Online Games : A New Hobby For The Past Ten Years

Whether it is in a real world or cyber space, meeting people seems to be an almost inevitable part of modern daily life. Meeting or interacting with new people can be stressful. When people encounter a stranger, they try to avoid or reduce it by getting as much information as possible in the course of the conversation or interaction. There is an average of two gamers in each game-playing U.S household as shown in the research of ESA Entertainment Software Association (2013). According to ESA’s Effective Facts, over 50% of Americans are playing video games that means at least one of the average U.S. household owns dedicated game console such as Xbox360, PS series, etc., Computer, or smartphone. The average age of game players is 30 years old. In that manner, the video games are not the property of the children anymore. Playing video game becomes as an important social issue. This particular study investigates video game reduces the social anxiety.

One of the most arguable topics today is teenage internet usage. Many people think that teens today spend too much time on the internet and should be out in the experiencing life in the real world. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Christy Matte, writer of “10 Great Things Teens Learn While “Playing” Online” says the time that teens spend on the internet is useful and will subsequently enhance their computer skills. She explains the skills you learn on the internet and those skills are necessary in teens futures. The amount of time that teenagers spend online is justified since it will refine their computer skills that colleges and employers will be looking for in applicants.

Now that technological companies all over the world have set most of the seven billion individuals in the world with a computer, smartphone or tablet, it is time for better software to use with them. This is where games come in. Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello stated in a recent interview that PC gaming is the ‘fastest growing platform’. This shows the growing interest in gaming bearing in mind that gamers also have the means to play on. The term ‘gamer’ refers to an individual that plays a game or games, typically a participant in a computer or role playing game. The gaming community has grown so wide in the last few years because of the shift from single player games to multiplayer games on the internet

From the past till now, video game never loses its popularity, from Gameboy to Wii, and from NDS to LOL, millions and billions of people are obsessed with this imaginary world. Some of the video games are created for educational purpose, however, most are created for the people who wants to escape from reality. “In a national Harris Poll survey of 1,178 American youths (ages 8-18), ISU Assistant Professor of Psychology Douglas Gentile found nearly one in 10 of the gamers (8.5 percent) to be pathological players.” ("Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) ") Not only the statistic shows the high rate of addiction towards video games, terrible consequences of the addictions are more than enough to be served. For example, an extreme case of an Chinese kid called Xioyi suicide because he lose in one of his game on December 27, 2004; where he left a note that said he wanted “to join the heroes of the game he worshiped.” Video game has the potential to ruin a person’s life, as well as their family, or even the

The researchers found that kids play games to cope with their emotions, to enjoy challenging situations, to keep up with peers playing similar games, to create their own worlds, and to relieve stress ( MassGeneral, 2012 ). A child may revel video games because it gets the child's mind off whatever is going on in his or her life situations. In addition, the child may be seeking a challenge from computerized gaming. When a child plays a challenging game it works various parts of their brain, and who doesn't like to overcome a challenging situation, while being ignorant to your own life experiences. Keeping up to date with your peers is an absolute must for a solemn gamer. In most cases, an online game player wants to rise to the top of the leaderboards. Found mostly in role-playing games, the child is permitted to create a world of his or her own. The player can create, demolish, or act the part of a character in the world they have created. Lastly, the child may be playing the game to relieve current stress that he or she has. While playing the game, stress can easily vanish for the child. Thereupon, Video games are mostly used to get the child's mind off stress or emotions, to allow the enjoyment of difficult positions, to keep updated on the leaderboards, or to allow role-play in the child's own made-up

Video games have become a great source of enjoyment for many people around the world. In fact, an estimated 160 million people are playing in the United States alone. For those playing, there are many benefits to be gained.

This paper will explore the psychological benefits that video games have on individuals based on research conducted online (Internet) and offline (non-Internet) . The research will focus mainly on cognitive , motivational , emotional and social benefits that individuals gain by playing video games. Furthermore it will compare gamers with those that don 't play video games or normal teaching methods and what helps better retain the skills gained. The research conducted is based on console gaming (xbox, playstation, wii) and pc. The research will focus on first person shooters, role playing, racing games.

