Essays on Video Games

What are Video Games?

A computer game is an electronic amusement that includes communication with a UI to produce visual input on an a few dimensional video show gadget, for example, a TV screen augmented reality headset or PC screen. Since the 1980s, computer games have turned into an inexorably vital piece of media outlets, and whether they are additionally type of workmanship involves dispute.

The electronic frameworks used to play computer games are called stages. Computer games are created and discharged for one or a few stages and may not be accessible on others. Specific stages, for example, arcade diversions, which present the amusement in an expansive, regularly coin-worked case, were basic during the 1980s video arcades, yet declined in prominence as other, increasingly reasonable stages wound up accessible. These incorporate devoted gadgets, for example, computer game consoles, just as universally useful PCs like a workstation, work area or processing gadgets.

Video Game History

Humans have the need to perceive something more exciting and challenging, but sometimes goals like these are hard or impossible to obtain, which brings in the introduction of video games. Video games is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interference in order to generate visual feedback on a two or three dimensional video display such as a computer monitor, TV, separate game console etc. Video games were first presented by scientists in 1952. The British professor A.S Douglas created the first game called OXO also known as knots and crosses, or tic tac toe. This game was widely spread and remains played until today. The creation of this game at the time was not for entertainment reasons, but for his doctoral dissertations at the University of Cambridge. Another very famous game also created by a scientist, Steve Russell, was Spacewar: a computer based game for the PDP 1 (programmed data processor-1). 

At the time the computer used for this game was considered the best one in the market and was only available in universities. This game became innovative by the fact that it “could be played on multiple computer installations”. Video games continued to grow and was brought into the second generation when so called “father of video games” Ralph Baer invented a prototype multiplayer, multi program video game- system that could be played on television, called the “Brown Box’’. The fact that he introduced this to the world was able to transform people into playing it more, since now they did not need to leave their homes in order to search for an arcade, or play in university rooms. This addition into the human life, made playing games more accessible, faster and easier. Another company called Odyssey had 28 games which became the inspiration for Atari’s Pong- the first arcade video game. The notable milestones for the company were introduced in the late 70’s and early 80’s: Space invaders in 1978, Activision, “the first third- party game developer” in 1979, Pac- Man, Microsoft’s release of Flight Simulator and Nintendo’s creation of Donkey Kong, which famously introduced the world character Mario. 

These video games were coming in fast into the market however, they were simple and since their start many other gaming companies started creating games too which created a crash in the market since there were too many games for little consumers since they were still not accessible to everyone, only to a certain group (mainly the ones which had TV’s). With the extra competition of games companies started to create video games with lower video quality and led resolution which led consumers to become aggravated with the poor service. The video game home industry was reintroduced when Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) a Japanese company came to the United States as they had included the 8 bit graphics , colors, sound and gameplay over previous consoles. 

The improvement of the video games started to attract more players, and more players meant more money to these industries which started to grow tremendously. The video games were considered fairly simple to the player’s eyes (even though the mechanics behind it was intense) which included pac- man, tetris, and spacewar- games with simple objectives which still attracted million of players to spend hours on it. Back in the day accessing these games was not as easy as accessing them in the times of today, therefore, arcades would be the center of attention towards all these games.

How are Video Games Addictive

Addiction can come from many things being alcohol, drugs, sleep, eating etc. Addiction is the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity. Being addicted to video games seems like the most controversial “drug” there is because something so simple can become super complex in terms of how the human brain now perceives the game. There has been extreme cases of video game addiction, especially when online video games came out. The thrill of playing with other people is exciting due to the fact that not only the player is playing a game he/ she finds enjoyable, but is also able to share this experience with other players. For example, when going to the movies, to a dinner or to a party it is unlikely to find someone going in alone, why? Because these activities are nice and enjoyable when the person is able to share it with someone. This sharing creates memories and memories remain for a long time, a good and happy thought to think about occasionally. 

Since there has been an uprise in video game addiction psychologists now identify people within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Internet gaming disorder enters this category, and is included among the conditions being considered for future study, however, it is still in admission for more studies since it’s not considered a mental disorder yet, it is simply (GA) gaming addiction. Through research it suggest that only 0.5% of all gamers and 1.7% of ninth graders experience symptoms with excessive video game use. By this research it shows that gamers do not show mental health deficits, however, heavy gamers can have other side effects including social exclusion as number one effect. Too much gaming could seem relatively harmless compared to the dangers of drug overuse, alcohol, but Bakker says too much video game addiction could potentially ruin lives.There are cases of children, teenagers who play video games for four to five hours a day, therefore they have no time to socialize, to do homework, or playing sports. This nuisance can take away from a children’s development, especially socially. 

Conclusion

Video games are a form of media that is often associated with negative health effects. However, when games are played in moderation and attention, they are a viable source of stress relief and a catalyst for improving mental health and social skills. Video games themselves are a relatively modern form of entertainment. They are fascinating and immersive on a level different from traditional board games and other types of entertainment.