Computer and console games are considered a large portion of
ever-changing new media. Developing from television consoles, to hand-held
consoles in just my lifetime, it is a fact that gaming will continue developing
and evolving in today’s culture.
The entertainment faction for first-world countries is an
always emerging and changing industry, effecting society in countless ways.
However it is the virtual worlds that have a lasting impression on gamers, which
stems to affect the whole of society.
It is due to the virtuality and interactivity aspect of
computer games that this industry has the potential to influence the community
more so than its counterpart or alternative entertainment medium, film.
The ability to control what happens in games and also
control the endings and results, allows players to get more absorbed and in
touch with the virtual world than any other entertainment channel. To contrast
other forms of entertainment, gaming allows the player to be ‘active’ in their
use, which can sometimes mean players get attached to the game and sense of
control it instils.
The control the game allows means “…there is an
emancipating and liberating significance of this plurality and loss of reality”
(Raessen J, 2005). This loss of reality can be positive and detrimental to
society. On one hand, the loss of reality means players can release frustration
or anger into the violent games such as Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto.
Contrastingly, this loss of reality, can mean players lose a sense of normalcy
in reality. It could possibly result in acts of violence or crime in everyday
life, due to confusion between fiction and factual reality. This is considered
an element of virtuality.
Virtuality can be described as “… a digitally produced reality that can
have effects which are comparable with effects of factual reality.” (Raessen J,
2005)
It is for these two reasons, interactivity and virtuality,
that age restrictions and careful consideration in the creation of games should
be taken. Not to mention the fact that games incurring violence and crime, are
more accessible with smartphones and tablets in today’s society.
References
Raessens, J 2005, ‘Computer games as participatory media
culture’, Handbook of computer game studes 2005, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass,
pp. 373- 388
India, I really enjoyed this post mostly due to the fact that you made an instant connection with the development of globalisation and the development of virtual worlds. Further exploration of how globalisation and gaming are linked may have been beneficial to readers. I liked how to state that “virtual worlds have a lasting impression on gamers, which stems to affect the whole society”, I think this makes the connection between globalisation and gaming clearer to the reader who may have never made a connection between the two. Another aspect of this post that worked well is the comparison you made between film and gaming, and whether the ability to control the outcome is an option.
ReplyDeleteIndia i liked how you first considered the entertainment portion of gaming but how you also considered the possible side effects of how long term violent gaming can effect individuals. I found it quite interesting to note how you considered that users may get attached to their games and how they may consider their game characters as an extension of themselves. There are definitely some individuals who get so attached to their games that they actually feel that the characters of the games are extensions of themselves and they are horrified to even think that anything can happen to their beloved game personalities.
ReplyDeleteHi India,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that video games are influential and it is possible for a gamer to go out of control. Personally I feel that too much of video games damages the way a person thinks as they are so warped in their own world that they end up finding it hard to differentiate between reality and virtual reality. Games with violence in it too tend to cause an individual to end up being violent as well. However, I agree with the definition of virtual reality by Raessen as hardcore video gamers tend to mix that with the real deal.