The goods and the bads of gaming

[Jamos' Old Account]

I am currently working on a research paper about video games and I thought who would know better about the effects than the gamers. So I'm curious what you guys think are good and bad in games. Most of the material I have read are totally one sided (the anti-game side.) I would like to hear from the gamers their opinions. Thanks before hand.

PS: Sorry if this belongs somewhere else. I wasn't sure if it belongs in this forum or the free forum.

[Denmo]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

I think there was an article on the good effects of gaming a while back, something about improved hand-eye coordination and how it helps surgeons.

As for the other stuff, I can't really say.

[Xobie]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

Take a look at your self, it greatly increases creativity and imaganation , I have found penty of humor to sap from games, and use as story detail.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

It can lead to obsessive gaming, and antisocial behavior.
It also contributes to the demoralization of society's children.
And it, like masturbation, will make you go blind.

[Shard]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

Wear goggles.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

Only drug-taking ravers wear goggles.

[Shard]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

And people who really care about proper eye safety.




Edit: Well I felt guilty about not helping so try these on for size.
http://www.focusonyourchild.com/ente.../A0000799.html

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=Ajb5LFZlM....o-health_x.htm

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=ApreRatw4x...030405,00.html

I don't know how far out of the way you're willing to go but PBS did a program on video games...looks like it's mostly a history of the industry, but from what I hear there's a section where it addresses the benefits of gaming.

www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution

[Kefka Jr.]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

If you want view arguing for the artistic merit of videogames, which I am writing a paper on, more or less, take a look at Tim Rogers' stuff.

Also, Kojima.

[gray]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

games are fun. you can play them and enjoy them, much like some people enjoy a good book or playing a sporting event. i've personally never read any research that says they improve hand-eye coordination, but it's a fairly common assumption, at least.


i'm pretty sure the bad is also mostly speculation and generalizations. if every person who played video games became violent, anti-social, blind, dumb, poor and unmotivated, earth would have beeen doomed to social and economic collapse years ago


they are also generally less violent tests of skill than almost any physical sport, as you're not only not hurting yourself, but you're not compelled to cause physical pain to others. you arn't, however, getting a workout with most videogames.

[Biggie]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

Well, there was an article in one of the latest egm's where a some doctor dude was saying if you are playing a challenging game like Zelda with lots of puzzles and such, that its a great excersise for the brain.

I wouldnt doubt that the same goes for in depth RPG's where you have to manage every party members stats and such.

[hitogoroshi]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

Good: RPG's. They require math (number cruching) problem solving skills (boss battles) creative thinking (puzzles and custom stats). In addition, some have plots as great as books of your reading level (FF7!)
Bad: Shooters. Only pro-shooter agruement invloves reflexes, and Sonic works just as well. Most anti-game thinking is aimed at the GTA type games, and frankly, without shooters games would not be held in as badly/
Ugly: MGS2.

I'm not out to offend shooter fans, these are just my thoughts.

[jvrlopez]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

Heres an extreme example of gaming effects-

http://jammno.ytmnd.com/


(work safe, safe content, etc)

[marcus]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

Good: RPG's. They require math (number cruching) problem solving skills (boss battles) creative thinking (puzzles and custom stats). In addition, some have plots as great as books of your reading level (FF7!)
Bad: Shooters. Only pro-shooter agruement invloves reflexes, and Sonic works just as well. Most anti-game thinking is aimed at the GTA type games, and frankly, without shooters games would not be held in as badly/
Ugly: MGS2.

I'm not out to offend shooter fans, these are just my thoughts.

I disagree. If it weren't for Grand Theft Auto, RPG's like Final Fantasy 7 would be attacked for it's terrorist activities, faux-religious philosophies, and homosexual/masochistic/dominatrix sexual sodomy undertones. GTA was pretty much designed as a cushion to ward off the lesser intelligent anti-gamers. I don't know what Jack Thompson would say if he ever got a hold of any Shin Megami Tensei games or even Deus Ex.

And few people understood MGS2. I could write an entire paper on MGS2 and postmodernism alone.

Anyways, www.theesa.com has pretty much all the info you need even an entire section on videogames and child violence. I guess no one told Jack Thompson that youth violence went DOWN since 1991 when the SNES was released. Thompson probably also didn't know that 83% of the games that came out in 2004 were rated E for everyone.

[Loki]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

I donno. I played San Andreas and because it had an secret sex scene that was imposible to accesses I went and killed a buch of hookers. Then I drove a motorcycle of the tallest building in LA.

[highwind]

Re: The goods and the bads of gaming

Videogames are a distraction from personal creative productivity.