Impact of Computer games on Society

 ETHICS: Impact of Computer games on society

AIM: To discuss the Good, the bad and the ugly of gaming.

NEGATIVES

Excessive play time - 

 Players who play games for long amounts of time can be affected drastically. Individuals can have their education and performance affected by playing games excessively. This is because players may lose sleep which can affect concentration levels and lack of energy during work or at school. In extreme cases, there have been reports that students do not continue with further education/higher education because of their addiction to playing computer games. According to studies, in rare incidents parents have neglected their children due to the long periods of time parents play computer games. 

Social Isolation -

Due to the fact that some gamers spend too much time playing computer games, it can have a drastic impact on their lifestyle. This is because they put themselves at risk of social isolation. There is an even larger risk of social isolation, if gamers spend all their time playing games without communicating to anybody.

A gamer who spends large amounts of time alone with no human contact can become withdrawn, therefore may have a huge impact on their social skills. This could then give gamers  the disadvantage of having little confidence and might be unable to socialise without difficulty. 

Cost -

While gaming can be a fun hobby, problems may rise when gamers feel peer pressured into getting the latest computer game or gaming console. Due to the large selection of technology (PC, Game consoles, hand-held devices etc.) there is an increased pressure on the cost of keeping up with the latest gaming technologies. As a result of this, it can put strains on parents who's children might constantly want to upgrade their gaming platform every year. As well as this, electricity costs, internet costs and additional hardware costs (extra controllers) can be quite expensive, particularly things that require monthly subscriptions in order to play online.

Seperation from reality - 

Some gamers can become so engrossed in their computer games, they can actually believe that they are in the virtual world where the game takes place. This might be an enjoyable experience in adventure games, but however can have negative effects. There are cases where players who are normally passive, have played violent games which have made them violent when they are not playing the game. Extreme cases have shown that some people can even commit murders in the form of actions seen in computer games,that they are addicted to. Although this is rare, some individuals have done this so game developers need to take necessary measures in order to stop this happening. 

POSITIVES

Hand-eye coordination:

Gaming has its benefits for hand-eye coordination in various sectors. According to some reports, surgeons are more skilled if they have practised gaming over periods of time. Therefore, gaming can be used to enhance coordination skills. An example of how gaming can improve coordination are First person shooters which can help soldiers, who are going to war, improve their reaction times, reflexes and general coordination. Game developers are paid to make first person shooters which simulate war. As well as this, sportsman and women can simulate real- world hand and body movements on the Nintendo Wii. This is because, the Wii offers a remote which can be held to take part in various activities ie: table tennis, boxing, baseball etc.  

In addition, simulation games can be used to train pilots and drivers.

     

Brain training - 

Games have been developed in many areas so that hand-held consoles can be used as brain training games. Brain training can be both fun and challenging so can be used to make learning more enjoyable. This can be used in many classrooms so that students enjoy learning more than traditional classroom learning.

Thinking and strategy skills - 

Strategy games such as; war games can be useful to improve thinking skills. This is because the player has to think of a strategy in order to play the game. Instead of actually controlling the player through the game, time needs to be taken to make  the correct decision so that the player can progress in the game. This can help enhance and develop peoples thinking skills.