ATTN: BEEFE, Vikki, Matt
Typically, when people think of videogames, and more specifically, the people that play them, they think of some fat, slack-jawed boy, sitting all alone on a couch or in front of his computer, wasting time in his parent’s basement, as life passes him by. Of course, this is an utterly generalized stereotype of both the gamer and the non-gaming public, but these stereotypes do persist, and I’d like to try to dispel them for you. [MY INTRO - ESPECIALLY THE END - IS IDIOTIC, HELP!]
First of all, not all gamers are boys. Video games have been typically thought of as a male-oriented pastime. However, from the years 1995 to 2005, the average age of video game buyers moved from mid-to-late teens to the late twenties. In addition to that shift, there has been a dramatic increase in households owning game consoles, and both of these changes have created a rise in female gamers. You might be surprised to learn that a recent study actually found that women comprise 43% of all gamers. [WHAT DO I SAY NOW????]
Second of all, the gamer in question may not be looking all that slack-jawed. There was a widely reported study done in 2003, and the results were surprising. Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally intrusive operation, with the surgeon using a miniscule camera and tiny, remote controlled tools to operate. This study found that surgeons that played video games only 3 hours per week made 37% fewer mistakes than their counterparts and performed 27% faster. Stephen Johnson, author of the book “Everything Bad is Good For You” pointed out that video games actually require a lot of thought to perform, calling on many different areas of cognitive function. He argued that video games require analytical ability, flexibility, and adaptability just to perform them, and that doing so regularly may also increase your attention span and improve hand-eye coordination.
Third of all, it might be unfair to blindly categorize the gamer as “fat” or “alone.” There are many different types of videogames today, and recently they’ve taken a step towards a whole new level of interaction. Some games actually require you to get up and move, like Dance Dance Revolution, a game that requires you to play with your feet instead of your hands. More recent DDR games feature a Workout mode, where you can enter your current weight and desired weight, and the game will count the calories you burn during each song, depending on how accurately you stepped, and the level of difficulty you played. No official studies have been done correlating DDR to weightloss, but there are many success stories in online forums of people who have lost weight playing DDR. Along with DDR, Playstation has a camera peripheral called the EyeToy, which actually places you in the game, and requires you to move around to interact. Taking interaction a step further is Nintendo, which is releasing a motion-sensing remote controller with its next console, the Wii. The Wii-mote will be used to slash and hack as a sword, to swing as a baseball bat and tennis racket, and the list goes on.
Another type of interaction is that which actually happens because of games. Multiplayer games allow gamers to play and compete in video games with other gamers, whether in the same room, or halfway around the world. A simplified example might be the Mario Kart game for Gamecube, where four players have their controllers plugged in to the same console, and share the same TV screen. Another, and more popular, example would have to be Halo (and Halo 2), where people can connect to a server online, or connect many consoles to each other, engaging in huge competitions. Then there are games like World of Warcraft, a Massively-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. According to Wikipedia, World of Warcraft has almost seven million active subscriptions worldwide as of September 2006. Most of the early part of the game can be accomplished alone, but as your level increases, the game actually requires you to team up and cooperate with other players, creating a feeling of community.
Lastly, these days, videogames can hardly be considered a waste of time. Video games have been fun since the 1970’s, but since the late 80’s the ‘interactive entertainment’ industry, as it is formally known, has truly become a juggernaut, reportedly taking in about 7 billion dollars last year in the United States alone. There are colleges that offer intensive courses in video game design and production, and many technical schools are beginning offer courses or even majors in the elements of game design. Lucrative careers abound for children who grew up loving videogames; competent programmers and creative game designers and artists are highly sought after.
[I HAVE NO CONCLUSION!]
xoxo me
First of all, not all gamers are boys. Video games have been typically thought of as a male-oriented pastime. However, from the years 1995 to 2005, the average age of video game buyers moved from mid-to-late teens to the late twenties. In addition to that shift, there has been a dramatic increase in households owning game consoles, and both of these changes have created a rise in female gamers. You might be surprised to learn that a recent study actually found that women comprise 43% of all gamers. [WHAT DO I SAY NOW????]
Second of all, the gamer in question may not be looking all that slack-jawed. There was a widely reported study done in 2003, and the results were surprising. Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally intrusive operation, with the surgeon using a miniscule camera and tiny, remote controlled tools to operate. This study found that surgeons that played video games only 3 hours per week made 37% fewer mistakes than their counterparts and performed 27% faster. Stephen Johnson, author of the book “Everything Bad is Good For You” pointed out that video games actually require a lot of thought to perform, calling on many different areas of cognitive function. He argued that video games require analytical ability, flexibility, and adaptability just to perform them, and that doing so regularly may also increase your attention span and improve hand-eye coordination.
Third of all, it might be unfair to blindly categorize the gamer as “fat” or “alone.” There are many different types of videogames today, and recently they’ve taken a step towards a whole new level of interaction. Some games actually require you to get up and move, like Dance Dance Revolution, a game that requires you to play with your feet instead of your hands. More recent DDR games feature a Workout mode, where you can enter your current weight and desired weight, and the game will count the calories you burn during each song, depending on how accurately you stepped, and the level of difficulty you played. No official studies have been done correlating DDR to weightloss, but there are many success stories in online forums of people who have lost weight playing DDR. Along with DDR, Playstation has a camera peripheral called the EyeToy, which actually places you in the game, and requires you to move around to interact. Taking interaction a step further is Nintendo, which is releasing a motion-sensing remote controller with its next console, the Wii. The Wii-mote will be used to slash and hack as a sword, to swing as a baseball bat and tennis racket, and the list goes on.
Another type of interaction is that which actually happens because of games. Multiplayer games allow gamers to play and compete in video games with other gamers, whether in the same room, or halfway around the world. A simplified example might be the Mario Kart game for Gamecube, where four players have their controllers plugged in to the same console, and share the same TV screen. Another, and more popular, example would have to be Halo (and Halo 2), where people can connect to a server online, or connect many consoles to each other, engaging in huge competitions. Then there are games like World of Warcraft, a Massively-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. According to Wikipedia, World of Warcraft has almost seven million active subscriptions worldwide as of September 2006. Most of the early part of the game can be accomplished alone, but as your level increases, the game actually requires you to team up and cooperate with other players, creating a feeling of community.
Lastly, these days, videogames can hardly be considered a waste of time. Video games have been fun since the 1970’s, but since the late 80’s the ‘interactive entertainment’ industry, as it is formally known, has truly become a juggernaut, reportedly taking in about 7 billion dollars last year in the United States alone. There are colleges that offer intensive courses in video game design and production, and many technical schools are beginning offer courses or even majors in the elements of game design. Lucrative careers abound for children who grew up loving videogames; competent programmers and creative game designers and artists are highly sought after.
[I HAVE NO CONCLUSION!]
xoxo me