Many see video games as something lazy people do for fun to pass the time. However, they are actually so much more than that. Over time, video games have become a big part of society and have affected the way many people live.
In recent years, video games have become more than just a form of entertainment. They have evolved into a powerful cultural phenomenon that reflects and influences our society in various ways. For example, the fascinating world of Rocket League, an immensely popular game known for its unique gameplay and thriving item marketplace, with millions of players worldwide buying and selling at this Rocket League item marketplace items to enhance their gaming experience, proves that video games have the power to showcase and comment on various aspects of our world.
Cultures worldwide have taken aspects of video games, whether a slot game from Bovada as online gambling games have become more accessible and popular for players all over, or an interactive game on the Nintendo Switch, and introduced them into our daily lives.
But what exactly have video games impacted within our society? It isn’t always clear to see, but once you list the various cultural changes made since the launch of video games, you will be surprised at how much of an effect it has had.
Here are some of the ways video games reflect and affect society:
Behavior
When a developer designs a game, they often want it to be as realistic to society as possible, however, it can’t always be 100% accurate. While most of the time, the behavior of characters reflects how we act in the real world; sometimes, it is dramatized. For example, in games such as Grand Theft Auto, there is a lot of violent behavior and language, which younger and younger people are starting to bring into their lives.
You don’t often see people running around the streets kicking people over and stealing their cars like you would in a video game. So, does it really reflect society well? Of course, some other games, such as The Sims, which are much tamer, have a better comparison to the real world. However, games with unrealistic behavior affect society more than we know it, especially when they haven’t been regulated well enough.
Education
A decade or two ago, you would go to learning institutions such as libraries and rent a compelling book to read for the next week. It was a way to enrich our lives and help us enhance our education as well. You could even start to rent out movies and board games, such as chess, which was always a lot of fun. However, nowadays, many people skip books and rent games from libraries instead.
It may seem like a fun alternative, but it isn’t always the best solution. Unless teachers have developed it with solid evidence it can help with learning, a book should be the go-to. However, some students cannot focus on reading pages, so an immersive and interactive game can effectively get some people to focus for longer. It is still relatively new, but it could mean games are the future of our education system.
Medicine
Of course, you can’t use a game to cure things like cancer, but they are being developed to offer some help to the medical field. For example, when patients have things such as brain tumors, certain centers in their brains are affected, which could impact their behavior. It is difficult to see how the tumor is impairing their thinking of how they act, but games can help you do it. For example, you could play a navigation game to see if the hippocampus is affected or a memory game to see how good your recall is.
Games assisting in medicine is something that hasn’t been tested too much. Still, there is no doubt developers can do more in the future to produce higher quality and more accurate simulations. It makes diagnoses and other medical acts less stressful for patients and the overall job of the doctor much easier.
Creativity
Not every game has to be violent, and many actually encourage us to use our creativity and imagination. For example, you may have to draw a picture of a bird to unlock a level or solve a puzzle to save your character. They stimulate our brains and can help enhance our decision-making skills in the future.
On the same topic, the creation of games also enhances creativity in our society. No two games are identical, and some have incredibly unique themes and levels you won’t find anywhere else. Since the gaming market is so competitive, you must think of something entirely out of the box to make it big. That’s why the gaming industry has exposed some of the most creative minds of our generation, and it encourages more people to come forward and provide us with more imaginative ideas in the future.
Last Thoughts
Whether video games are helpful for society and whether they reflect our society accurately are two widely debated topics. You can see both sides of each argument, but there is no right or wrong answer on whether video games are positive or negative in diverse cultures. However, there is still a lot of development to see in various sectors, so we might have a clearer answer in the future.
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