Introduction
Video games have found use among the young and old alike, both of whom find them useful for various reasons. Some of these reasons include entertainment, learning, and commercial purposes. According to research done in 2005, the use of video games is quite diverse throughout the U.K (Winegarner, p. 3). Surveys from other countries also indicate versatility in the use of video games across the different age groups. The survey also showed that more adults are increasingly getting involved in video games and the most affected were males of ages between ages 25 and 40. Online gamers were found to be many.
This is in addition to those playing games on their cell phones. Children, who happen to be the primary target of video games developers, form the largest portion of users. Video games are of significant value to society (Lieu, p. 24). However, there are also various limitations as a result of their use, and these are quite detrimental to society. This paper will attempt to examine the effects of Video games on society. In addition, the research paper shall also explore the impact of video games on both children and adults.
Video games involve user interface interaction. In turn, this helps to generate visual feedback that can be transmitted through a video gadget. This transmission is electronic and is done on such platforms as computers and game consoles. Video games may be played on mainframe computers as well as small devices like mobile phones. When using the computer, many users control the games using keyboards, a mouse, or a joystick. Modern mainframes can allow players to use both the mouse and keyboard at a time and this has enabled the incorporation of advanced games into the entertainment industry.
The use of games started as early as 1947 and during this time, devices used had varying formats of the display. A good example is the cathode ray tube Amusement device that found a use for the very first time in 1948. Over the years, technological advances have led to improved displays and currently, the world is shifting towards the three-dimension (3D) video. There are various types of video games and their use depends on the intended functions. These include core games (mainly developed to be played on computers), hand consoles, or game consoles. They entail games from wide categories of genres and are always demanding. They appeal more to professional gamers than casual ones (Crawford, pp. 1-4).
Other games are casual. However, these are the most dominant among children. This is because they are quite easy to access, simple to understand, and some are usually found on operating systems. Sadly, they are far more addictive especially to children because of their simplicity. There are also serious games that are designed to convey some important information. These are usually accessed mostly by adults who would easily understand their message. Educational games are also part of video games and are always developed for learning purposes. Therefore depending on the type of games developed, their effects on society vary (Lieu, p. 24).
We shall consider each type in discussing its importance and limitations to society. Society is composed of both children and adults and as has been observed, children tend to love casual games which are much simple to play. They can then move on to the more complex games as they grow older. It is important to note that society has been divided on whether or not video games have a positive impact on its members. There are undeniable effects that video games have on the public and these include addiction, desensitization, the new culture of video gaming in society, which promotes laziness, and seclusion among others.
Children
Children are important in our society and whatever helps and makes them active is most desirable. Studies have shown that most children, whose parents are professionals, take more time playing games in the UK. Video games have both positive and negative on children. Starting with the benefits, video games help in improving children’s concentration, which is very essential in their academic performance. Their eyesight efficiency is greatly improved as they gain sharp focus. Games also keep them active, this is imperative in mitigating idleness, which may be used destructively. Children can make an informed opinion of the themes in games that are essential in developing their critical analysis. Casual games are the most dominant of these, although non-complex educational games can also be used by them, which help in nourishing their knowledge and interpersonal skills (Crawford, pp. 1-4).
The main limitations of video games on children are their addiction and laziness. Most students forget to do their assignments or study in time for their exams, spending most of their time playing games. This encourages laziness that in turn leads to low productivity in society. Society is therefore deprived of hardworking people in the future. Other limitations include higher possibilities of exposure to bad content like pornographic materials and bad language as well as hate messages; these can be detrimental to their psychological and behavioral development and hence impact negatively on society. Violence has also made a major part of games and this is destructive to young children as they may attempt to practice exactly what they view on others while that is quite dangerous (Crawford, pp. 1-4).
Adults
Adults have been observed to increase periodically in their use of video games. This is especially the case amongst males. Video games have had a great impact on them. This is because of their integration in the web, which is accessed regularly by them. Besides, most companies that employ graduates nowadays use some video games to test the concentration of their potential employees when conducting annual recruitments. These have encouraged their use among many professionals thereby increasing their utilization in the U.K and abroad. Its benefits have increased over the years as people discover more on how to make positives out of it. Among the benefits are their ability to improve concentration, educational values for educational and serious video games, entertainment, which makes much of their purpose, People are now able to stay active during leisure and for those working long hours, the games can be of great help in relieving them when taking a break. Their critical arguments are also developed, like when taking quizzes from the games (Ferrer, p. 1).
Limitations include seclusion, which is dominant in online video games. Bad language and content are a constant threat to video gamers as well as laziness. Some gamers nowadays form forums where they give their views, socialize with friends. This contributes to a culture of laziness and is very dangerous to the development of society. The increased playing of violent video games has been associated with portraying violent behavior among the users. Watching numerous violence-related games tends to change people’s perspectives regarding violence. This is a negative impact. Gaming addiction is also risky to adults who have the responsibility of accomplishing various important tasks. Prioritizing duties can be a problem when one is addicted and this affects the development of society (Ferrer, p. 1).
Summary
In general, video gaming has increased in the U.K and across the globe. It has various effects on society, which are both positive and negative. Its use has more or less been the same based on gender, although more men have found their way into it of late. Its effects on society have been massive, the culture of video gaming has been developed which has promoted laziness among adults, and reluctance towards completing other important tasks. However, it has also had positive effects on people’s concentration and found its way in recruitment companies, especially airline firms who need complete concentration from their employees (Ferrer, p. 1). It is also important to note that, while Video games are addictive, and encourage laziness, among others, these are controllable, and therefore people must control their use.
Conclusion
Video games have both positive and negative effects on society. Their continued use can lead to addiction in all age groups. Bad content is another limitation that comes with their use. There is also the issue of desensitization (Winegarner 3). On the other hand, video games help in improving concentration and this has led to their integration in recruitment firms. Children develop faster psychologically when they interact with educational video games, and this applies to adults as well. These limitations are avoidable, and therefore, it is up to the users of video games to decide whether or not they should play with video games.
Works Cited
- Crawford, Chris. The art of computer game design. Washington State University.1982.
- Ferrer, Paolo. The impacts of vide games on society. Helium, Inc. 2010.
- Lieu, Tina. Where have all the PC games gone?. Computing Japan. The original. 1997. Web.
- Winegarner, Beth. Game sales hit record highs. Gamespot. 2005. Web.