Entertainment has always been an integral part of human life. Since ancient times people tried to find some way to relax and have pleasant moments which could help them to refresh and gain new powers. Being rather primitive at the beginning of its development, this kind of activity, though, continued its evolution. It became more complicated, trying to be able to meet the main needs of people which were peculiar to society.
That is why, different periods of development of history can be characterized by various kinds of entertainments which people appreciated. It is also obvious that coherent society has several peculiarities which influence the way in which people prefer to spend their free time. Taking into account the fact that blistering development of digital technologies can be taken as the main characteristic of the modern world, it is not surprising that virtual world became one of the main entertainments for people. There is a great number of video games which create real atmosphere and make a person involved in the process. It is obvious that these games have a great influence on people though, it is not always beneficial.
First of all, it should be said that there is a great number of different genres of games nowadays. Actions, arcades and simulators are rather popular and help people to relax. However, there is a certain kind of games among them which can be taken as rather ambivalent. The fact is, that the genre of strategies is not new and there were a great number of table top games which made people think about their steps. Additionally, even in the Middle Ages noble people were taught the main aspects of strategy for them to be able to think and coordinate their steps.
Though, development of digital technologies and computers helps to renew interest to this kind of games and there is a great number of admirers of strategies in the modern world. There are several kinds of strategies, however, real time ones (RTS) are the most popular nowadays (Electronic strategy game, 2015). The first game of this genre was Stonkers, a strategy which was created in 1983. However, the game which influenced development of strategies and formed the final image of this genre was Dune II (Dor, n.d.). Since that time strategies have never stopped their development and nowadays, they are very complicated games which have significant influence on people who play.
There are several points of view on the previous statement. However, it is obvious, that like the majority of things in the world, strategies have both positive and negative influence on a person. To start the analysis of the issue it is possible to investigate beneficial effect which these games work on people. First of all, it is evident that playing a strategy a person tries to concentrate on his/her aim and achieve it (BoardGameGuy, 2011). That is why, a player makes efforts to become the most efficient and act in the most appropriate way. At this moment his/her brain works fast and the level of attention increases. A person is ready to respond to the slightest changes in the environment, even if it is virtual (Dumitrescu, 2011). Thus, it is possible to say that strategies promote development of the ability to concentrate and respond to some issues among players.
Moreover, logical thinking can also be taken into account as it helps a player to act wisely and win the game. Very often, strategies suggest some puzzles or complicated situations for a player to solve them. It is possible to use traditional approach which seems to be the easiest one, though, very often it could be not enough to win the game (Roy, n.d.). At this rate, application of the main elements of logical thinking can help a person to find the best possible solution. There are many situations of this sort which appear during the game and, resting on these facts, it is possible to say that logical thinking is vital under these conditions.
Thus, there is one more beneficial effect which should be mentioned. Creation of the Internet and online games introduced some changes to traditional real time strategies and nowadays players are able to play with each other staying at home. There are many games which are created in accordance with these new conditions and which demand combined efforts of all players as problems, which appear, cannot be solved by one person (Schwartzman, n.d.). That is why, good cooperation skills are needed in order to coordinate actions of all players. It is possible to say that strategies also help to develop this sphere of human activity.
For that reason, taking into account information presented in the previous paragraphs, it should be concluded that strategies are rather influential games which can help people to develop certain skills. Moreover, appearance of online strategies led to the introduction of competitive element to these games. Now, people are able to compare their results with the rest of players all over the world and try to continue their personal development for them to become the most successful. Besides, these games can be taken as independent ones as they have different ways of influence on a person.
Unfortunately, speaking about the issue of computer games, it is impossible not to mention pernicious effect which they can have on people. It should be said that all computer games are very addictive and there are many people in the world who devote almost all their life to games (The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games, n.d). Trying to achieve success, they forget about their real lives, preferring to remain in virtual space.
This sort of addiction nowadays becomes more and more popular and very often scientists compare it with drug or alcohol addictions. Being not able to stop playing, gamers need help as this process obviously destroys their personality and ruins the health. Furthermore, many modern games demand a certain sum of money which should be paid every month. Addicted people are not able to earn money because they devote all their time to game and, that is why, they try to find some other ways which can lead to the increase of the level of delinquency.
Having analyzed the main aspects of strategies and the influence which they have on people, it is possible to make a certain conclusion. It should be said that strategies can promote development of logical thinking and cooperation skills as they allot tasks which could not be solved without the usage of these two issues. However, people should also be warned about the addictive character of these games as there are many players all over the world who are not able to stop and ruin their life, living in virtual space.
References
BoardGameGuy. (2011). Benefits of Strategy Games. Strategy Game Review. Web.
Dor, S. (n.d.). A History of Real-Time Strategy Gameplay From Decryption to Prediction: Introducing the Actional Statement. Kinephanos. Web.
Dumitrescu, A. (2011). Study: Real Time Strategy Gaming Benefits from Size of Brain Regions. Softpedia. Web.
Electronic strategy game. (2015). Encyclopædia Britannica. Web.
Roy, G. (n.d.). Being historical: how strategy games are changing popular history. playthepast. Web.
Schwartzman, R. (n.d.). Abstract Strategy Games Can Exercise the Whole Family. Web.
The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games. (n.d.). Web.