Today, the internet and computer gaming have taken on a large following. The negative effects of these games and the internet on the basic population are deplorable. Many people, especially teenagers use this as an unhealthy escape from reality and in place of human interaction. Although, it is argued that these games may offer a positive impact on one’s life skills, it is quite obvious that the increase of gaming and internet use brings both acts of violence and even addictive behavior.

Gaming has a special place in the hearts of many because the games use can vary from user to user, it could be a be a form entertainment, to stress relief or even becoming a professional gamer. Today the gaming world has hit an astronomical at 1.8 billion players worldwide and is continually growing. Many have argued that gaming has influenced negative behavior, however, through the abundant amount benefits gaming provides and the constant stream of fresh innovations gaming has proven to have a positive impact on society.

Thus, people play computer gamese not only to entertain themselves but consider it as an important part of life. Nevertheless, I claim that MMO is a tool that can benefit people’s lives. MMO is a beneficial

Today, video games are becoming more and more popular than they have ever been. This is due to the technology that we have which allows us to make new electronic devices and fancy, beautiful looking graphics. “It shows that 2.2 billion gamers across the globe are expected to generate $108.9 billion in game revenues in 2017. This represents an increase of $7.8 billion, or 7.8%, from the year before” (newzoo). This further proves the increase of population in the gaming industry.

As we all know that "Video Game" or "Virtual Sport" is one kind of art. Earlier this form of art was used to only entertain people and it was a tool of entertainment and also for passing the leisure time. However, now-a-days, many video games are not just a tool of entertainment, but also a tool to reform a society. The mentioned games earlier in this paper are some of them. The video game developers of these games didn't make these games for money alone, but also with a view to change the whole society and create a better place to live all the individuals equally. These games convey a very important message to the students, parents and teachers. It focuses on the very important issues of our society. In some of the high schools, colleges of Netherlands and Switzerland, The course instructors of History courses instructs their students to play Assassin's Creed games rather than only focuses on class notes to understand and visualize the historical events very deeply. Same theory goes to the Psychology Department of educational institutes as well. They suggested to play the games like The Walking Dead, Life Is Strange to improve the style of thinking and positive decision making.

Gaming, a word known all too well and the availability of games is practically limitless, appeals to various age groups, genres, and consoles. Unfortunately, virtual games also have a stereotype unsuitably attached. When countless individuals hear the word gaming, they immediately tend to think it’s a waste of time and resources without comprehending the experiences or learning aspects. Some of the benefits of gaming include providing a creative outlet used to express oneself, can assist in developing improved multitasking skills, and sharpened eye-hand coordination. The gaming world, therefore, is more than what meets the eye.

The stereotype of gamer that public often choose to think is those who stay in their rooms or couches playing games or browning Internet all day long, without any actual real-world social life, because of that people consider games can cause antisocial behavior which later may turn into mental health illness or unstable violent behavior. It can be true in some circumstances where the subject have previous psychological problems in his/her record; however according to Mental Health Weekly Digest “New research finds that online social behavior isn’t replace offline social behavior in gaming community. Instead, online gaming is expanding player’s social lives.” It is quite understandable when we consider all online activities as a similar version of talking and texting friends. We cannot classify the interacting that done through Internet, containing a huge amount of information, as part of non-social life. The research also said, “they had found that gamers were often exhibiting many social behaviors at once: watching games, talking, drinking, and chatting online.” (Mental Health Weekly Digest) Gaming community never lacks of communication between players for example: World of Warcraft, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game which has millions of players or Twitch an online platform where people watching

Playing online games, according to some research is beneficial. It enables the mind of the players to be more active, especially those puzzle-based games. It helps the player to come up with decisions in tight situations, especially those adventure