...A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but it now implies any type of display device that can produce two- or three-dimensional images. The electronic systems used to play video games are known as platforms; examples of these are personal computers and video game consoles. These platforms range from large mainframe computers to small handheld devices. Specialized video games such as arcade games, while previously common, have gradually declined in use. Video games have gone on to become an art form and industry. The input device primarily used to manipulate video games is called a game controller, and varies across platforms. For example, a controller might consist of only a button and a joystick, while another may feature a dozen buttons and one or more joysticks. Early personal computer games often needed a keyboard for gameplay, or more commonly, required the user to buy a separate joystick with at least one button. Many modern computer games allow or require the player to use a keyboard and a mouse simultaneously. A few of the most common game controllers are gamepads, mouses, keyboards, and joysticks. In recent years, additional methods of input have emerged such as camera-based player observation for video game consoles and touch-sensitive screens on mobile devices. Video games typically use...
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...Video Games Nowadays, technology is a way of life. Computers are used by children, adolescents, and adults; no matter what career path a person chooses, the computer plays an essential role in the job. The more our technology progresses and as our industry grows stronger, computers and electronic entertainment will grow to be found everywhere around the world. And this includes videogames. Video games have been a growing phenomenon since the mid-1980s. With the vast improvements in technology, the video gaming industry has evolved from simple two-dimensional games to realistic, fast-paced, life-like experiences. Although gaming became popular in the 1980s, it has been alive since the 1970s. In May of 1972, Magnavox Odyssey was released as the first gaming console. A few built-in games came with it, and the graphics were as simple as white blocks over a black background (Kudler). At this point, the graphics were very simple, moving patterns on a screen. Magnavox Odyssey did not sell well despite being a publicly released gaming console. In October 1977, the Atari Video Computer System was released, more commonly known as Atari 2600. Featuring a joystick, interchangeable cartridges, games in color, and switches for selecting games and setting difficulty levels, it turned millions of Americans into home video game players (ICHEG's collection). However, the turning point in gaming came with the release of the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (adorably called NES), in fall 1985...
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...July 22, 2012 Video games have become as pervasive an aspect of our society as television, with many people spending more time playing video games than watching television. There are many perspectives with which to gauge videos games’ effect on society, from a functionalist, conflict or interactionist perspective. (Schaefer, 2011) Each of these sociological theories can provide a different view of video games, how they affect society and the subcultures that develop around them. The functionalist perspective would emphasize the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability. (Schaefer, 2011) A functionalist may point out the manifest functions of video games as a facilitator of social interaction among friends, or the function of educational games in younger children. The functionalist may also observe latent functions, such as improving hand-eye coordination, or even unintended educational aspect of video games not intended for children (such as police coming and arresting the player character when crimes are committed in games, mirroring the real-life consequences of one’s actions) A functionalist can also characterize video games as a dysfunction I n society, with individuals neglecting other responsibilities in favor of playing the games, or stating that the games encourage violent or antisocial behaviors. The conflict theory would focus on tensions between groups (Schaefer, 2011), so someone analyzing video games from a conflict perspective...
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...Introdution Background Computer games industry has become a multimillion industry because rapid technology development helps to produce games that attract millions of players. However, there have been debates about the benefits and costs of playing computer games for young people. On one hand, playing computer games is a wonderful entertainment which helps young people in the development of a wide range of skills and knowledge. On the other hand, playing computer games is argued to have significant negative impact on the development of young people, especially contributing to health problems, aggressive actions, and anti-social behaviour. Benefits of computer games Computer games can be a wonderful entertainment for young people, because of their cool and colourful graphics, fantastic music, exciting stories, and challenging tasks (Flew & Humphreys, 2005). The computer, graphical and media technology used to develop computer games have power to create a fantastic gaming world that enhances young people’s imagination. Computer games that can be played and shared can be a family activity especially for family and friends who are in geographically dispersed locations. Moreover, computer games do not require significant investment or long-distance travelling for players. Well-designed computer games can challenge young people right to the edge of their abilities, and motivate them to learn more knowledge (Byrne, 2007). Playing computer games is found to help young people...
