Exploring the Growing Popularity of Gaming: Casual and Hardcore Gamers - Essay Sample

Introduction

Gaming relates to playing of some electronic games through mobile phones, computers or other electronic media that can permit the indulgence in such games. The concept of gaming has risen in popularity over the years due to the rise in technological innovations (Sundberg 11). Gaming has evolved to be more pervasive such that those involved in intermittent gaming are known as causal gamers, while those who spend most of the time in gaming are known as hardcore gamers. Most fundamentally, gaming is more prevalent in young people within society; thus, it has often brought controversies among adults. This paper shall review various literature on the effects of gaming as well as the analysis World of Warcraft video game.

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Effects of Gaming in Teenagers

The recent advancements in technology have led to the rise of various online games that have been noted by several authors to have both negative and positive effects on teenagers. Even though several concerns have been raised concerning online gaming, some video games have been noted to have beneficial effects (Haaranen and Rodrigo 10). For instance, various authors have pointed out that in the first-person shooting games, the different players are expected to simultaneously control multiple factors such as speed and location of the target. The simultaneous coordination of such a gaming environment improves the coordination of the brain, the eyes, and the fingertips (Sundberg 11).

The video-games are highly associated with better eye coordination as well as visuospatial abilities, which have significant implications on real life. The online games have also been associated with improved cognitive skills of the learners; thus, several authors have recommended that such games be adopted in schools for instruction purposes (Haaranen and Rodrigo 2). For instance, gaming provides a chance for the personalization of learning for various students. Games have a significant effect on giving motivation for the teenagers involved. Players are often motivated when they have a personal attachment with the goal (Sundberg 11).

Furthermore, may authors note that some games are associated with success in the healthcare industry characterized by improved content memorization as well as in-depth content understanding. As such, the effects of online games could be viewed under the lenses of emotional, cognitive, motivational, as well as social effects (Sundberg 11). Although there have been conventional beliefs that playing games cause intellectual laziness, playing games could be associated with improved cognitive skills. However, it is essential to note that enhanced cognitive performance is linked to shorter video games than the longer ones. Again the online games have been designed such that the people of all ages are pulled together in persevering the moments of failure and celebrating the successful completion of the challenging tasks. Research indicates that children develop the beliefs about their abilities through the games, thus directly affecting their achievements (Kaye, Rachel, and Sally 3).

Nevertheless, unlike the perception that online games have adverse effects on gamers, research shows that an average player is often not socially isolated because, in most cases, the games are played with a friend either competitively or collectively (Haaranen and Rodrigo 23). It is thus imperative to conclude that gamers rapidly learn social skills that may generalize to their peers and, by extension, to the family that is beyond the gaming environment (Kaye, Rachel and Sally 25).

Even though there are several notable benefits of online games, there are also potential harms that such games have on gamers. For instance, depression, addiction, and aggression are some of the adverse effects of gaming that have been noted by several authors. As such, the games which people chose to play have immense influences on the players' emotional state, social interaction, as well as the level of motivation (Haaranen and Rodrigo 23). Through the research above and my analysis, it is essential to conclude that not all online games are harmful to the lives of teenagers. Some of these games could be essential in the social, emotional, and motivational well-being of the gamers.

My favorite online game, which is the world of Warcraft, brings people together online to battle against each other and the world. The game involves various characters choosing their imaginary race upon which they are given a task to complete (Kaye, Rachel, and Sally 34). To complete the assigned task, the player is expected to speak to the characters who are controlled by the software as well as read texts and collaborate with the players through messengers and text chatting. In the game, numerous players across the world leave their real-world behind and focus on a grand quest for heroic adventure in the world of fantasy. In most instances, the players are not interested in the mechanical aspects of the game, but the enjoyment comes with the presence of other players on board, thus boosting social skills.

World of Warcraft promotes several values. For instance, the first significant value that is exhibited by the game is social communication value. As such, the participants often agree that engagement in the set promoted a feeling of accomplishment and psychological motivation, primarily because of the public visibility nature of the various characters. The gamers particularly value the sense of accomplishment and recognition that comes along with acclaiming something that appeared initially tricky. Again, the players also experience social motivation when they play with friends, families, and sometimes even with strangers.

The World of Warcraft also has a benefit in terms of boosting the cognitive abilities of the gamers. For instance, the game has been associated with improved attention span, cognitive control, and multitasking (Haaranen and Rodrigo 23). As such, gamers often tend to enjoy mental health benefits through improved connectivity between the gray matter in the brain. Moreover, there is associated with improved cognitive control, spatial memory, as well as multiple verbal spans. Research has also indicated that those who engage in World of Warcraft games have reduced anger, tension, fatigue, depression, and other related psychological conditions.

Most importantly, engagement in the World of Warcraft has also been witnessed to moderate the emotions of the teenagers who engage in it. Such positive emotions have been linked to better mental well-being and the ability to react appropriately to unexpected events in life. Again, since the game is characterized by interactions with imaginary characters and other players, it boosts the social environment of learning the language.

Conclusion

In conclusion, even though parents must be concerned about their teens' gaming habits, they should be aware that some online games particularly the video games such as the World of Warcraft are essential in psychological, social as well as the emotional well-being of their children. However, they should also be aware that other online games are associated with depression and addiction, which is detrimental to the lives of teenagers.

Works Cited

Haaranen, Lassi, and Rodrigo Duran. "Computer Science in Online Gaming Communities." International Conference on Computer Supported Education. Springer, Cham, 2017.

Kaye, Linda K., Rachel Kowert, and Sally Quinn. "The role of social identity and online social capital on psychosocial outcomes in MMO players." Computers in Human Behavior 74 (2017): 215-223.

Sundberg, Martin. "Online gaming, loneliness, and friendships among adolescents and adults with ASD." Computers in Human Behavior 79 (2018): 105-110.