In a way this study helps constitute why video games are considered to be the spiritual successors to classic fantasy literature. Like Belle in Beauty and the Beast, or Shizuku in Studio Ghibli's Whispers of the Heart, people endeavor to escape their humdrum lives into a world full of unimaginable magic and wonder. Such games, like World of Warcraft, have massive worlds, that span across continents with thousands of quests to join and millions of people to meet. With only people’s monotonous lives at stake, video games seem to be the easy and prudent solution to people’s problems. But, like drugs, people’s problems still exist and do not get solved. The only difference between the virtual world and the real world is that video games tend to be personalized and meticulously tested with experiences which, unlike books, are constantly tinkered with by their manufacturers to be as addictive as possible. Another factor of the virtual world aspect of video game addiction is control and power. In some games, people are asked to perform feats that no one in reality can actually do. In Civilization, for instance, your task is to create an empire that will “stand the test of time.” No one person has that kind of power or control in real life, but in a video game, that power is gifted upon you and if you have the imagination and wit, these free-worlds can take you to great lengths. One player, whose favorite game was Everquest, a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game commented, “I’d say the most addictive part for me was definitely the gain of power and status. The way in which as you progressively gain power you become more (of) an object of awe (to) the other players … each new skill isn’t enough.” Even the fir... ... middle of paper ... ...s own cyclical destruction. In 300 pages, Cleave explains of how he tried to twist every way he could to escape how hard life had become for him, and sooner rather than later, he became “hooked” on video games. As he explained, it only got worse. At every checkpoint in his life, he would for many hours a day and escape to a world in which he wasn't underpayed, disliked, overweight, and abandoned. A lot more work to be done before we truly understand the genesis of this addiction, yet, the science of addiction itself is still hopelessly infantile. In the meantime, gaming addicts are more or less on their own, and have to fight their addiction by figuring out what makes the real world so unappealing when compared the bright lights of the computer screen. We have a responsibility to observe games manufacturers stepping over the line from entertainment to exploitation.
There are many different definitions in which people provide regarding addiction. May (1988) describes that addiction “is a state of compulsion, obsession, or preoccupation that enslaves a person’s will and desire” (p. 14). Individuals who suffer from addiction provide their time and energy toward other things that are not healthy and safe. The book
This source mainly focus on the way video games work and how it is impact the people. Video games have advanced massively over the decades. Technology has spread its tentacles all over the place and has bestowed a lot of gifts to us and video games are one of them. The most up to date video gaming consoles are as effective as computer games, and can perform a large number of the same things. Moreover, today’s games are progressively practical and innovatively progressed. They are
Massoud, Justin. “Video Game Addiction – Five Extreme Cases.” Asylum For All Mankind. Aol Inc. 3 November 2009. Web. 5 May 2014.
Many kids like Tommy, who spend most of their childhood and adolescences emerged in imaginary lands rather than dealing with the real world at hand, become socially anxious and have low self-esteem later in life. Instead of thriving with a career and family, they relapse back to the same virtual interaction they had as a child. They float through life barely able to support themselves or result to living with their parents. Adulthood seems to them a mere task they must complete in order to continue their gaming. Excessive videogame play for children and adolescents cause social anxiety, depression, and aggression because more time is spent alone engrossed in dynamic storylines and complex situations than outside building face-to-face relationships and other healthy social skills that better prepare them for their future.
As with any addiction, video games act as a comfort zone for those who are addicted. Video game addiction is much sneakier than many other types of addiction, it hides often going completely unnoticed until it has caught its prey. Unlike gambling or drugs, video games won’t leave a physical paper trail such as an empty wallet or needles behind. This type of addiction takes hold on one’s mental and emotional state. The lack of a paper trail is what makes it most difficult for loved ones to realize that there may be a real problem. And even furthermore, family may unknowingly exacerbate the problem, increasing the strength of the addiction.
Addiction is something that may seem inevitable but at the end it’s entirely the fault of a person who is addicted. In the article by Charles Duhigg ‘the power of habit’ Angie Bachmann got addicted to gambling, it was because of her fault as she kept accepting the offers from cassino and many other reasons.. Both knew what they were doing but still Angie let herself get into the situation, and the casino encouraged it. She was a well settled housewife, when everybody used to leave the house she was all alone. One fine day, while passing through the street she took a visit to casino just for a change.
3. “Video Games” by Chris Jozefowics. Published by Gareth Stevens Publishing 2010. Pleasantville, NY 10570-70000 USA. Produced by Editorials Directions Inc.
