Diploma – freedom to play: is online gaming hazardous to health?
David Pinchen debates the pros and cons, and decides it’s all a question of balance.
Online gaming these days has become a large part of many people’s lives from all around the world, bringing them together to fight off hordes of virtual aliens, or just simply to pit themselves against one another in a fight to the death. They have, according to critics, sucked the social life out of many of today’s teenagers.
But is it all bad?
A large portion of today’s teenage generation spends much of its free time sitting in front of a computer screen shooting aliens, zombies or other teenagers sitting at another computer screen. But is this really such a bad thing? Some would argue that they do not get out of the house enough, breathe fresh air, socialise with other human beings, play with friends in the park or go to the cinema with their peers.
Global friendships
Many of those who sit inside playing these games have made friends from all around the world. Through their online games they have connected with other people, sometimes their own age, some older or younger, and have become good friends, often playing the games together with a group of people who they know only through the wonders of the internet.
Bonding as clans
With the introduction of PvP games (Player vs Player) people have grouped together in clans and played against other clans in tournaments and leagues. Often major corporations organise events where people from all around the world can get together and play their favourite games against one another on a LAN network. These events are becoming more and more popular every year; with the emergence of nvision and other large tournaments, players have the opportunity to get together more and more, and finally meet some of their online friends.
On the flip side, others would argue that it is much better to spend your time outside with your friends and peers, going out to the park and playing football on a regular basis, or doing other social things like visiting the cinema or going to a party occasionally. It’s argued that it’s healthier to spend time with people you know in person, rather than wasting your time with people you know nothing about.
Is the fact that you may spend much of your time inside playing computer games, and talking to people that you have never met really such a bad thing? While inside playing those games, you may learn about things from different countries that you would never have known before you knew someone online.
I can remember a few occasions when I have been playing games and experienced things I’d never expected to happen to someone half way across the world. For example, while playing one game with an online friend, he disappeared for a few moments, only to come back to tell me that a riot had broken loose right outside his front door. And on several occasions I have born witness to someone breaking up with their partner through an online game.
Bringing the world together
On the whole I think that online games have brought the world slightly closer together than before, giving people from anywhere opportunities to find out about things that they would never have experienced previously. Online gaming has arguably done a lot of good for the world. It’s even built up an economy, where people buy and sell online currency and other in-game items to players. While it may distract some people from going out and seeing their friends on a regular basis, it has given them the chance to look inside the workings of many other countries.
Getting the balance right
But perhaps sometimes a bit of a social life is good for people; human interaction is always a good thing. Perhaps a careful balance of the two would be a good idea for everyone, giving the people who currently aren’t gamers opportunities to get together with the rest of the world and connect with people they would never have met before.
And at the same time, players who spend their whole lives sitting at a computer screen need the chance to get out and enjoy more of what life has to offer. It’s good to spend time with friends, and connect with human beings personally, instead of assuming people are who they say they are on the internet.
I think in conclusion people should all explore the opposite of what they are currently doing. If you’ve never used a computer to make friends around the world by playing online games, you should try it out. And if you’re an obsessive player, try to get out a bit more and spend time with friends and peers, get to know what else life has to offer, and find out about your own country, instead of everyone else’s.
A careful balance of games and socialising would be a good thing for everyone. Not everyone may be interested in blowing the heads off zombies (although I can’t see why not!) and there are always other computer programs designed to bring people together. Online social networking, using the same principle as computer games, can enable anyone from anywhere in the world to get together on a website, post comments, have conversations and make new friends every day. With the internet, the possibilities are endless, and with so many ways to connect with new people there are opportunities for everyone. Some are easier than others, some are more difficult; but in the end both gamers and non-gamers can make friends anywhere in the world.
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