Logan Coach
Humanities Block 15
December 1, 2014
Can Video Games Change the Way People Behave?
1.2 billion people play video games because they’re addictive, entertaining, and fun. (Venturebeat, “More than 1.2 Billion People Are Playing Video Games,” page 2). Many people play video games for different reasons, such as to relieve stress, avoid schoolwork, chores, which could get out of hand. Brian Knight, one of the authors from the book, The Ultimate History of Video Games, remarked, “Before video games were introduced, kids watched television, played games like hide and seek, raced cars made out of wooden boxes, or rode their bicycles.” (Brian Knight, page 12). After William Higinbotham created the first video game in 1958, it changed young people’s behavior, relationships and the way they interacted with the world.
Overtime, technology was advancing, fast, and so were video games. People wanted to find a new way to entertain themselves and have fun. It all started with a simple game, Tennis for Two, created by Higinbotham, the first interactive analog computer game. (“The First Video Game?”). Fast forward to the late 1960’s with Ralph Baer, an engineer working for Sanders Associates, who started to research ways of using the television to create interactive video games. Then, in 1972, Magnavox Odyssey Video Game Unit was born. (“Video Game History,” page 1). With the creation of the first home video game unit console of its kind, Baer became known as the “Father of the Video Game” by the National Museum of American History. Baer will be remembered for his innovation and contribution to the video game industry (“Ralph H. Baer,” page 1). As time went on, video games became more advanced and grew in terms of popularity. Joel Hochberg, another one of the authors from, The Ultimate History of Video Games, stated, “If you go to an old penny arcade, some of the equipment we consider antique today was quite popular in the days that I started (in the industry). It makes me feel old.” (Joel Hochberg, page 16) The hyper, fast movement of video games has greatly impacted society -- but how? One example of how games have impacted society, is people’s everyday use of eye-hand coordination. Because the video games are much faster, quicker than they were just a few years ago, they can actually help to train your eyes and hands to move faster. Eye-hand coordination is even more important for athletes. TechTimes wrote: “.... a team at the University of Toronto suggests that playing action video games regularly helps gamers learn new sensorimotor skills, especially eye and hand coordination.” (“Video Games Sharpen Eye-Hand Coordination Skills: Study,”page 1) This quote implies that video games can help people learn new skills and fine tune their eye and hand coordination. Another example of how video games have impacted society is brain training, which is path conditioning of the brain. Brain training games are ones that improve mental skills, set challenges, and offer ways to learn how to multitask. For instance, word searches or math games where someone has to beat a score, or if playing with multiple players online show instant feedback if someone has beaten your score. Which makes learning so much more fun and exciting! When someone is having challenges at school with learning a new skill, brain training video games can help. (Learningrx, “Brain Training Video Games,” page 1). Problem solving is another way of how video games have impacted society. Video games teach news ways to overcome an obstacle. For …show more content…
Video games can be great learning tools, “cheats,” that can help in people’s normal lives. They can boost confidence, particularly for those that are not good in sports or in social settings. On the other hand, addiction can lead to isolation, neglect of school work and even anti-social behavior. Nicholas Greene, a British film maker, remarked, “We’ve seen competitive gaming achieve a level of legitimacy on par with with professional sports. We’ve seen an entire generation grow-up with controllers in hand.” (Nicholas Greene, page 1). Video games, techies, gamers, ipod, iTouch, tablets, computers, these are all become part of societies daily
Humanities Block 15
December 1, 2014
Can Video Games Change the Way People Behave?
1.2 billion people play video games because they’re addictive, entertaining, and fun. (Venturebeat, “More than 1.2 Billion People Are Playing Video Games,” page 2). Many people play video games for different reasons, such as to relieve stress, avoid schoolwork, chores, which could get out of hand. Brian Knight, one of the authors from the book, The Ultimate History of Video Games, remarked, “Before video games were introduced, kids watched television, played games like hide and seek, raced cars made out of wooden boxes, or rode their bicycles.” (Brian Knight, page 12). After William Higinbotham created the first video game in 1958, it changed young people’s behavior, relationships and the way they interacted with the world.
Overtime, technology was advancing, fast, and so were video games. People wanted to find a new way to entertain themselves and have fun. It all started with a simple game, Tennis for Two, created by Higinbotham, the first interactive analog computer game. (“The First Video Game?”). Fast forward to the late 1960’s with Ralph Baer, an engineer working for Sanders Associates, who started to research ways of using the television to create interactive video games. Then, in 1972, Magnavox Odyssey Video Game Unit was born. (“Video Game History,” page 1). With the creation of the first home video game unit console of its kind, Baer became known as the “Father of the Video Game” by the National Museum of American History. Baer will be remembered for his innovation and contribution to the video game industry (“Ralph H. Baer,” page 1). As time went on, video games became more advanced and grew in terms of popularity. Joel Hochberg, another one of the authors from, The Ultimate History of Video Games, stated, “If you go to an old penny arcade, some of the equipment we consider antique today was quite popular in the days that I started (in the industry). It makes me feel old.” (Joel Hochberg, page 16) The hyper, fast movement of video games has greatly impacted society -- but how? One example of how games have impacted society, is people’s everyday use of eye-hand coordination. Because the video games are much faster, quicker than they were just a few years ago, they can actually help to train your eyes and hands to move faster. Eye-hand coordination is even more important for athletes. TechTimes wrote: “.... a team at the University of Toronto suggests that playing action video games regularly helps gamers learn new sensorimotor skills, especially eye and hand coordination.” (“Video Games Sharpen Eye-Hand Coordination Skills: Study,”page 1) This quote implies that video games can help people learn new skills and fine tune their eye and hand coordination. Another example of how video games have impacted society is brain training, which is path conditioning of the brain. Brain training games are ones that improve mental skills, set challenges, and offer ways to learn how to multitask. For instance, word searches or math games where someone has to beat a score, or if playing with multiple players online show instant feedback if someone has beaten your score. Which makes learning so much more fun and exciting! When someone is having challenges at school with learning a new skill, brain training video games can help. (Learningrx, “Brain Training Video Games,” page 1). Problem solving is another way of how video games have impacted society. Video games teach news ways to overcome an obstacle. For …show more content…
Video games can be great learning tools, “cheats,” that can help in people’s normal lives. They can boost confidence, particularly for those that are not good in sports or in social settings. On the other hand, addiction can lead to isolation, neglect of school work and even anti-social behavior. Nicholas Greene, a British film maker, remarked, “We’ve seen competitive gaming achieve a level of legitimacy on par with with professional sports. We’ve seen an entire generation grow-up with controllers in hand.” (Nicholas Greene, page 1). Video games, techies, gamers, ipod, iTouch, tablets, computers, these are all become part of societies daily