Research Paper on Future of Video Games

Introduction

In the recent times, technological advancement has conquered the world we live in, and its impacts cannot be underestimated. People play video games for different reasons; some schools have embraced video gaming competitions to help students learn and improve their problem-solving abilities. Others only play the games for fun without the knowledge of whether it can be harmful or beneficial to them. The military department to has not been left behind in embracing the use of online video games in the day to day training. According to Greitemeyer and Mugge, (2014) children are the most affected and it is estimated that a modern child spends not less than four hours on a television or a computer playing a video game. Some people though tend to criticize the impacts of video gaming in the society. They claim that video games cause more harm to people especially the children. Personally, I believe that video gaming impacts are more beneficial than detrimental.

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Learning

Contrary to the opinion of some people that video games tend to make people intellectually very lazy, it turns out that playing games such as the action games which are mostly violent promote the development of cognitive skills. The best proof of a way in which video games can promote cognitive skills comes when recruiting players who have hardly had the chance to play such games. The naive players are then assigned to either be a shooter or asked to be a participant in a different game but at the same time. When the two type of players are compared, those that participate in the action games have higher resolution in visual processing, more attention allocation and improved mental rotation ability. Additionally, games that are open-ended enhance problem-solving skills through trial and error which I turn promotes creativity. Squire and Kurt (2011) claim that cognitive skills that are gained from playing the action games are almost similar to those obtained from the high school and college curriculum. According to Squire and Kurt (2011.), time can last for a very long time then used cognitive skills obtained from commercially available video games in a relatively short period of outside the gaming context.

Social

Perhaps the most undermined benefit of video gaming is the way it promotes social interactions among participants. Most stereotypes argue that gamers are mostly isolated, socially inept and spend most of their time alone which is untrue because social interactions are manifested when gamers from groups for completions or arrange for meetings online. Recent studies show that most youths who have played games such as the guild wars two which is of civic nature tend to engage in social and civic activities such as volunteering and raising funds for charity through their collections (Granic, Lobel & Engels, 2014). Furthermore, games with violent contents give the gamers an opportunity to work together and corporate with other members to solve a given task. Such corporations promote team building and help the youth learn that when working together even the most difficult task can be solved. Social activities are inherent in the gaming world which in turn helps the gamers learn some social skills that could be applied in the real world.

Health

In the health department, video gaming has had the best and most appreciated impact worldwide. Practitioners have embraced the idea of video gaming by using it to motivate and encourage patients not to give up on themselves. The most celebrated impact of video games in health is the case of 'Re-mission' which was a video game designed to help children plagued by cancer. The game allowed the patients to control nanobot that shot cancer cells, manage signs of constipation and eventually overcome some bacterial infections (Kato, 2010). The main aim of the development of the game was to help children adhere to the treatments they got from their doctors. The promise by the video game in helping cancer patients has been one of the greatest interventions in the medical history, and its distributions worldwide have continually been treated as a successful cancer management approach, (Kato 2010). More study should, therefore, be done with repeated assessments so that in future; more video games are made that are not only beneficial to young cancer patients only but to also other health departments.

However, frequent use of computer games especially to children and the youths have severe damming effects to them. Majority of players who are addicted have constantly experienced health problems such as headaches, chest pains, mood swings and eyestrains. Findings by (Hull et al., 2014) show that as much as excessive gaming causes sleep deprivation, it also causes muscle stiffness all around the joints and the shoulder. The other concern of video games for medical practitioners towards health is that frequent use could trigger epileptic seizures in susceptible individuals (Hull et al., 2014). The seizures may be as a result of frequently sitting close to the screens with very bright flashlight discharges. It is however imperative to note that video games seizures could also be caused by other impacts of video gaming like sleep deprivation, hand movements or emotional excitements.

The addictive nature of video games has also led to several cases of reported psycho-social issues. Research by (Hull et al., 2014) claims that majority of video game players are more probable to engage in precarious such as excess consumption of alcohol or drug abuse than the non-game players. On top of that, the gamers are mostly associated with gambling and stealing to fund some gaming activities. Even though certain violent video games promote the development of arrays of cognitive skills, in the long run, short-term effects may lead young individuals being more aggressive. The concern has been heightened by the majority of children showing signs of aggression after playing a game that is aggressive. Others think that the only possible way of solving a violent problem is by using violence such as guns. In the games, every violent episode is always a learning trial and becomes more and more complicated as one proceeds. If wrongly misinterpreted and understood then the application in real life could be very hurtful to those around such person.

