The dangers of Online Gaming - Essay Example

The Dangers of Online Gaming According to the recent statistics, the global internet users have breached the billion mark and it is experiencing an unprecedented amount of growth not just in terms of years but in the frequency of months. (CIA 2008) One of the Internet platforms buoyed by dramatic rise in the Internet usage is the growing popularity of addictive online games. This paper is going to explore this sector of the Internet industry and specifically outline the dangers in its use. Background Online gaming is a technology in video games wherein players can play in a multiplayer environment – a combination of player to player and player to game interactivity – via the internet platform. (Friedl 2002, p. 196) Online games come in various formats or game plays. In some games, players engage friends or acquaintances in the same room, network or dorm. Other games involve humongous online communities of thousands of players. In terms of variety, the range of online games is vast. The most popular online games are the role playing games or more popularly known as Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) – games that connect thousands of players in real-time interaction and communication. Other games include strategy, first-person shooter (FPS) and Social Games. In almost all of the online games, players must create the characters or avatars – even in combat games – choosing from different physical appearance, skills, attributes, and even clothes. The high level of customization contributes to the appeal of every game play. This is especially the case in games like Everquest, World of Warcraft or Guildwars. Here, players enter digital romantic fantasy environments inhabited by monsters and magical beings such as elves, knights and gnomes. The idea is for the player to live in a digital community, interacting with other players where in the process they learn rules, formulate strategies and make decisions affecting the well-being of their characters as well as those of others. In other cases, online gaming is about facing or fighting evil and menacing forces far more true to life than evil wizards or magical monsters. For instance, there’s the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GTA) where the player assumes the identity of a former gang member sought by the police in an urban setting wherein in order to survive, he or she must fight the authorities and commit crimes. Halo 2 is the story of a genetically modified superhuman soldier who must battle out the group of alien races that are bent of destroying the earth. Games like Half-Life, Deus Ex, and Red Faction pit contestants against powerful rich people or corporations. Other games like Gunz or Medal of Honor: Allied Assault explore the theme of war and gun battles. There are also those tame and simple online games such as car racing, building empires, simulated communities or social games like The Sims and game competitions like Oz and Pangya. The Players The popular notion is that online game players or “online gamers” are overwhelmingly young males, ranging in age from their late teens to their early thirties – or guys without dates, as they are sometimes known in the computer game world. In reality, however, the demographic is different. A 2004 study by Jupiter Research found that almost two-thirds of online adults who are into online gaming are women while the Pew Internet Project’s American study revealed that 75 per cent of teenage boys play online games while 57 per cent of teenage girls play the games as well. (cited in Poole et al., p. 142) The role-playing nature of the online games requires players to place themselves into identities and personas that are far-removed from the typical realities of the player. The experience of immersion in an imaginary world heightens this experience triggering addiction which breeds a string of problems from health, emotional, social, psychological and even the commission of crimes. Research Due to the recent emergence of online gaming, there has been little scholarly research and even less published work on the subject particularly on its negative effects. However, studies have been conducted in many related areas. For example, there is Ralph Schroeder’s (2002) edited volume, The Social Life of Avatars, which contains essays analyzing the issues of the social presence in networked virtual environments. In the Video Game Theory Reader, Filiciak (2003) examined the identity from a postmodern perspective in massively multiplayer games; the notion of postmodern identity and multiple aspects of self on the Internet (p. 87-102). Others have studied issues of gender, race, identity, and deception in several types of online communities such as those undertaken by Smith and Kollock (1999). Addiction An online game’s ill effect on the well-being of an individual is highlighted in the general concept of “internet addiction.” Paul Bocij (2006) defined it as an excessive use of the Internet in such a way that it affects the other areas of a person’s life. (p. 196) There has been some debate as to whether Internet addiction represents a genuine condition but it is widely believed that it is an illness similar to other kinds of addiction. According to Bocij, “greater use of the Internet was associated with declines in participants’ communication with family members in the household, declines in the size of their social circle and increases in their depression and loneliness. (p. 197) The social aspect, wrote Steve Roche (2005), is the primary factor for online game addiction. (p. 