Showing the other side of video games that people hardly talk about. Describing how video games can have a positive effect on a person or group of people.
Despite what some have said in light of the pandemic, many people have turned to video games to stay connected to their friends and family. It’s served as an outlet to release any pent-up emotions. While this proves that video games aren’t as bad as some people claim, it also shows that video games can be far more useful to people than originally assumed.
Video games have been around since the 1980s and have been a staple for many people since childhood. Individuals who spend most of their time on video games end up making careers out of it. However, some people dislike or even hate video games because they merely see it as a harmful distraction. Several media outlets think it causes isolation and addictive behaviors; they are essentially calling video games a drug.
I was introduced to video games by my brothers as we were growing up. I would watch them play a bunch of different games, but especially Nintendo games, and I would always smile because it looked like they were having so much fun. As kids, they would get so involved in the game to a point where no one could get their attention. As we got older and I started playing, not just for entertainment, I used video games to deal with my emotions and help distract me from the real world; slowly, it became a huge part of me. Along with that, I became more drawn to the story behind the games and started watching gaming channels as a way to learn more about the games.
Facts and Statistics
According to the article, “Video Game Statistics [Click the “Start” Button],” in 2018, more than 166 million adults played video games in the US. In 2019, around 2.4 billion people will play mobile games. 52% of gamers play on their personal computers. 42% of Americans play video games every week.
People claimed that video games cause violence, but this same point can be made to books, movies, and TV shows where violence is a crucial gimmick. From the article “Video game bans are unconstitutional, and they won’t prevent violent crimes,” the author states, “The argument that video games cause violence is not backed up by research.” So there is no proof that video games cause violent crimes so you have to wonder where these people come to this conclusion. These people haven’t played a video game and just want to bash it. The parents of kids who are into video games want to take away something that their kids enjoy. They see their kids play hours of it and make comments like saying this would rot your brain or you will go blind if you keep staring at the screen like that. Along with these comments, games are becoming more realistic and the introduction to virtual reality making people more interactive in the game can be seen as a worry but this should be seen as a positive. Now, instead of sitting down the entire time as we play, we’re actually moving more.
Also, in the same article it states, ”If anything, the Supreme Court undervalued video games’ artistic importance. In recent decades, video games have developed into a highly nuanced art form with storytelling as powerful and compelling as cinema was in the last century.” This statement is quite true with video games. There are stories within many games called lore, even the basic game can have lore. Also, the art aspect of video games give great visualization to people just like books or shows can be the inspirations for people to start drawing video games. This includes writing video games as the years’ past video games plot lines have gone deeper and these stories create very intricate worlds within them.
According to the article, “Gaming – Statistics & Facts” , there are currently over two billion people in the world who are gamers. Now people can see that gaming isn’t just for kids; it’s a huge platform for all ages that is worth a lot of money. Also, in 2020, the total percentage of female gamers is 41%, which is an increase of previous years.
According to the article “Can video games help in mental health recovery?” “Gameplay may promote a mindfulness-like psychological [escape] but can also provide users with benefits of confidence, social connection, personal growth, and opportunities for employment or even leadership.”.
People who dislike video games tend to claim that playing video games would make you more of a loner but this disproves that. In fact, it proves the opposite: video games can help build character. Video games are a cheaper option than medicine for disabled people to get help; video games give people more opportunities to be social and physical. Showing that video games do more good for the public by giving people who are suffering physical or mental to have more interactions with others thanks to video games putting them in scenario they would avoid.
Personal relationship
Alex Reed, born and raised in Bronx, New York, grew up in a Dominican household with an older brother and a younger sister. “I played Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo with some family when I was around the age of 6 or 7,” he said. It was an old system even at the time, but I remember it being the game we would all play for hours on.” Video games became a part of his life at a very young age, with many consoles ranging from Nintendo to PC. “I play video games whenever I have downtime. I like to take it seriously when I’m playing because I believe that you can get a new experience of enjoyment whenever you put enough time and effort into a game.” For him, video games have always been positive and he still has a system in the house to play whenever he wants. Also, their community for video games with people who play the same game or the same genre and being able to talk with others about games, the story, graphic, and the gameplay of the games.
Sarah Roman is the creative lead of the Esports and Game Design Collective who are a startup company and who are making our brand identity. “As a kid, I’d take pictures of me holding the Super Nintendo controller down and pretending to play Donkey Kong Country with my folks. The controller wasn’t even plugged in! I just really fell in love with video games. I grew up playing Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda. Even behind the game, I was interested in doing that from a young age.” Sarah’s main inspiration for choosing this career for herself is due to her love of video games just like many people who become a professional gamer, video game designer, or video game programmer and other careers related to a video game because of their own experiences with video games.
Justin Ramous, a college student at Hostos college, is studying game design. “I honestly can’t remember the first game I ever played,” he says, “but I do remember playing a lot of Pokemon and WWE games when I was younger.”Now in college, he gets to create his own games. “The classes are hard, but through those classes, I was able to learn how to Photoshop and design different types of board games,” Ramous says “Besides that, video games have been a part of me for all my life, helping me deal with stress, calming me down, and relaxing. Since I have been playing for a long time, I feel that without it, a piece of me is gone.”
Now in college doing computer science, video games are still a big part of my life. I have to expand a little to other games consoles to get my gaming fixes like on the computer with a life simulation game,” he says. “I play the Sims 4 for hours with my friends and family, putting them in scenarios that they wouldn’t be in real life. Also, I do the many challenges the community of this game has created. I still play Nintendo games and multiplayer shooters like Splatoon, which is fun and requires teamwork. I also play sandbox games like Minecraft, which is also fun—being allowed to explore the massive world looking for goods or building infrastructure.
Future of Gaming
Like many cultures where there is mistreatment among a minority group in the community, the people in the majority need to stand up and change the culture where everyone feels welcome and wants. Sarah Roman says,”The future of Video games starts by nipping the toxicity in the communities by ending the hostility and constant bullying of women and people of color. Once this ends and they’re a field Guide for this, video games will thrive, and the communities will play well together and stand up against this disgusting behavior.”
Alex Reed says, “From what I have been seeing, the focus seems to be immersion. With the introduction of the virtual reality helmets and full-body tracking apparatus.” In the future video games will be more than just sitting on a couch or desk and staring at the screen, the future will be more virtual and more movement thanks to the input commands through the controller.“I am excited about the future!” he/she says.
Justin Ramous agrees.,”In the future we won’t need controllers for games. We’ll be able to enter the game by just stepping into it.”
So if you’ve never tried a video game before, find a genre you know you’ll like and play it! You will feel like you’re in the game itself and discover a new way to deal with stress.
Untold Uptown 