GAMING The Psychology behind

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The Psychology behind

         GAMING
        I S YO U R PA S S I O N S E T T ING YO U UP FO R SUCC E SS?

    “ I T MA K E S
       PEO P L E
   AG G R ES S I V E ! ”                                “IT ’ S A TO OL
                                                       FO R BAT T LING
                                                       D E P RE SSIO N! ”

  “ I T MA K E S
 PEOP LE L E S S
PRODU CT I VE ! ”                                            “IT MAK ES
                                                          P EO P LE MORE
                                                          P RO D UC T IV E! ”

       “ I T H A RM S
      CH IL D RE N ’ S
    DEV ELO P M E N T ! ”                       “IT HE LP S C HILD REN
                                                D E VE LO P CO G NIT IV E
                                                        SK ILLS!”
S
        ince the dawn of video games,         we witness the virtual world
        debate has raged on about the         continue to evolve testing new and
        psychological implications of this    untapped possibilities. As the line
        interactive digital world.            between reality and virtual reality
                                              becomes more blurred, this creates
Can the mental stimulation of video           more uncertainty of the associations
games encourage productivity or               video games have on our cognitive
demotivate us to develop in the real          processes. We also see a more enticing
world? Can it cultivate positive thinking     portal for fans to escape into, but
or does it stimulate depression and           what are the latest implications of
addiction? Are video games holding you        this appealing new world?
back from achieving your full potential?
We have reviewed numerous studies             In this article we have broken down
in the hope of clearing up uncertainty        some of the positive and negative
around the implications of video games.       implications of gaming with the
                                              intention of answering the question:
With the release of games like                what potential value and costs do
Unchartered 4: A Thief’s End and Far Cry 5,   video games hold for us?

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“Video games foster the mindset that
allows creativity to grow”
― Nolan Bushnell, Video Game Hall of Famer

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GOOD TO GO
                         P O S I T I VE A SP EC T S O F GAMING

PICKUP GROUP 1:                                         can make with random strangers”
SOCIAL BENEFITS                                         ― Wesley Hucker, Streamer
Gamers have formed their own
subculture, consequently this has                       EXTRA LIFE:
provided connection and socialisation for               POSITIVE AGEING
those who might otherwise be isolated.                  In Digital Media Australia’s 2018
No longer bound by their location, they                 report they conducted a study to
bond over a shared interest. This is                    see how different levels of gaming
evident for teenage boys where video                    impacted the players. At the end of
games have been documented as having                    the study 90% of participants stated
a significant impact on the development                 that they felt playing video games may
and maintenance of their friendships.                   increase mental stimulation for ageing
38% of teenage boys surveyed say                        participants. The same report revealed
they share their gaming handle as one                   that 43% of senior participants play
of the first three pieces of information                video games for leisure and lead the
exchanged when they meet someone                        charge as the largest demographic to
they would like to be friends with.2                    take up gaming in the past six years.
                                                        This rise in 65+ gamers suggests that
“I personally think the best part about                 seniors are finding an increased
PUGs is the insane bantz and jokes you                  value in gaming.

                                    GAMING LINGO & REFERENCE

1. Pickup Group (PUG) is the process of picking up other gamers to make yourself a strong team to take on
a mission or quest within the game. Usually the better the group dynamic, the better the group will perform.
2. “Teens, Technology and Friendships” Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C. (6/8/15)
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/06/teens-technology-and-friendships/

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“I’ve learned over the years that if
   you start thinking about the race, it
   stresses you out a little bit. I just try
 to relax and think about video games,
what I’m gonna do after the race, what
    I’m gonna do just to chill. Stuff like
    that to relax a little before the race.”
     ― Usain Bolt, Jamaican sprinter and world record holder”