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...[Your Name] [Instructor] [Class] [Date] Violent Video Games do not CAUSE VIOLENCE Introduction Correlation does not prove Causation. Since 1992, there have been 387 school shootings in America. In the wake of these tragedies, the investigators and our society have looked to find somewhere to point the blame. Some blame gun laws, some blame our school system, but almost all conclusions place at least some blame on video games. When 90% of today's teenagers video games are 90% likely to include mature levels of violence, there's clearly an issue. However, the issue is mistakenly simplified down to the equation that violence in games = violence in real life, mistakenly because correlation does not prove causation. Today, I want to talk about why video games do not cause violence, and can even be a healthy way to release aggression. body Research is inconclusive. Unfortunately, research on video games and violence is inconclusive and does not ever come to a consensus. For every study that you find that proves video games cause violence, you have a study that proves that video games have no correlation to real-life violence. Media psychologists, communication scientists, and pediatricians disagree greatly among themselves as to whether or not there is a causal relationship between gaming and violence. There is more than a 20% variation in opinion over whether or not gaming produces real-life violence. That variation does not sound convincing to us, who like to pretend we...
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...Do Video Games Benefit Children? Video games are the fastest growing entertainment in the world, becoming more lifelike, complex and common in nature. Today, 91% of children between the ages of 2-17 play video games (NPD Group, 2011). Engaging in video games have several benefits such as, cognitive skills, social skills, motivation skills, and emotional skills. However, research shows that there may be long-term effects as well. The Debate of video games has been going on for roughly 35 years now. The controversy began in 1976 when the arcade game “Death Race” came out (based on the movie Death Race 2000). The game consisted of players running over “gremlins” (what was later found out to be pedestrians) while they yelled and sobbed. In 1992, one of the most controversial games “Mortal Combat” came to our screens with gory graphics such as severed heads, ripping out spines and hearts. It was one of the most popular game of all time. In 2007, “Bioshock” was criticized for allowing players to murder little girls that were turned into mutated monsters to get points. In 2011, “Bulletstorm” was introduced and said to be one of the worst games in the world. There’s an excess amount of profanity and is very gruesome as body parts splat all over the screen (Gross, CNN. 2013). Although there has been negative controversy about these games, research also shows the benefits and adverse effects of games in the same categories, (e.g., shooterames). Several training and research studies...
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...violence in Video games in the US Specific purpose: I want to actuate you to oppose promotion of violence in video games. Thesis: Violence in video games should not be promoted because generally violence has a negative influence on a person’s mental thoughts and once a person has such thoughts they are likely to fall victims of violence prior to what they see or do during playing the violent video games. Introduction: How many of you have played Carmageddon-1997, Soldiers of fortune-2000 or related video games? And what effect have they had on you? I know it is hard to point out what effect such video games have had on you but today I am here to tell you the effects of such violent video games and in turn oppose the promotion of violence in video games. First reason why violence should not be promoted in video games is because they increase a person’s aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior. This comes about when the brain becomes less responsive and in turn leads to increased aggression. Likewise when playing violent video games we tend to identify with the aggressors in the video game and this makes us mimic their characters even when not playing them and this leads to change of behavior and moral practices (Gruffiths 102). The second reason is that violent video games led to most youth deliquescent. Research from Lowa state research has shown that most criminal acts done by youths have a direct relationship to the type of media they are exposed to including violent video games...
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...Do violent video games contribute to youth violence? There was a time when children were always playing outside during sunny days, but that was until video games were invented. Video games provided people with countless hours of entertainment at the comfort of their own home. People enjoyed it because it was a temporary break from reality. People played video games so much that it raised a lot if concerns. One of the concerns is violent video games affecting children’s behavior. Violent video games like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty have often been blamed for school shootings but do they really affect children’s behavior or are these just hasty generalizations? There are different studies saying that violent video games affect children’s behavior. One study says that there has been an increase in bullying cases because of mature video games that are sold to children. Psychologists say that children may think that violence is a solution for their problems. They will think that the world is a hostile place and violence is normal. ( Harding,2009). Some kids may also develop trust issues and become aggressive to protect themselves. Christopher Barlett, a psychologist at Iowa State University wanted to test if students become more aggressive after playing a violent video game. He made 47 students play Mortal Kombat for 15 minutes. Afterwards, he tested whether they became more aggressive or not. There were compared to a group who played a nonviolent video game. Obviously...
