In an effort to link this particular post to both the reading, 'Personal Relationships: On and Off the Internet', and the lecture content about video games, I have examined the effects that video games can have on personal relationships and social behaviour. But first, allow me to raise the point that prior to today's lecture I was unaware of the amount of study that is conducted concerning video games. The approaches of Social Science, Humanities and Industry and Engineering give insight into the degree of research that is conducted for a variety of reasons, some of which may include improving the gaming experience, determining the effects of gaming on people and discovering the semiotics of video games. My narrow mindedness in relation to video games is, in my opinion, a result of my lack of interest in video gaming. This lack of interest is one reason why I was amazed by the sheer amount of research, problem-solving and deep thought that is demonstrated when designing and studying the web of interconnected compontents that make video games what they are. According to Lievrouw and Livingstone, 2006, the detailed analysis of games has been a fairly recent development. This is perhaps another reason to explain my lack of awareness.
Within the article, 'Personal Relationships: On and Off the Internet', is a list titled the 'Social Affordances of the Internet'. The list details the social aspects of the internet and makes comparisons to 'real-life' experiences. Upon contemplation, it appears that video games can now be almost as social as other experiences on the internet. Video games can be played on the internet against other people, as a form of social interaction, which is heightened if the games are linked to social media sites. Despite the beneficial social interactions when playing video games, there also exist negative consequences related to video gaming. Health, particularly for children, is an issue if they are performing sedentary tasks for long periods of time. This, however, has been lessened by the introduction of the Wii and XBox Kinect. Another consequence, which was mentioned in the lecture, is the spill-over effect, in which learned ideas or behaviours can actually be exhibited by people in real-life, having some degree of consequence in their off-line life. 'As media becomes more prevalent in people's lives ... the line between video games and real life can begin to blur' (Wolf, 2008).
Boase, J., & Wellman, B. (2006). Personal relationships: On and off the internet. In A. L. Vangelisti & D. Perlman (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of personal relationships (pp. 709-723). Cambridge.
Lievrouw, L. A., & Livingstone, S. M. (2006). The handbook of new media: Updated student edition. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Wolf, M. J. P. (2008). The Video Game Explosion. Westport, C.T.: Greenwood Press.
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