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REAL TIME STRATEGY 3:                                that maybe you don’t normally use.”
COGNITIVE BENEFITS                                   ― Ezra Koenig, American musician,
Digital Report Australia found 84% of                screenwriter and radio personality
participants felt video games improved
their thinking. This isn’t surprising                OUT OF CHARACTER 4:
with strategy, concentration, decision-              FIGHTING DEPRESSION
making and other cognitive skills                    There has been substantial evidence
constantly challenged through video                  to support the claim that video games
games. One experiment documented                     possess a therapeutic element. One
that action video games significantly                study found that fast-paced action
improved participants’ perception,                   video games improved players’
top-down attention, spatial cognition                decisiveness and enhanced their
and cognitive flexibility (Bediou, B                 cognitive ability. With cognitive
et al 2018). Video games testing                     deficiency linked to depression, this
players’ cognitive skills is not a                   mental stimulation provided by video
new inclusion; this is evident in the                games can lead to a positive impact for
very first arcade game – Pong. Pong                  gamers. Another study found casual
tested players’ hand-eye and spatial                 video gaming can lift players’ moods in
coordination as they played. Different               different ways. So, if you’re feeling glum
video games offer different forms of                 why not consider swapping out some of
mental stimulation from fast-paced                   your Mortal Combat game time with the
game, Call of Duty, testing strategy to              more wacky Rocket League?
Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game Series
testing problem solving skills. Video                “A game is an opportunity to focus
games encourage you to overcome                      our energy, with relentless optimism,
obstacles, concentrate, make decisions,              at something we’re good at (or getting
collaborate and develop your skills to               better at) and enjoy. In other words,
achieve your goals.                                  gameplay is the direct emotional
                                                     opposite of depression.”
“Some people say video games rot your                ― Jane McGonigal, American
brain, but I think they work different muscles       game designer and author

                                          GAMING LINGO

3. Real Time Strategy (RTS) is for games that generally require particular elements of manoeuvring
and strategy.
4. Out of Character (OOC) is usually used in role-playing games when players want to say something in
real life rather than as their character.

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DAMAGE PER SECOND
                       N EGAT I VE ASP EC T S O F GAMING

MONSTER OR BEAST 5:                                  to play, it is not really a surprise
AGGRESSION AND GAMING                                that children who played violent
The argument that video games                        video games regularly would turn to
increase aggression in players is a                  physical aggression when they can’t
popular one, and not completely                      communicate their frustrations. Some
unfounded. However, context is                       video games teach that an action brings
required, as these accusations are                   a certain reaction, for example in Grand
mainly focused on violent video                      Theft Auto V you can steal a car and
games. Various studies have found                    be rewarded with cash. The National
an association with playing violent                  Centre for Health Research reported that
video games and an increase in                       long term, video games can desensitise
physical aggression. A meta-analysis                 people to seeing aggressive behaviour,
conducted in 2018 reviewed 24                        and even decrease prosocial behaviours
studies and confirmed violent video                  such as the ability to feel empathy.
games increased physical aggression                  These studies are mainly focused on
in children over time (T. Prescott, D.               children, whose brains have not finished
Sargent & G. Hull 2018).However,                     developing. That is why ensuring the
they also found that even violent                    player’s maturity, cognitive skills, ability to
video games relieved stress, improved                process emotions and distinguish realities
problem solving and hand-eye                         should be taken into consideration when
coordination. With most video games                  their guardian or parent allows them to
requiring little to no verbal cognition              play violent video games.

                                          GAMING LINGO
5. Monster or Beast (MOB) is used to refer to non-player characters whose purpose is usually to be
killed for plot continuation in the game. They are usually the bad guys and therefore aggressive.

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“We cannot and will
   not ban the creation
of violent video games.
   But, we can prevent
     the distribution of
       these disturbing
     games to children,
     where their effects
        can be negative”
          ― Herb Kohl, American
       businessman and politician

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GRINDING 6: ADDICTION                                 aged 10-19), claiming 10-15% of young
AND GAMING DISORDER                                   people are sufferers, compared to
Classified by the World Health                        1-10% recorded in the West. China,
Organization as “impaired control over                Japan and South Korea have explored
gaming”, gaming disorders see sufferers               options to help ween their young
prioritising gaming over other activities             citizens from internet use, with a focus
despite any negative consequences                     on video games. Japan did this by
that may occur. This disorder is usually              shutting off young players’ access to
quite severe and can cause personal,                  online games late at night. Again, we
social, educational and professional                  are seeing an issue with some young
impairments for those diagnosed.                      players struggling to find the balance
Many Asian countries record a                         between their gaming and other
significant number of sufferers (most                 elements of their lives.

                                           GAMING LINGO
6. Grinding is the process of playing for an unprecedented amount of time in order to increase the
player’s strength or power within a particular game.