Massive Multiplayer Gaming

The need for defence departments to develop new skills and tactics to tackle real-life battles by the militaries has prompted the government to swiftly embrace the use of massively multiplayer gaming to enhance problem-solving abilities. The success of military action depends entirely on planning, decision making and collaborating. These are the factors that have prompted the government to develop some games that could help in promoting coordination among thousands of soldiers. Players are allowed to train using the games to make critical decisions which are later reviewed, and the consequences of the player's actions are shown to them. Later the participants are helped to understand the use and purpose of the game in real life situation. The key aim of these games is to utilize the beneficial aspects of playing the games to foster education and training. For instance, a more realistic simulation experience which includes the ability to touch, hear and smell have been developed to improve challenges on how to lead a squad, unit or a bigger task force.

While recruiting people in the military, the government of United States of America has distributed video games free of charge to help the interested parties learn what they will be engaging in before joining. Towards achieving that goal, the ICT partnered with Pandemic Studios to develop a game known as the 'Full Spectrum Warrior' which is a military action game which focuses on making decisions, planning and executing the already made plans. Instead of the leader only reacting to the threats, he/she must also use extensive and analytical skills to lead a group with minimum or no casualties. Based on the success of 'Full Spectrum Warrior' the army has even decided to develop more innovative training ways through multiplayer gaming systems with intrusive mission rehearsals for special operations (Lenczowski, 2011 ). Shortly, more programs are expected to be in place to emphasize the importance of massive online gaming to the society and the military. The Defense Research Project agency has recently stepped up their efforts to develop a program that not only uses avatars but also human instructors to help soldiers develop their metacognition and reflection skills. The project would indeed provide an immense environmental testbed for interactions and community development through massive multiplayer gaming.

Education of Massive Multiplayer Online Gaming

Massive multiplayer online gaming system has eased the work of tutors and teachers in teaching mathematical modelling skills. Massive multiplayer online gaming is used to put learners in online tournaments and then asked to detect any input-output pattern in twenty rounds. Every round, the learners are expected to receive an input and had a maximum of two minutes to choose an output by picking a binary option or writing models. Different types of players are then identified using a grading system by using cluster points of the completed models. The result that learners from the fifth grade can write models with predictions that is correct. A conclusive report shows that more than half of seventh-grade students can detect patterns and express them through models (Jang & Ryu, 2011). The analysis shows that indeed massive multiplayer online gaming can be used to develop and improve learner's ability to understand some mathematical concepts.

How Technology is Shaping the Society

People have learned to depend on technology to the extent that even future progress is expected. The use of internet, computers and cell phones has tremendously escalated the usage to the point that Dubai introduced a human-like robot who eventually got the citizenship of the country. In the education sector, sometimes students are not even expected to attend classes but instead learn online until they eventually earn a degree. This crucial importance of technology helps in time-saving and reducing costs such as travelling to sit in a class. Companies and corporations too have since embraced this important aspect of technology by not requiring the physical presence of their workers (Thorsten, 2012). People can work in the comfort zones of their homes hence saving costs of hiring more space. Advertisers too are able to reach a global market by using platforms such as the social media to market their products worldwide.

Individuals are now determining the future of technological influence by developing some sophisticated products and robots that make work easier. In some Asian countries such as Japan, production of robots and androids to help in some domestic chores is on the rise. More recently production of sex dolls simply proves the fact that shortly technology can be used to pleasure people. Additionally, weapons that are now made using the new technologies mean that in case a war arises in future, the impacts will be severe and detrimental. Kroenig, (2010) also predicts that shortly people should expect the implementation of artificial intelligence in all fields of societal developments. Machines that can think and make decisions will eventually replace humans in some working places.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, future use of technological advancement in making educational video games looks promising in all directions. People have embraced the importance of gaming and are now creating enabling environments that can draw learners and then encourage them to study. Despite the few concerns associated with technology, it is inevitable that schools and soldiers in the armies will lea...