72) Players get a sense of belonging and acceptance through the games as they interact in the guise of the characters they represent. In addition, online games lure players with complex systems of goals and achievements. Usually, a player will engage in activities in order to develop their characters from one level to the next. This is called “leveling-up”. Players can find themselves wrapped up in the game for hours as they struggle to gain one more level or skill or weapon. As players invest more and more time playing, online games takes away a large part of their lives as well as their relationship with others people, sometimes even endangering their physical, emotional and mental health and those of the people around them. For instance, a number of deaths have resulted from addiction to online games. Bocij documents: In 2001, Shawn Woolley, a 21-year old from Wisconsin, committed suicide after his advances were rejected by another player in the game he was playing everyday. In October 2002, a 24-year old Korean collapsed and died after playing online games almost non-stop for 86 hours. In 2005, a four-month-old baby died of suffocation because she was left alone when her young parents went out to play online games at a local Internet café. (p. 198) Media Violence Another danger of online gaming is in the context of an aggravated case of media violence. Many people and social commentators have often voiced concerns that violent media materials such as video games and online games could corrupt children and adolescents and encourage them to become more violent in real life. (Poole et al., p. 143) Media reports, for instance, have repeatedly linked the 1999 Columbine High School shooting rampage, to the popular games such as Doom, Quake and GTA. Indeed, this is an argument worth considering. This dimension is a more serious version of the negative effects of watching violent movies and TV programs. In online gaming, a player is not only a mere spectator. Here, he takes part in “hurting” and “killing” other players and could freely engage in bullying and other socially undesirable behavior such as offensive language, racism, discrimination and other acts. In addition, online games are highly competitive and players learn one way or another to cheat and even rob others in order to improve their chances of winning. This area is especially dangerous for children who are in their developmental stage and are seeking role models in the development of their identities. The experience of immersion, the act of imaginings and the experiencing of a digital and novel identity help shape attitudes that could lead players to be more sympathetic to others or vice versa. The game Ethnic Cleansing, for example, involves shooting at the police, urban minorities, Muslims, African Americans, Latinos and Jews. This kind of game play reinforces damaging stereotypes that could unfortunately inculcate in the young minds that certain socially negative attitudes are actually alright. Conclusion Online gaming tend require a high degree of involvement. As these games integrate communication and entertainment in a play environment they become significant to players and their lives, they become more and more popular drawing obsession from players across the globe. This paper has illustrated that online games could have an adverse impact on a person’s well-being especially when played excessively. Online game addiction is characterized by the same symptoms and effects as those other addictions that are considered as illnesses and medical cases. Personal relationships, social interaction, physical activity – these factors are just some of the casualties of online game addiction. Finally and most importantly, online games display a worse kind of media violence that threatens to undermine the proper development of young people. Positive values are under attack as shocking images of images of violence and human sufferings are glorified with computer and technological aesthetics. According to David Trend (2007), while such images do not necessarily compel players to action, they gradually reinforce acceptance. (p. 118) As previously mentioned, players are no longer spectators in the violent acts as in movies and television materials. They partake in the action and, needless, to say it adds up to the influence on a player’s psyche. Numerous cases have already been reported in the media, directly linking online games to deaths, ruined relationship and bad health implications. This is the reason why attention must be given to this sector either by governments and the parents. Studying, monitoring and possibly regulating online games could address the dangers that it may pose not just to individuals but to society as a whole. References Bocij, P. (2006). The Dark Side of the Internet. Greenwood Publishing Group. Filiciak, M. (2003). The Video Game Theory Reader. New York: Routledge. Friedl, M. (2002). Online Game Interactivity Theory. Charles River Media. Poole, H., Lambert, L., Woodford, C., and Moschovitis, C. (2005). The Internet. ABC-CLIO. Roche, S. (2005). Protect your children from Internet and Mobile Phone Dangers. Sparkwave. Schroeder, R. (2002). The Social Life of Avatars: Presence and Interaction in Shared Virtual Environments. Springer. Smith, M. andKollock, P. (1999). Communities in Cyberspace. Routledge. The World Fact Book: Internet Users. (2008). CIA. Retrieved 10 Oct. 2008, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2153rank.html Trend, D. (2007). The Myth of Media Violence: A Critical Introduction. 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