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...Violence in Video Games National American University Composition 1I Judy Lujan May 9, 2012 Abstract There is much speculation in respect to the effects of playing violent video games. This paper will describe the components of some violent video games and the possible effects they may have on game players. In addition it has been hypothesized that at least one video game, Grand Theft Auto may have been the driving force behind a triple homicide. Although extensive research has not been compiled to prove this theory is substantiated, there is supposition that for those individuals who spend countless hours playing video games will ultimately result in aggressive thoughts and behavior, anger, physical and sociological perspective. Violence in Video Games As technology evolves the interactive nature of violent video games has worsened the effect on players, especially children. Video games have potentially harmful impact on the player’s ability to separate fantasy from reality. The learned behavior from these games may impact the player’s health, social skills and possibly their outlook on life in general. Violent activities such as shooting, stabbing and burning are behaviors commonly portrayed by the villains in the game. Weapons used to perform these violent acts include a variety of firearms (hand guns, rifles, machine guns, and laser guns), knives, explosives (Molotov cocktails, bombs, hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades), swords and even vehicles....
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...| Violent Video Games | | | | Violent Video Games INTRODUCTION: Concerns over the effect of violent video games on today’s youth have been debated since the late 1970’s. School shootings, criminal behavior, bullying, and violence towards woman have all been blamed on violent video games. Electronic media plays an important role in the emotional development, social behavior and intellectual functioning of children and youth. Many video games are very helpful for children to facilitate medical treatment, increase learning, and promote pro-social behavior. However, there are also video games that include aggression, violence and sexualized violence that have a negative impact on children. After the 1993 release of Mortal Combat, Congress contemplated regulating the sale of video games. The video game industry responded by voluntarily establishing the ESRB, (Entertainment Software Rating Board) to create a ratings system. The rating system was based on the content of the video game. The controversy over violent video games resurfaced following the Columbine High School shooting in Jefferson County, Colorado on April 20, 1999 (procon.org). According to procon.org, in 2008, 298.2 million video games were sold in the US, totaling $11.7 billion in revenue. Six of the top ten best-selling video games included violence, with four of the games carrying a "mature" rating recommended for persons aged 17 and older. AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR: Video games often reward...
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...Think Again “Video games are bad for you? Thats what they said about rock n' roll.” In the early 1970's video game consoles moved from the arcade rooms to the average home, and hasn't looked back since.The visual gaming world has been expanding immensely for the past four decades and has become the worlds most prominent source of entertainment. With this expansion there are now professional gaming teams that compete in tournaments around the world playing for prizes and titles. Not only do these games require good hand eye coordination but they focus more on the mind. Strategy games, first person shooters, and adventure games are some of the most popular genres that are played by teens and young adults. With this growth of gaming it is assumed that these games will hinder a children's ability to learn in school and can affect a persons mental health negatively. People don't view these games as having any positive effects, and are viewed as a negative form of entertainment. The reality of this subject is that video games can supply many benefits towards the human brain, give us new ways of reacting to problems, and can expand a child's potential in their education. Since teens and young adults spend a good amount of time interacting with these games through their everyday schedule it has been given a negative title by most parents. Parents fear for their child's education and doubt that video games actually have any benefits towards the brain. These games contain a lot of...
