Intro
In today’s world, it is a difficult thing to escape technology. Although technology has made life easier, it has also made it more sedimentary.
Technology has now ingrained itself in the way we play and in this research paper I will be discussing how technology has affected the way we play. For the research paper I choose the subject of active gaming because playing video games is one of my favorite pastimes. Also as a father, I now see my children showing interest in video games and my concern is the sedimentary nature of these games. In this paper I will be discussing what active gaming is, I will give a brief history of active gaming and finally I will discuss the benefits and disadvantages of active gaming.
Active Gaming Defined
Active gaming is a term given to technology-driven games that bridge the gap between sedimentary video games and physical activity. The tech-driven games or activities require the players to move their bodies in order to control the actions of the game. Active gaming can be divided into three gaming categories: exergaming, interactive fitness and active learning games.
Exergaming or exergames are tech-driven games that require a screen and bears resemblances to video game play. Just Dance 2014 (Ubisoft), is an example of one of the more popular current exergames, another game that needs to be mentioned is Dance Dance revolution (DDR). DDR popularized the exergaming genre. Exergaming may be console based and movement may be tracked by moving accessories or trough the use of a camera. As is the case with the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft’s Kinect, Sony’s Move, the PlayStation Eye or PS4 Camera.
Interactive fitness games require the participants to use their bodies to play the game; also thes...
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...echnology, it can be an affective tool to combat sedimentary forms of play. Technology is here to stay and active gaming has the potential to get children and adults of the couch and engaged in physical forms of play. Active gaming is fun, motivating; it is user friendly, encourages physical play and can be enjoyed by the entire family. Active gaming does come with some valid concerns, those that include; more screen time is not the answer, and active gaming can be expensive. With these concerns the points must be brought up that people are choosing more sedimentary forms of play over traditional forms and with all the choices of active gaming on the market pricing has become less of an issue. To reiterate, active gaming is not the end all be all solution to sedimentary forms of play, it is merely a tool that can be used to get people of the couch and up and moving.
Ø Greater Baltimore Committee (1997, February) GBC report on gaming: executive summary. Retrieved April 14, 2004, from http://www.gbc.org/reports/gaming/html
In pages 20-24 of Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, I agree that there are many different video games. For me, I am a fan of single-player games with story modes because I can play by myself and go at a pace that suits me. However, I enjoy playing online multiplayer when I have friends I can play with because it is fun interacting with friends and doing stuff together. I play on a console or my computer, but I have played on my phone and a hand-held device. I have not played a board game or card game in a while, but I would play it if the opportunity presents itself. The video games genres I play are sports, action, and adventure. I agree with Jane McGonigal that video games share four defining traits,
“The objective of video games are to entertain people by surprising them with new experience” (Shigeru Miyamoto).Video games have been a leisure activity for many people around the world but for some people it has become a way of life. Video games help us escape everyday life and bring us to a land of imagination. That is why many people play video games because it is a great way to relieve stress. Video games have many benefits than just being fun. Not only are video games shown to have positive effects on the individual if used in the right manner, but it also helps to connect people with common interest; bring a sense of community. It is also a resourceful way to find a career path. The components
The common stance toward video games is that they lead to seclusion, anti-social behaviors, obesity, and even sometimes violent crimes; however, video games today can benefit many gamers. They can improve learning, promoting physical activity, and benefit the brain, as well as create a positive social environment. There are even video games that are used to train our armed forces as well as games that get people that live in nursing homes up and moving.
There are several negative stereotypes associated with video games and those who play them; some of these may often hold true. However, there are plenty of learning opportunities in video games. While the direct purpose of some games is to educate or train, other games that do not directly have this purpose can still become a learning experience for the player. As Ntiedo Etuk, president of the educational video game company Tabula Digital said, “The traditional view of video games has been that they are distractions from the task of learning” (Electronic Education Report 1). Video games are an effective tool for learning and retaining skills both inside and outside the classroom environment. The basic cycle of game play--the introduction to the game, game play, collaboration, improvement of these between each round, and evaluation at the end of the game (Klievink and Janssen 159)--are nearly parallel to the traditional classroom learning cycle of reading a textbook or listening to a lecture, taking a quiz, studying, focusing on items missed on the quiz, and taking a test or exam. Within this cycle, there are many opportunities to develop and perfect both educational, life, and occupational skills.
