Computer and Video Game History - Literature review Example

The first video game ever was created by William Higinbotham who d it Tennis for Two”. In 1962, Steve Russell invented the “Spacewar” which was meant for the computer (Bellis, 2008). The first video game to be played on the television set was written by Ralph Baer in 1967 and in 1971 Nolan Bushnell along with Ted Dabney created the first arcade game. The first commercial video game console that could be played at home, the Odyssey, was released by Magnavox in 1972. The odyssey came programmed with twelve games. Video games are the children’s most popular tool for entertainment or the preferred leisure activity and are becoming increasingly more popular. Parents believe that video games are a waste of time and also adversely affect the children. Parents have always been concerned with the ill effects of playing video games and the amount of time children waste playing these games. This is because parents rarely play video games with their children and hence are not aware of what games that children play (AskDrSears.com, 2004). About ten percent of the children between 2 and 18 years have access to a play console and computer video games (Anderson & Bushman, 2001). It is believed that they spend more than one hour per day on these games. Right from pre-school to job training, computers can be their greatest companion, teacher and friend. Advantages The video games available in the market serve as educational tools that teach the pre-school children. Anderson and Bushman (2001) contend that pre-school children lack the physical and cognitive ability to play a video game as it requires a console and hand-held controls. As such they remain absorbed in the sound and images of the video games and there is much to learn from them. Educational games make learning easier, faster and fun. For instance, Murphree (2007) learnt a lot through “King’s Quest”, a 16-color adventure story of King Graham and his journey through the kingdom of Daventry. This teaches a child to read, write and spell and type sentences apart from developing problem-solving skills. "Dora the Explorer: Fairytale Adventure" also provides the pre-school children with opportunities to learn colors, shapes, counting and logical reasoning (Gudmundsen, 2005). In Blue Takes You to School children get an idea of the classroom before they step into the school (Gudmundsen, 2005). The fears and apprehensions are reduced as they have already been exposed to the classroom atmosphere. Video games like Nintendo Wii’s Enchanted journey gives them exposure to colors as they learn how to color the eye and style the tiara and design their own princess. Flipper Critters teaches graphics to the 4 plus and takes them on a journey through quaint villages, mountain passes and towering castles. To go beyond the hand-eye coordination, Get Puzzled in which through colorful cartoons the game console offers the kids brainteasers in math, reading and logical thinking. The game offers all the lessons of a test prep course for a five year-old. I did it Mum! is a collection of educational mini-games for the pre-school children. It comes in separate version for each gender and also has a separate voice recording option for the parents to record a congratulatory message that will be played when the game is complete (Bardinelli, 2007). Studies suggest that gaming might be ultimately more effective in completing homework assignments. Even the American Medical Foundation supports the view that gaming is not an addiction (Carvin, 2007). Video games not only improve computer literacy but also the child’s dexterity. They derive a more ‘realistic’ virtual playing experience. Video games are to children what novels were to readers fifty years ago. They can be put to use in the literacy program as video games hone skills that are valuable like problem-solving skills. Video games foster skills that ensure success in the adult life as well. Video games encourage strategic thinking at a young age. At every point while playing the video games one has to make decisions (Maney, 2005). It thus helps them to analyze patterns, long-term goals, and resources. Video games are changing the way coming generations will work and manage data. Games like Halo 2, EverQuest or the lurid Grand Theft Auto hone the kind of decision-making abilities that define a successful person. Disadvantages AskDr.Sears.com (2004) reports eighty percent of most popular video games feature violence and aggressiveness. Surveys also suggest, by the time a typical American child reaches the age of eighteen, he has seen 200,000 acts of violence and 40,000 murders on screen. Review of literature also suggests that about 10% of children aged 2 to 18 play console and computer video games more than one hour per day (Anderson & Bushman, 2001). Browne and Hamilton-Giachritsis (2005) also agree that video games amplify physiological arousal, aggression related thoughts and feelings and reduce pro-social behavior. Games with human characters had more effect than abstract violence. Parents who monitor the programs that their children watch on television or video are less likely to monitor the games their children play on the computer and video. Violent video games end in defeat if the player does not choose the right strategy, which reinforces the negative stereotype. According to Funk and Buchman (1996), gender, location and the time spent are predictor variables but there is insufficient research to support the impact of playing violent electronic games. Research suggests that children become aggressive after exposure to violent video games as children tend to imitate the behavior of main characters. While negative behavioral patterns have been identified with games playing, there is no substantial evidence that the violent video games cause severe psychopathology in the average player. Critics feel video games provide poor role modeling and a child’s perception of the real world is full of fear and violence (AskDr.Sears.com). Smith, Lachlan and Tamborini (2003) analyzed 60 games for three game consoles and found that found violence in 68% of the games, with a higher proportion (90%) in games rated for teens and adults (cited by Jansz, 2005). The social effects of gaming are a matter of concern and Jansz reports that 30 effect studies have reported positive and significant association between playing violent games and aggressive behavior. Ratings The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is an industry organization that has developed a rating system for computer, Internet and video games (MAN, 2008). The ratings have two parts – one suggests the appropriate age for the game while the other indicates the elements contained in the game that is responsible for the rating of the game. The ratings carry symbols like EC (Early Childhood), E10+ (Everyone 10+) and so on. While the parents are advised to check the ratings before buying it has been found that parents normally do not check the ratings before buying the games. Whether video games have positive or negative effect on children and teenagers, whether children waste time in playing video games or derive meaningful lessons from them, remains a debatable and controversial issue. The perceived benefits are many while there is no conclusive evidence that it leads to violence and self-centered attitude although some association has been found between change in attitude and playing violent video games. Nevertheless, video games have been recognized as a valuable tool for pre-schoolers as well as teenagers as it helps to prepare them for the adult life. It teaches them to manage time and hones their problem-solving skills while preparing them for higher challenges in life. It is up to the parents, the teachers and the society how to leverage the maximum benefit out of it. References: Anderson, C, A., & Bushman, B. J., (2001), Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal and prosocial behavior, American Psychological Society, Vol 12 No. 5 pp. 353-359 AskDr.Sears.com, (2004), VIDEO VIOLENCE IS COMING TO A SCREEN NEAR YOU, 13 Feb 2008 Bardinelli, J. (2007). DS game aimed at preschoolers announced - I did it Mum! 13 Feb 2008 Bellis. M., (2008), Computer and Video Game History, 13 Feb 2008 Browne, K. D., & Hamilton-Giachritsis, C., (2005), The influence of violent media on children and adolescents: a public-health approach, Lancet 2005; 365: 702–10 Carvin, A., (2007), Balancing Gaming and Education: No Easy Task, 13 Feb 2008 Funk, J. B., & Buchman, D. D., (1996), Playing Violent Video and Computer Games and Adolescent Self-Concept, Journal of Communication 46t21, Spring. 0021-9916 Gudmundsen, J. (2005). Never too early: Introduce computers to pre-K kids, 13 Feb 2008 Jansz, J., (2005), The Emotional Appeal of Violent Video Games for Adolescent Males, Communications Theory, 15:3 pp 219-241 Maney K (2005), Video games not necessarily turning kids brains to mush, Cyberspeak, USA TODAY, 13 Feb 2008 MAN (2008), Understanding the Rating System, 13 Feb 2008 Murphree, M. (2007). Video games are educational tools, too, 13 Feb 2 Read More