Experts Han and Renshaw have studies that proves patients with internet addiction have altered social behavior, increased aggression, tend to be lonely, reduced attention, and depressed moods. Their studies also show disruption of daily routines and may become violent when asked to stop playing. Daily time spent playing video games in children takes away from reading and academic study. Bavelier and Green’s idea was for game developers to turn their games for educational and/or clinical applications. This is to develop a fun and attractive games that can also have the educational or rehabilitation impact experts are seeking (Bavelier et al.,
"Everything in moderation." Nothing is healthy if you constantly do it. This could range from games to working out, eating, or even doing homework. Video game addiction is equivalent to an alcohol or drug addiction. That bad, I know. According to the University of New Mexico, recent studies suggest that 6 to 15 percent of all gamers exhibit signs that could be characterized as addiction. Physical signs of addiction could be, but are not limited to: fatigue, extreme migraines, extensive use of lying, poor hygiene and in some extreme cases, carpal tunnel syndrome has occurred in video game addicts. Emotional signs of video game addiction are irritability when unable to play, isolation from others, thoughts about previous game play and neglecting other important health related things like eating food, brushing your teeth, washing up, changing your clothes, or sleeping. Even in some extreme cases of addiction, death or yourself and murder of friends or loved ones has occurred.
In society’s current era of technological advancement, video games have gone a long way since they were first created. Video games in the twenty-first century are no longer just toys or junk in the lifestyles of the youth. They have become innovative inventions that not only entertain its users, but also help aid the people in both the academic field and in jobs. The influences that video games bring about in the culture of the youth today are, in fact, not the negative influences that most people think. Video games are actually this generation’s new medium for educating the youth. The information they learn are also mostly positive and useful things that they may apply in their future lives (Prensky 4). In a generation that revolves around technology and connectivity, developers and educators have already been able to produce fun and interesting games that can teach and train people. Video game developers and educators should continue to collaborate in order to create more positive, educational, and appealing games.
Without some restraint in fantasy games, the player may begin to ignore reality. Why would they want reality when they have whatever they desire in their world of fantasy? In today’s society, a major thing people lack is control. For many things, people cannot control the outcome. This is especially true in the lives of children. They cannot control injuries, or even their parent’s financial stability. With that in mind for anyone, fantasy games allow an escape from reality. This may allow them a chance to forget that they are being bullied in school or that their parents are about to get a divorce. The fantasy video games forces their attention to be on the tasks within the game instead of the difficulties of their current reality. Imagination can be a powerful thing. In the end, it is all an illusion. Some people know that from the beginning. However, there are some people who tend to forget. This causes them to lose track in the difference between reality and fantasy. The same thing happens in fantasy movies. In Media and Children’s Aggression, Fear, and Altruism, Barbra J. Wilson mentions that, “In one nationally representative survey, 62 percent of parents of two- to seventeen-year-olds agreed that their children had “sometimes become scared that something they saw in a movie or on TV might happen to them.” According to The Association for Natural Psychology, “If a
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.
Alarming not only for a particular group of people but to the whole of society today is that online gaming addiction among young people. There was one important part of the community that they are being video game addicts - students are studying at universities and colleges. An online questionnaire for video game online gamers was completed with 1420 online gamers - “The data of demographic information show that 50% of gamers were students, 36% were in employed work and the entire of them were unemployed and retired” (Zaheer, Mark and Thom 363). Most of the video ...
Video games are not considered as a serious addiction amongst teenagers and adults, often being compared to severe cases of addiction, such as drug abuse or alcohol abuse that may result in the appearance of a decrease in the severity of the addiction. However, video game addiction is a serious matter and has unhealthy consequences for an individual 's life and their health; spending too much time playing video games can take a great toll on one 's physical and mental well-being. Continuing unhealthy patterns of video game activity for prolonged periods of time can result in mental health issues, physical health problems, and a decline in a social life.
People who are addictive tend to obsessively go on online and follow up one of their role models or to play videos to create different characters in the virtual world. One of the mains reasons of why people become addicted to the internet is so they can escape their realities. People, who usually had unfortunate childhoods, try their best to find a way to become distracted with their own life. If they are not happy with themselves, they play videos games to create characters online or they obsessively update themselves on others that they wish they could be. Another reason why people become obsessive because it is a way for them to meet others online that share the same interest. From personal experience, my father used to have an obsession playing “World of Warcraft.” If he had the choice to, he would not leave the house and would play until he had to go to sleep, rinse and repeat. In a military family, it was common for us to constantly move around and for my father it was difficult in finding friends. My father would mostly play the game to find others that had the same interests that would keep him company. If my father didn 't realize how badly the game had corrupted his lifestyle, the addiction may have became more