Video games play a large role on campus; many students have at least one game system in their room, and some have several. The dining halls on campus have even hosted Guitar Hero competitions for nighttime activities.
But what motivates these students to spend their time playing games? Dr. Kenneth Lachlan, a professor in the communication department, says his studies about motives revealed that "college students play to relax, 'beat' the game, and defeat their friends." Video games can serve as a distraction from whatever is happening in students' lives. When playing with friends, video games seem to be a good outlet for stress.
Joe Tocchio, A&S '10, who strongly believes that video games relieve stress, explains this, saying, "Playing Super Smash Brothers Brawl is a great way to relieve stress, as is playing NFL Blitz because both games involve you beating the crap out of your friends." Competition certainly seems to be a good way to relieve stress, although this may only apply to the winner of the game.
While many students turn to video games when they are stressed or overwhelmed by classes and work, some question how helpful video games actually are in releasing stress.
Lisa Derr, A&S '10, says, "I don't know if video games necessarily relieve stress - I've actually become stressed out by video games when I can't get past a level or something - but they can certainly take your mind off of things that are stressing you out." It seems that the competition involved in video games plays a big role in how they affect your stress. While playing to "beat" the game, setbacks may cause more stress than they relieve.
Traditionally, people viewed video games as negatively impacting game players by isolating them from society. The common stereotype depicts a socially awkward individual, usually male, playing video games by himself all day. The South Park episode titled "Make Love, Not Warcraft" exaggerates this stereotype in a scene where Cartman refuses to stop playing his World of Warcraft to eat, sleep, or even use the bathroom.
Ted Gaiser, a professor in the sociology department, explains, "If you become addicted, like any other addiction, it has negative effects. Often, students write about having addicted symptoms to video games when young. They feel totally drawn to the game and cut out everything else in their lives to play the game."
However, this is not a problem inherent in video game technology. Not everyone who plays video games develops this addiction. Derr says, "I don't play video games often while at school, maybe only about once a month for about 20 to 30 minutes, if that."
Even most students who play every day don't spend all their time with video games. Mark Fitzpatrick, A&S '10, says he plays "almost every day, [for an] hour or two."
Critics of video games could still claim the hour or two spent daily on video games isolates adolescents, but much of that time is spent playing games with friends. Games like Super Smash Brothers bring people together in competition. Mario Kart '64 or James Bond Goldeneye tournaments are popular school or residence hall events. Fitzpatrick and his suitemates hold World Cup-style tournaments in the popular soccer game Winning Eleven. Another suite keeps a tally of how many games of NFL Blitz each has won.
Lachlan explains, "Social interaction also appears to be a pretty common reason why college students, especially males, play games … The act of using games to socialize probably is a form of stress reduction."
Gamers even interact with others when they play multiplayer games online. In some cases, they will have a LAN party (which stands for Local Area Network). At LAN parties, gamers bring their computers and connect to the same network; this allows them to play games typically viewed as isolating in a group setting. LAN parties are not the only way people can interact while playing online games; these games create their own online communities.
Gaiser highlighted the exposure these communities provide to people across the world. "While you could argue the friendships are superficial, they are in some sense, because you only see a small fraction of that person. While that is the case, it doesn't take away from the fact that you are engaging with other people; in that encounter we are somehow being changed, our perspectives are broadened," he says. Additionally, interacting online rather than face-to-face may provide shy people with an opportunity to connect to other people in ways they might not otherwise have been able to connect.
Most of what the media portrays about video games is negative; they are blamed for everything from increasing violence in adolescents to isolating people from society. The problem, as Gaiser explains, is more with how people interact with video games than with the games themselves. If properly guided in their interactions, most people will no longer experience the same effects.
Lachlan has focused on how college students respond to video games. He says "aggression research hasn't demonstrated particularly strong links between game play and aggression, as people with different personality types tend to do different things when they play video games, which in turn elicit different psychological responses."
People often assume video games play no role outside of entertaining children. The increasing age range for people who play video games counters this assumption; adults are drawn to the Nintendo Wii because of its motion responsive controllers (it simplifies the button process) and Nintendo is now specifically marketing the Brain Age game for its DS handheld to adults for improving memory.
Gaiser says, "Video gaming is being incorporated into routine training in the corporate world." Businesses use video games in training because they are cost-effective ways of teaching employees skills. The employees do not realize they are learning valuable career skills while they are having fun. As Gaiser also explains, "looking from the perspective of a parent or a student feeling guilty about playing too many video games, the students are actually preparing themselves for the corporate world." Video games teach a surprising amount of skills and valuable concepts to those who play them.
The future of video games is constantly expanding. As more and more adults adapt to video games, their place in society becomes more prominent. One of the newest trends in the video game world is using the games to improve fitness. Games like Dance Dance Revolution have long been proclaimed to be great ways to lose weight, but now Nintendo is introducing a WiiFit balance board for use in exercise.
Even games like Guitar Hero have some physical impact. Lachlan, noted this, saying, "Two years ago, a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers missed some playoff games because he hurt his arm playing Guitar Hero. If there are games out there that are physical enough to inflict an injury, it's a safe bet that there are games that can and will be used for fitness purposes too."
Even with the constantly improving graphics and accessories, however, students still enjoy playing older game systems like the Nintendo 64 or Sega Genesis. Derr shares the opinion of many students when she says, "I love playing SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) because it reminds me of being 8 years old and just having fun!"
Whether students prefer all the latest graphics or that feeling of nostalgia, they should continue to enjoy the many benefits playing video games can have on their lives.
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