Computer games have firmly entered the life of modern man, taking the place of honorary leader among the many ways to organize recreation for people of all ages. Virtual reality attracts by its limitless possibilities, and every year the computer entertainment industry brings gamers more and more new games that cannot be abandoned. This increasing popularity of the multigenre computer world is reflected in the concerns of the world community about the potential harm to gamers.
This research paper focuses on the contrasting analysis of the social benefits that video games can bring to a person’s life. The focus of the research is on a multiplayer online game in the genre of royal battle called Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). Despite the scenes of bloodshed and the original idea of murder and survival at all costs, PUBG has a positive social meaning.
It would be a mistake to think that PUBG has created a revolution in the world of computer games. The game mechanics do not differ in originality: the multiplayer game starts with the fact that all players are thrown out from the plane to an island. Immediately after landing the first phase of the game, which could be described as a collection strategy, begins. The gamer has to have time to find enough right resources, which allows the character to survive as long as possible. With time the playing field narrows, and the stage of survival begins. Players have to kill others to ensure their victory: the winner is the one who will stay alive last.
Naturally, PUBG cannot be called a peaceful and quiet game. Here, in front of hundreds of gamers, are murders. A classic and rather superficial argument, which is often operated by the negative publicity, is the perception of murders. Undoubtedly, adult gamers are well aware that this is just a game, but a child’s mind perceives the world differently. Since childhood, the child learns to play: first, rattles and then takes a virtual gun and shoots their first victim. The child understands that such actions remain unpunished, resulting in a virtual picture of the world in reality.
However, it is worth noting that such a view is far from the present. Studies conducted by Pan et al. demonstrate a minimal correlation between video games and the manifestation of rigidity (1). When a gamer picks up a virtual weapon, it does not equal the real act of violence.
The game designer Jane McGonigal spoke out beautifully in her public speech about the benefits of video games for the future. She is convinced that the computer world of video games allows gamers to experience emotions and impressions that are difficult to get from the real world (“Gaming Can Make a Better World”). This position can be supported by an argument about the fantastic world players in space travel, the Middle Ages with dragons, or the atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic planet. Such universes allow the player to get a range of sensations that can then be transferred to reality.
Video games are an excellent way to stabilize emotional stress. It is known that a large group of gamers around the world are adults who spend time playing computer games after work (Pallavicini et al. 2). Constant stress or pressure can be relieved by immersion in the virtual world. Although an employee will commit bloodthirsty murders in this world, it is unlikely that these scenarios will be feasible in reality.
Due to its peculiarity, the world of PUBG develops a useful skill in gamers to optimize tasks. In order to win, a gamer needs not so much to kill other players as to think through strategies and search and design resources. This causes players to solve several parallel tasks simultaneously, which has a positive effect on the brain activity properties, such as attention, concentration, and performance (Boyle et al. 190). Moreover, contrary to its basic idea of survival by killing, PUBG satisfies a range of social needs that the gamer faces. First, the statute of multiplayer allows PUBG to unite people and create useful connections.
Players can get acquainted with the game and then establish communication in the real world. Secondly, in the given game, there is an element of gathering wherefrom the simplest elements the gamer can create more challenging designs. This allows meeting the creative desires of the gamer and tracing the evolution of their thoughts. McGonigal hopes that in the future, the phenomenon of gamers will be reviewed because it considers gamers who like computer worlds – a useful resource for social change (“Gaming Can Make a Better World”). It is essential to understand that today’s games no longer have just an entertainment function, introducing elements of the educational process. This means that games create a category of people who are trained in a specific skill that can be useful to society.
In conclusion, it is worth repeating that the condemnation of computer games due to elements of violence and bloodthirstiness is quite superficial. Despite the tools used in the PUBG strategy game, the presence of a gun or knife is unlikely to force the gamer to engage in acts of violence in the real world. Moreover, the game’s plot can have a positive effect on a person. With the help of PUBG, the gamer learns multitasking, solves problems by searching optimal ways, and splashes the accumulated emotions and feelings. It should be separately noted that the virtual world of PUBG helps the player to experience those emotions that are difficult to find in the real world. In connection with all the above, it should be noted that computer games have a positive effect on the social sphere.
Works Cited
Boyle, Elizabeth A., et al. “An Update to the Systematic Literature Review of Empirical Evidence of the Impacts and Outcomes of Computer Games and Serious Games.” Computers & Education, vol. 94, no. 1, 2016, pp. 178-192.
“Gaming Can Make a Better World.” TED, 2010. Web.
Pallavicini, Federica, et al. “Video Games for Well-Being: A Systematic Review on the Application of Computer Games for Cognitive and Emotional Training in the Adult Population.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 9, no. 1, 2018, pp. 2127-2143.
Pan, Wei, et al. “Spontaneous Brain Activity Did Not Show the Effect of Violent Video Games on Aggression: A Resting-State fMRI Study.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 8, no. 1, 2018, pp. 2219-2228.