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The Evolution of Gaming: From Pixelated Pleasures to Behavioural Pitfalls

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Over the years, the video games industry has experienced massive improvement at an exponential rate. From pixelated visuals to high-definition graphics, from arcade sticks to immersive virtual reality controls, and from side scroller games to well-developed story lines, the evolution of video games showcases the strength of technology. While the industry itself has been flourishing thoroughly, so are the concerns of the consumers.Over the years, the scrutiny surrounding video games have only ever increased, with strong backlash owing to the negative impacts the gamers have been experiencing. While most of these homemade theories have been debunked and rejected, consequences of gaming still remain a valid and concerning area of study.  

 

The early advancements within the industry have been massive and multi-faceted; however, improvements across the industry have recently diverted focus towards a higher degree of depth in Co-op and more single-dimensional experience.  This drastic shift from single player to multi player has brought about a subsequent shift in behavioural actions of those partaking in the act. Video Games up until the late 2010s were mostly single-player and story-mode based, the opponents played against, in this case, were usually computerized enemies in the shapes of beasts, monsters and humanoid villains. Games such as God of War, Red Dead Redemption and Mass Effect perfectly illustrate such a concept. In addition to these, racing and simulation games, too, had a fair share of the market.

 

Recently, however, this space has rapidly been replaced by Co-op games, mostly themed around violence. Where earlier, a certain combination of repetitive button pressing would lead to the elimination of an AI-driven monster and the successful progression into the next chapter, now the same act enables the gamer to kill the avatar of a fellow gamer and then the chance of killing several more gamers. Hence, an unhealthy sense of competition, inducing egoistic sentiments. Multiplayer modes, are in fact, preferred over the single-player themes as the dopamine rush is much more significant when you are better than a real player as compared to one that is computerized. This further negatively impacts behaviours; studies show that while these games have increasingly desensitised children to violence, they have also increased impatience and aggression within the gamers. This leads to behaviour which in the Gamer terminology is denoted as “Gamer Rage”, whereby the user gets so involved in the game that he expresses that via actions such as shouting, screaming at fellow gamer, punching in the chair and breaking controllers. The game stimulates a fight or flight response in the gamers which leads to high heart rate, rapid breathing, increased alertness and intense focus. These fast paced games are conducive in building emotional energy inside the gamer which translates into rage once or if they fail. Gamer rage is often associated with in-game defeats, non-proficient team mates and external interruptions. However, even in cases where the gamer wins, they feel compelled to express that stored energy in the form of an exaggerated celebration which often involves screaming and deprecatory remarks to the opponent. Gamer rage is highly prevalent in younger users and poses itself as serious concern as such behaviours are often translated into other out of game activities. 

 

Furthermore, gamers have been observed to demonstrate heightened “grinding” to improve their performance status within their games. While earlier, story-based games would not require as much dedication, the new co-op games have incentivised such dedication by showing a positively linear relationship between the time & effort a gamer inputs and the results achieved. Hence, in an attempt to improve the status of their “avatars”, gamers would play for significantly long hours at a stretch, or in other words, would grind at a long stretch. While the most evident short-term implication would be losing track of time and burn-outs, this “grinding” behaviour may seep into other aspects of life, such as academics, where an all-nighter before an exam would be expected to benefit as well as a paced-out study program. Gamers undermine the essence of time and how certain things have slow processes and thus take up time. Users want immediate results and thus grow impatient. 

 

The evolution of video games has significantly impacted the behaviors of the users, seeping into their social interactions and daily tasks. Thus mindful development for the creators and a balanced approach from the users is required to harness the true benefits of gaming.

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Rida Salman
Rida Salman
Jun 28, 2024

As someone who's always loved playing video games, I really enjoyed reading your blog. It provides a critical analysis of the transition from solo to co-op and multiplayer video games, highlighting how this evolution has impacted player psychology. This analysis helps us comprehend the wider implications of gaming developments that go beyond improvements in technology. It recognizes the possible drawbacks of excessive gaming, including a heightened sense of hostility and impatience, along with the potential to hinder time management skills and academic achievements. What effects do you think cultural differences have on how people see and accept certain gaming behaviors, like "gamer rage"? Do you think there are any strategies or ideas for game design that may mitigate the misconduct that comes with playing in a competitive setting?

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