The given assessment will focus on the video games as leisure activity with cultural and historical connotations. Although the overall history of video games is short, many transformations and changes occurred within this short period of time. In addition, strong cultural aspect is present in the gaming community, which also has its impact on the economic arena. One of the major uses of the given leisure activity can be observed in education, where innovative approaches allow to improve the teaching and training processes.
The selected leisure activity is a direct product of the 20th century major innovation. The brief history of video games started in 1950s, and it emerged alongside the rise of computer technology and proliferated with the internet (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2020). Although there is no particular cultural origin of the leisure activity, it is stated that it is a continuation of traditional games (Muriel & Crawford, 2018). However, video games possess a unique culture called “gamer” culture, which revolves around various products and customer dedication towards the activity. One should note that initially, video games were mostly popular among younger audience, but currently, adults also make up the significant portion of gaming population (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2020). Video games can be considered as an industry leisure, which have its own market segment with a great deal of economic impact. The United States’ game industry added $11.7 billion to GPD in 2015, and sales exceeded $24.5 billion in 2016 (“2017 economic impact report,” 2017). Therefore, it is highly profitable and large section of the market, where customers no longer belong to a particular age group.
Although there are a wide range of games available, there are certain contemporary forms and issues surrounding the leisure activity. The gaming community is mostly divided into a number of groups revolving around the particular game. Although a person can play different games, there tends to be some form of commitment and loyalty to a specific video game within the market segment (Muriel & Crawford, 2018). In terms of issues, the main determining factor of video games’ community strength is directly linked to the developers’ responsiveness and engagement with the customers (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2020). Training and education in video games play an important role since the main goal is to acquire new knowledge and skills. This process significantly affects the formation of the worldview and its development and change.
The learning activity always makes sense not only in the course of the process itself, but also in what is offered to the player as new knowledge. When considering video games in the context of education, researchers usually operate with the concept of “serious video games.” (Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al., 2020) A serious video game is a mental duel in which a person interacts with a computer program according to special rules. It allows a person to gain useful knowledge on a specific topic or develop communication skills. However, it should be noted that a key feature of serious video games or educational video games that distinguishes them from educational applications is the entertainment nature of the presentation of information.
In conclusion, one should be aware that video games, as a leisure activity, have a high degree of influence in the modern world of technology. Historically, it emerged as a continuation of traditional games, but the industry expanded alongside the technological achievements. It developed to large scale, where the entire gaming community was formed with diverse groups revolving around particular games. Video games have also become a major element and tool of education, where more effective knowledge transfer methodologies are being implemented.
References
2017 economic impact report. Web.
Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S., Smith, J. H., & Tosca, S. P. (2020). Understanding video games: The essential introduction (4th ed.). Routledge.
Muriel, D., & Crawford, G. (2018). Video games as culture: Considering the role and importance of video games in contemporary society. Routledge.