The Role Games Play in Society
Written In Collaboration with Ga4me.net
Video games remain at the center of today’s society. Around 2.6 billion people worldwide have chosen gaming as their hobby. The game industry is now the largest entertainment marketplace in the world, consisting of small casual games like Spider Solitaire or complex multiplayer strategy games like Clash of Clans. Enthusiasm for video games can be found across generations, from school aged children to senior citizens.
For example, esports game tournaments have grown to become massive public gatherings that can be compared to traditional sporting events such as a soccer world championship or the Olympic Games. Successful esports players are the celebrated idols of their generations who earn millions of dollars with their skills and broadcast their own shows on YouTube, Mixer or Twitch. However despite success, the prejudices and bad reputation associated with video games have not yet been overcome.
The impact of games on society can hardly be overlooked: video games break boundaries and give the player an unprecedented freedom that has long been lost in everyday life. In the game, players can out grow their skill set, make independent decisions and master a variety of challenges which come with satisfying and immediate rewards. But games are much more than just an escape from real life. With their aesthetics and culture, game mechanics, art and music leave traces in mainstream society.
In one sample, we can look at people who disguise themselves as iconic characters also known as cosplay. In another instance, the visual style of games, such as Aeon Flux or Batman the Animated Series, rubs off on the staging of films and television series. The boundary between media platforms is increasingly blurring. Games like Pokemon or Mortal Kombat can be turned into films and films like Lawnmower Man which was converted to a SNES game. Even literary bestsellers such as The Witcher are adapted as video games and in this form are often extended well beyond their original form. Reviews of video games no longer appear only in specialist magazines for a relevant clientele, but have their place in the feature pages of the major publications like Rolling Stone Magazine or locally in the Sacramento News & Review. In the struggle for their recognition as an independent art form, games produce exciting experiments and author projects.
Nevertheless, a possible video game addiction has always been a concern of the general public. As of 2019, there is conflicting research showing that children and teens who play video games unregulated are among the highest at risk to develop addiction. The analysis of games and their impact on established social structures is an area of growing interest for health and science professionals.