The world we live in has changed dramatically over the last thirty years with the invention of the internet, smart phones, and video gaming systems. The world we live in now was unimaginable and the technology advances we have made are remarkable. Video game consoles and how we as a society play them has changed dramatically since the beginning of gaming in the 1970’s. Over the last decade there have been many arguments concerning video games such as too much violence, obesity, addiction, social wellbeing, and many other health related issues. Video games also have some advantages to include hand eye coordination, a strategic mind set, educational and teach life lessons to the players. However, video games do cause more harm than good because the negative outcomes out weight the positive aspects of playing video games.
3. “Video Games” by Chris Jozefowics. Published by Gareth Stevens Publishing 2010. Pleasantville, NY 10570-70000 USA. Produced by Editorials Directions Inc.
Video games have been around about 50 years and they contribute a big part of the U.S. economy. People interact with video games every day throughout different ways, such as cell phone devices, computers, consoles or whatever which has a screen on it. In fact, it has always affected people’s lives. However, not so many people understand the benefits of video games. With video games, people can not only relieve themselves from stress and suffering, but it also improves people’s social experiences while they are exchanging and absorbing knowledge with other people; more than that, people can learn many other things from video games which can help them to achieve great things in lives.
Bell, Chris. "Video Games: The Sport of the Future?" The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 26 June 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
A video game is a specific type of software that runs on hardware, a computer or video game console, and today's video games are increasingly realistic and technologically advanced. Social networking has even made its way into the video game industry with online gaming. Video games, especially those that contain violence, are becoming increasingly popular with college students. They are often considered a bellwether of Internet use, but the Internet is not the only technology they have incorporated into everyday life. They are also using other technologies like cell phones, mp3 players and other devices to entertain themselves wherever they may be but still, they are more interested on videogames that internet offers. With the increasing amount of time that students are spending on video games, one is left to wonder what effects video games have on the people who play them.
Video games are no longer the uprising form of media that ill informed parents and scientists used to fear; video games are now an established form of entertainment that is just as universally accepted as film or literature. The difference between videogames and mediums like film and literature is that they do not have the higher value that books have in exercising the mind and communicating information, nor do they have the value that films have to intellectually challenge an audience and to make people think. This is the general argument that can be heard voiced by leading intellectuals in various field as well as parents who are rising young children; both claim that videogames
The experience of game play can be described as an activity in which the player is virtually embodied in the game world. Anyone who has experienced the world of gaming knows how the engaging experience can manifest itself with “sweaty palms and chills down the spine” (http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/viewArticle/80/147) when coming face-to-face with alien creatures; or with the adrenaline rush we get when racing a high speed automobile head-to-head with a friend. Gaming is an excellent source of entertainment. It provides an opportunity for social growth, provides a meaningful form of exploring expression, and provides heightened sensitivity.
Gaming provides more advantages than it does disadvantages. Playing video games is good for you. There are many game genres out there in the world, you just have to choose the right ones to benefit you. For example, if you pick a strategy game, it would help you in critical thinking and benefit you by helping to make good decisions. A great strategy game called Starcraft was inspected in an experiment. It was found that Starcraft helped increased brain flexibility. Brain flexibility is the ability to switch between tasks and look at things from a different point of view. Higher brain flexibility allows you to comprehend multiple concepts at the same time. Brain flexibility allows you to switch between thoughts based on certain conditions and helps you adjust to your situation. For example if I were thinking about playing a video game and end up seeing the word “homework” I would instantly think about whether I have homework or not, and if I do, I would stop thinking about playing gam...
Over the years gaming has become a widely popular aspect of our culture. Kids and teenagers have replaced riding there bike or playing with dolls for video games that connect people together all over the globe .We have all been there at one point and time, there are games for just about anybody. Video games are for all age’s yes us adults love to play them to. Playing video games are fun but not a lot of people realize the impact video games can have on the body physically and mentally. Excessive playing of video games can cause decreased social skills, deterioration in health and increased aggressive behavior.
The Pew Internet study of US teenagers found that few play alone and most join up with friends when gaming. It found that many used educational games to learn about world issues and to begin to engage with politics. The report also found that gaming had become an almost universal pastime among young Americans.