Online games have been around since the advent of the internet itself. However, their prevalence has grown exponentially in the last decade. This begs the question: are you a gamer? If your knee-jerk reaction is to say no, wait a moment.
Have you ever crushed candy on your phone or visited a web site to play slots online for real money? If so, you’re part of the online gaming crowd. We talked to expert John Smith to discover how this trend of online gaming has affected society in the last ten years.How online games have affected society in the last 10 years.
Entertainment options
The first way that online games have affected society is in the realm of entertainment. Of course, it might seem obvious this has impacted entertainment options because it is a form of entertainment. However, society’s way of viewing entertainment has shifted dramatically.
For one thing, more people than ever before spend their time and money in the gaming sector. This increase in investment for online games means that it has moved far away from its original basement-geek connotations. It’s also changed how other kinds of entertainment are seen.
Online games take far less time to enjoy, and they’re widely available. The difference is especially noticeable when compared to movies and TV shows. Players can find a great assortment for free on websites and mobile stores. Playing games can also be squeezed into a break at work, unlike a movie.
Emotional well-being
It’s also interesting to note that online gaming has impacted the emotional wellbeing of society. Although some may point out the negatives, John Smith believes it’s largely positive. It all comes down to stress management. Games are an accessible and handy tool in this way.
These days, everyone is busy being busy. With a never-ending push for productivity, it’s important for people to take advantages of breaks whenever and wherever they can. The ability to play online games from most devices is convenient and provides a quick outlet for joy or releasing stress.
There’s an incredible variety of online games meant specifically to boost your mood. Even when talking about virtual games, some games invite players to take a moment to breathe and find some Zen. This trend is completely unique and makes stress management easier than ever for the society.
Instant gratification
If there’s one drawback that can genuinely be agreed upon, it’s the widespread increase of instant gratification. Online games are always readily available for you to play. There’s almost no wait time before you can start enjoying your favorite games.
This is also true with earning some prizes in online games. They’re catchy and visually appealing, and you can win small in-game prizes in a matter of seconds or minutes. Even some mobile games make it simple to progress through levels by watching ads.
Now, more people in society tend to look for instant gratification. From rewards to other types of perks, some instant prize has become expected throughout all types of entertainment. On the other hand, all this immediate gratification may have improved how quickly we think and react.
Cognitive abilities
Significant research has been done on how our brains have changed through playing online games. As it turns out, they’ve actually enhanced our ability to think quickly and respond to certain situations. This is true whether you play simple swipe games or work on puzzles.
Not only are reflexes getting faster, but people are learning more about goal achievement and planning. Even with the instant gratification available through some games, there’s still paced-out structure in place. There are constant requirements to keep in mind to wins prizes or reach in-game stopping points.
It’s also worth noting that this type of gaming has influenced educational apps. Game learning is incredibly successful and powerful. This trend in society is due specifically to the popularity of online games.
Social interactions
Some people have wondered whether online gaming has negatively impacted social relationships. After all, are you able to make human connections if you’re looking at a screen? Not only are you able to make human connections through gaming, but these are more likely to be strong bonds. Entertainment and the hobbies we’re passionate about have a way of linking us together. A lot of online communities are formed around the games we enjoy. Who doesn’t have an app or game they enjoy playing? When you mention your favorites, it opens the door for others to share more about themselves.
Career inspiration
Surprising though it may be, many online games have inspired players to pursue careers. Quite a few people have become more interested in history through games about Ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Mayan cultures and societies. They go to search and understand one aspect of that history and discover so much more.
Art is another career sector linked to playing games online. Gamers who enjoy playing games might realize they’re interested in graphic design. This could be recreating high-definition scenes or learning how to create settings and backgrounds that are slightly more abstract.
Of course, this doesn’t even begin to touch on programming. Research has proven that a lot of gaming fans decide to enter a computer science career path to help create more exciting games for others to enjoy. They want to improve upon what’s already there or work with internationally known brands.
Society continues to adapt
All the research on society and gaming leads to one conclusion: we adapt. More than that, our hobbies and interests have a way of spreading far beyond the screens on which they’re played. The gaming trend affects careers, cognitions, and even our social and mental wellbeing.
Although the last decade has certainly revealed much about how we’re impacted technology, these trends have only just begun. In terms of human history, the invention and use of phones and computers is incredibly recent. It will be fascinating to continue researching how online games affect us (and vice versa) long into the future.
I feel like entertainment is one of the biggest strengths of gaming over the past 10 years. Before then, gaming wasn’t as popular on YouTube and Twitch didn’t exist. And nowadays, people can just cancel their cable TV subscriptions (TVs are full of unnecessary ads and you can’t really watch what you want whenever you want) and just watch video games all over YouTube, Twitch, and even emerging video game streaming sites like Mixer and DLive. It’s probably the one thing I like most about today’s society centered on video games; if I ever get bored, I can just watch people play games.
Career inspiration’s pretty influential too, but for anyone wanting to code games, you really don’t need a computer science degree to get into video game development (which I think is expensive, if the only career you want to do is build games). The Internet is already going to be your primary resource. And you have plenty of libraries to provide the tools you need (meaning you don’t have to rewrite a piece of complex code that already exists), and all that a computer science degree does is give you more breadth of knowledge (for more career opportunities than just game development).