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“Looking at virtual reality through
computer screens, video game screens, and
above all television screens is a denial of
personality development. It’s a denial of
socialization, of expansion of vocabulary, of
interaction with real human beings”
― Ralph Nader, American political activist, author, lecturer and attorney

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GOOD LUCK HAVE FUN                                                             7

                                  F I N AL ARGUME NT S

After reviewing both arguments for and               reality being adopted by psychologists
against gaming, we can acknowledge                   to diagnose and treat patients, we can
that gaming can be a positive activity               see endless potential of this constantly
when played responsibly. If played                   evolving technology. The value of video
excessively, without balance or the                  games is difficult to quantify, but from
content is of a maturity level beyond                our findings we can conclude that
the player’s psychological development,              (if played responsibly) video games
there can be negative consequences.                  have the potential to enhance various
But with games like Tetris improving                 cognitive skills that could set you up
spatial cognition to the latest virtual              for success.

                                          GAMING LINGO
7. Good Luck Have Fun (GLHF) is usually adopted in multi-player games and said as a sign of good will
at the start of a game.

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“To make an embarrassing admission,
I like video games. That’s what got me into
software engineering when I was a kid.
I wanted to make money so I could buy a
better computer to play better video games
– nothing like saving the world.”
― Elon Musk, entrepreneur and investor

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WHAT’S NEW IN 2019?
                       U P CO M I NG GAME RE LE ASE S

2019’s shaping up to be a big year for      offer new areas from Disney films Frozen
gaming enthusiasts with a big collection    and Tangled. Whether you’re on a PS4
due in the New Year.                        or Xbox One, this new game has been
                                            released on both platforms for every
If you’re a Super Mario fan, there’s a      gamer’s convenience.
host of new games to look forward to
with your favourite characters making       Jedi: Fallen Order will be a welcome
an appearance.                              addition to the 2019 game release
                                            line up for Star Wars fans and action-
A third instalment of Luigi’s Mansion is    adventure gamers. Although there’s little
expected on the Switch platform. He         information so far about the game, we
makes a second appearance, teaming          know it’s set after the events of Episode
up with Mario in Bowser’s Inside Story      III: Revenge of the Sith and you’ll play
for the 3DS console. Beloved dinosaur       as a Padawan.
Yoshi has the spotlight with his very
own Crafted World game. How will it         Fast forward to a post-apocalyptic future
compare to the classic Yoshi’s Island?      in Metro Exodus and fight for survival as
                                            you battle a hostile environment and
Final Fantasy lovers are in for a busy      discover your weapons arsenal.
year in 2019 with not just one but four
re-releases scheduled. Fans should look     Race from hundreds of zombies in PS4
out for Final Fantasy VII, IX, X and XII:   game Days Gone, due for release on 26th
Zodiac Edition which is being ported to     April. Face unique challenges and use
Switch and Xbox One.                        your initiative to escape alive.

For those of you anticipating the           In keeping with the zombie narrative,
upcoming Anthem game from EA, you           World War Z offers yet more creatures
won’t have long to wait as it’s due for     of the undead to do battle with. Based
release on February 22nd.                   on the original story, it’s set to offer
                                            multi-player options so you can team
Kingdom Hearts 3 is scheduled for           up with your mates to defeat the
release in late January. After several      zombie crowds. Play on PS4, PC and
delays, this highly anticipated game will   Xbox One.

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TOP TIPS TO MAKE
           GAMING ECONOMICAL

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Let’s not lie, video games are expensive              SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
(especially the latest releases), but there           Various companies offer
are affordable options so you can have                subscription services that allow
your game and play it too.                            you to download games to play

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                                              on your PC at home. Humble Bundle is
      SHARING IS CARING                       one of these subscription services. What
      Split the cost of your game and         makes Humble Bundle special is that
      share the fun with your mates.          you get to decide where your cash goes;
      Whether your split it with              whether you want it to go to charity,
housemates, workmates or your mate            game developers or to tip the Humble
Greg from primary school, this                Bundle team, the power is in your hands.
is one way to cut costs on video              Just be careful, sometimes subscriptions
game expenses.                                can end up costlier in the long run, so do

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                                              your maths before subscribing.

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         TRY BEFORE YOU BUY
         Rather than blowing your                      GO RETRO OR GO HOME
         birthday cash on the latest                   The latest games can be pricey,
         console, why not rent it to get               so why not consider going for an
your fill until the day you can afford it?             older and cheaper alternative?
You can do this with the latest games as      Be transported back in a nostalgic haze
well. If renting is too pricey you            with the Nintendo Classic Gaming console
can split that with your mates as well        that you can purchase with a collection of
and have them all round for games             some of the best old school games ready
and pizza.                                    to play.

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