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...Nowaday, Video game addiction, often considered a form of computer addiction or internet addiction, has had more and more press over the years. Video games include computer games, console games, arcade machine games, and even cell phone, PDA, and advanced calculator games. Since the 1950s, gaming has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry. People have recently become concerned about the long-term effects of video game playing, particularly on children. Some theorists focus on presumed built-in reward systems of the games to explain their potentially addictive nature. In reference to gamers such as one suicide in China, the head of one software association was quoted, "In the hypothetical world created by such games, they become confident and gain satisfaction, which they cannot get in the real world." Ferguson, Coulson and Barnett in a meta-analytic review of the research, concluded that the evidence suggests that video game addiction arises out of other mental health problems, rather than causing them. Thus it is unclear whether video game addiction should be considered a unique diagnosis. Researchers at the University of Rochester and Immersyve, Inc. (a Celebration, Florida, computer gaming Think-tank) investigated what motivates gamers to continue playing video games. According to lead investigator Richard Ryan, they believe that players play for more reasons than fun alone. Ryan, a motivational psychologist at Rochester, says that many video games satisfy basic psychological...
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...Video Game Influence A recent study, conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Charité University Medicine St. Hedwig-Krankenhaus, shows that video games don’t lead to long-term behavioral problems. Not only do video games not lead to these problems, but they actually improve things such as reflexes, creativity, and even give a healthier brain. A molecular psychiatrist found that “video gaming causes increases in the brain regions responsible for spatial orientation, memory formation, and strategic planning, as well as fine motor skills.” Video games are often assumed to take a toll on the person that plays them physically, emotionally, and/or psychologically. These assumptions often come from concerns that a person has, rather than the evidence that can prove otherwise. This has been a problem since video games first came around. The good side to video games, such as hand eye coordination being trained, will be talked about. The bad side, such as the violence in video games, or the addiction they cause, will also be addressed. These problems are often serious problems and can be difficult to deal with. It is worth noting that some video games can actually be good for a person to be playing—in moderation of course. The Positive Effects of Video Games One thing that video games can help train is a person’s spatial navigation. Spatial navigation is the ability to be able to know what is around you, even though you might not be looking that direction. Though...
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...Mental Destruction: Video Games Video games have a detrimental effect on the minds of our youth. Individuals should limit their use of video games to ensure that they have the mental capacity to succeed in life outside of a virtual world. The effect of these visual stimulations goes further than the standard aggressive behavior due to the violent content in some of these games. Additionally it affects the mental levels that hinder a child's mind from benefitting from academic activities such as reading a novel or studying for an exam. Some say that these games offer children a safe release; a world to cause destruction where no one is being harmed. The truth is they are harming themselves severely. The gaming content is a huge factor that influences adolescents to commit violent crimes. Although violence isn’t the most common outcome, the quick satisfaction in the game play causes children to become unfocused on one subject for more than a few minutes. This is one of the more long term effects that video games have on an individual. Games such as Saints Row, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto promote themes of violence, resulting in the answers to their problems. The player must make decisions that affect the fate of the characters in the game, usually involving killing the character as an option, which, usually, is the more favorable decision within the game. For some, the decisions that players make can transcend into real life. There are numerous news reports...
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...------------------------------------------------- Video Games and Children Video games was introduce goes far back in the early 1940s-1950s when researchers, scholars and entrepreneur began producing and designing simple games, simulation and artificial intelligence (AI) as part of computer research programs and had become child hood leisure activities and even for adults. (Totilo, 2010) Video gaming didn’t reach mainstream popularity until the 1970s and 1980s. Adults and parents become concern on the possible ill effects on children but early research found out the results unclear. Back then in the 1980s video games sales boost up when the Nintendo system was first release and with its better and more colorful graphics. When Sega, Nintendo, Sony and other videogame console release bigger and better consoles in the early 2000 followed by Microsoft Xbox in 2001, video game skyrocket even more and there start what gamers called “console wars”. (Rice, 2013) As of today there are two consoles leading up the video game market; Sony Playstaion 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One. Many of the fan boys(loyal to their console ownership) had a lot of arguments and debate which one is better with each consoles unique and fancy features it is still undecided which one is the best and it is all about the matter of taste of the people. (Rice, 2013) A lot of American children...
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