Section Two: What are video games and the different type of video games played?
A video game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a device specially made for game play called a video console; these interactions are entered via input devices such as controllers, joysticks and hand-held peripherals. The electronic systems used to play video games are known as platforms which range from: personal computers, video game consoles and small handheld devices and through these platforms video and sound are produced to interact with the user (Video Game 2009).
The advancements in gaming consoles have become a major factor in promoting video game addiction, and therefore amplifying the video game influence among users. As gaming technology continues to expand, consoles such as Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation are becoming more sophisticated due to the customer demand for an enhanced gaming experience.
Recent developments allow gamers to have access to video games at any time; for example, with the PSP (Play Station Portable) a gamer is able to carry their console around with him/her anywhere, thereby adding to the amount of hours spent playing games. Similarly consoles like the Wii set a new precedent for the gaming world, trying to create a physical and more realistic gaming experience through innovative accessories such as the Wii MotionPlus which “provided true motion and position information to the console” (The Wiire 2008), and therefore encouraging users to become more engrossed in the game.
Furthermore, the development of graphical interfaces and televisions appear to be significant factors in endorsing excessive gaming time. In particular, the transition to LCD (Liquid-Crystal Display) and plasma televisions, which introduced a gratifying experience for gamers through the addition of surround sound speaker systems and improved graphic resolution. Subsequently the enlargement of graphic interface screens also added to the attractiveness of video games, as the screen sizes increased from 14 inch up to the unprecedented size of 65 inch (LCD television 2010). As the ‘mind-blowing’ graphic resolution becomes more available, users are promised ‘real entertainment’ in these virtual worlds, by creating a more realistic gaming experience.
The most commonly played games are action games; these games encourage the development of aggressive characteristics to emerge in gamers, as they have a large amount of violence due to their fast-paced nature. The games usually allow the user to play person against person or person against animal/aliens; a classic example is the game Halo which incorporates violent confrontations which are practiced through violent combat between the user interface and the console (Caruana, Caruana & Bruner 2009).
Currently “the most recent video games present players with expansive spaces and allow users to interact in multiple ways; resulting in each player having a unique experience” (Garrelts 2006). One of the most problematic games of recent times is “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’.
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