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Gaming essay

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Gaming essay
The Threats of Online Gaming It seems that only now people are finally starting to be aware of the negative impact that online gaming has on both the physical and psychological aspect of the gamer’s lives. The more people that know about the social isolation, narcissism, increased aggression, and negative academic and occupational consequences that results from excessive online gaming, the bigger the drive will be to take the precautionary steps needed to at least reduce the negative by-products from the excessive online gaming. Excessive gaming wasn’t a problem 30 years ago like it is today. Thirty years ago, games were like an exclusive preserve for teenage boys that occasionally went to arcades. The problem arose when gaming evolved into a much more complex activity than just the simple arcade games. With all the different types of games, the complex evolution of gaming has now fused itself with society and became mainstream in most parts of the world.
When the arcade games shifted into game consoles in households is when the excessive gaming was first introduced to our society. Video games are now played in over 65% of North American households (NPD Groups, 2008). Not only is that well-over half of the households, but also the games are no longer only played by children. Over the past few years, there are 25% of gamers who are under 18 years old, 49% of gamers are aged between 18 and 49, and 26% are over the age of 50 (Entertainment Software Association, 2008). Even with the strong take over by gaming, people are now starting to realize the threat. There has recently been an increase in the number of research publications focused on video gaming (e.g., Chou & Ting, 2003).
Just like expected, most of the gamers tended to be males. Even in the group of gamers, the males also tended to play for longer periods of time than the females that played. This isn’t a surprise since in general, most people associate gaming with guys. Even from my experiences, I know



Cited: Chiawen, Lee. "Effects Of College Students ' Video Gaming Behavior On Self-Concept Clarity And Flow." Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal 40.4 (2012): 673-679. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. Chou, T.-J., Ting, C.-C. (2003). The role of flow experience in cyber-games addiction. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 6, 663-675. 29 Nov. 2013 Csikszentmihalyi, M DeMaria, R., & Wilson, J. (2002). High score: The illustrated history of electronic games. Berkeley, CA: McGraw- Hill/Osborne Entertainment Software Association. (2008). 2008 sales, demographic and usage data: Essential facts about the computer and video game industry. Washington, DC: Entertainment Software Association Kim, E. J., Namkoong, K., Ku, T., & Kim, S. J. (2008). The relationship between online game addiction and aggression, self-control and narcissistic personality traits. European Psychiatry, 23(3), 212–218. 1 Dec. 2013 Ko, C NPD Group, Inc. (2008). NPD Group releases gamers segmentation 2008 report. Port Washington, NY: NPD Group, Inc. Web. 29 Nov. 2013 Spencer, R Sublette, Victoria. "Consequences Of Play: A Systematic Review Of The Effects Of Online Gaming." International Journal Of Mental Health & Addiction 10.1 (2012): 3-23. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.

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