and developing their social skills (Michele 2014. These makes a number of people socially isolated. Video games have also been known to lead to poor academic performance in the schools. This is because students neglect their studies and prefer playing video games to studying or doing their homework. These have caused the deterioration in performance. Finally, video games have also led to increase in the cases of obesity. This is because they keep the gamers from physical exercise. Many prefer to play these games as opposed to going for the gym (Bavelier, D. et al., 2011). COMMERCIAL USES OF VIDEO GAMES The sales made from video games have increased since 1970 with the industry bringing $ 12 billion annually. A lot of job disciplines are created which include development of the games, distribution and sales. Thousands of people are employed to work in this industry (Video Game History Timeline 2015) Salaries for designers and programmers range from $ 50 000 to $ 150 000 leading to the need for large labor costs in firms producing this games. There has been a rise in the number of video games developers making the video game industry very competitive. However, the increase on popularity of gaming has led to increased sales and profits. This has in turn translated to increased dividends and benefits for shareholders in such companies. Conclusion In conclusion, video games are a part of the contemporary modern society culture. They play a crucial role in the way individuals spend their time. The practice should, however, be controlled so as to ensure age appropriate games at every level of growth and development. There should exist a body that regulates the development and sale of these games so as to control this industry. Parents have a huge role to play in regulating video games played by their children. Starting from the purchase of the games to the regulation of the time that the child spends playing. This includes the offering of restriction to the practice of gaming so as to avoid the negative effects. With proper control, video games can be a great way for members of the society to spend time. References Bavelier, D. et al., 2011. Brains on video games. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 12(12), pp.763–768. Bower, E. (2014). Review of Mind and media: The effects of television, video games, and computers and Mind at play: The psychology of video games. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 461-462. Michele N 2014: Effects of Video Games on the Brain. Retrieved March 16, 2015, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/164203-effects-of-video-games-on-the- brain/ Gee, J.P., 2005. Good Video Games and Good Learning. Phi Kappa Phi Forum, 85, pp.33–37 Games Are Happier. N.d. Retrieved March 16, 2015, from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-reasons-why-adults-who-play-video- games-are-happier.html Kent, S.L., 2001. The Ultimate History of Video Games. The Ultimate History of Video Games, p.608. Video Game History Timeline (2015) Retrieved March 16, 2015, from http://www.museumofplay.org/icheg-game-history/timeline/ Weger, U, & Loughnan, S 2014, 'virtually numbed: Immersive video gaming alters real-life experience', Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 21, 2, pp. 562-565 EBSCOhost, viewed 16 March 2015. Read More