Choose your Side

In the past few years we have witnessed an exodus of young people leaving their real homes and families, venturing into mysterious lands, fighting malevolent forces and displaying untold bravery. This isn’t the story of a soldier leaving home but of any young person, leaving the real world in pursuit of happiness in video games. However many scientists, educationists, philosophers, researchers etc. have been unable to explain why such a phenomenon has occurred. What is the reason that people have been so taken up by these pseudo realistic worlds that they spend hours before them, full of motivation, and keep playing them?

Gaming, as the term is commonly used, has its values and vices. Video Games have been, reportedly, accused of being the cause of infusing criminal behaviour in young minds. This claim isn’t built on a firm foundation, though there has been an observed increase in belligerence seen in those playing violent games. However scientists have shown how certain games have helped increase the ability to make good decisions. Fast paced, strategic, decision-making genre related games have shown not only better ability to grasp the situation and decide but also an improvement between the hand-eye coordination. Certain games like Minecraft or Hand Simulator have helped youngsters increase their ability to pay attention because such games need an intense amount of focus in order to get the tasks completed. Moreover, it has been observed that games give the gamer, a certain boost while playing them, a release of Endorphin. The Gamer takes on the role of a protagonist in the game and goes on adventures that he or she would never find or dare to undertake. The rewards, unlike in real world underpaid rewards, goes on becoming better; maybe an enhancement of their avatar or a new ability to be used. Games like the Assassins Creed series, Halo, Splinter Cell, etc. let us play as iconic characters, through an intense mission, maybe set in a historic event ( or not ) that is not only informative but mind enhancing.

However there have been many instances where people have died while playing a game. Far worse are occasions when people carry on being their virtual avatar in the real world. This causes a huge catastrophe for the society. For the sake of privacy issues I will cite instances with anonymity . Several Youngsters have committed suicide due to a very sadistic and manipulative game called Blue Whale.  The game is based on the design of a real Blue Whale that is found to come on the shore and die. The creator of the game talks of cleansing the world of those who are weak and don’t deserve to live; his target group being those suffering from depression and its severe forms. The game is built to manipulate the player to slowly complete a certain set of tasks, the last being killing oneself. In 2010, a married South Korean couple unfortunately gave birth to a premature child and fearing the taboo of the culture, took to the internet to play Prius Online, a simulator game where they had a virtual baby to look after. In the bargain they forgot their real child which died due to malnutrition. There have been cases of people playing games for long hours, even 40 hours for some and dying due to exhaustion. Tyrone Spellman was jailed for 47 years as he cracked his daughter’s skull for pulling out his XBOX cards of the console. A 71-year-old man named Jack and his 30-year-old son Jackson were accused of brutally attacking another man during a Pokemon Go hunt in Kirkwood.

When we see the negative side of video games we tend to see an imbalance between the positive and the negative (the negative having more strength).  However we cannot forget that games are not always evil. Our choices are; there are games intended to destroy and there are games intended to build. Each game has its own ideology, background work, its own story for its creation. We are the ones on whom the

responsibility to choose the game correctly and play with maturity falls on. We must, while playing games, understand, assimilate, and respond to every situation thrown to us. This helps us use games for the right reasons. Excessive game-play is hazardous and so playing for a limited time while doing some work which is society-building is always appreciated. Understanding ones virtual self in the virtual world helps one realise who one truly is in reality and this helps one to accept oneself as being unique and essential. At the same time we need games that can help us understand reality better. It is these games that will help us enrich our reality in ways we would have never thought of.

-RohanD’souza