The origin of video game goes back to the year 1940s. The first players of the game were Thomas T Goldsmith and Estle ray Mann who were the first persons to introduce the cathode ray tube amusement device. The popularity of video game began to rise in the years 1970s and 1980s where most of computer games were played. The main prominent games in those times were such as arcade video games and gaming consoles. The video has become the modern form of entertainment in the recent days from the period.
Video games remain to be the popular form of entertainment to most individuals in the world. It is used by all genders and ages as a form of entertainment. The video game industry reported over $ 7 million sales in the year 2003. The number of computers and video games continues to increase in various regions of the world. The video is played by both genders having males leading into the overall percentage. From the analysis done by Entertainment Software Association, almost 39 percent of females in United States play the video game. This is comprised of 75 percent of homes with two or more than two children who are aged from 2 years to 17 years. A video is considered as one of activity that is used during the leisure time of some individuals.
The activity has yet to be studied specifically on its uses. Its influence on the players and gratification they get from playing the game is yet to be established. Some effects that result in the behavior of the players are not deeply analyzed. There are prominent questions on the reasons for the use of video games as a form of entertainment and the gratification the players receive from doing the activity. In this study, we seek to explore the reasons why individuals use the video game and the implications learnt from its use to the individuals.
Since inception, the use of video games by different parties has not been explained in detail. Some claims that the players are using the games as a form of entertainment, but little is done on the gratification they receive from its use. The players learn some emotional actions that make them react to the members of the society in a way that describes their leant gratifications. They mostly try to practice the strategies used in the game, in the real world situations. They practice the act with other players physically creating physical damages or disharmony among the residents. The uses and gratifications should be based on the functional attributes of the players and different actions. The human behavior acts like a system of interlinked interactions of different environments. The behavior of a person is greatly influenced on the activities that the individual is exposed to and frequently uses. The behavior is subject to change if an individual is exposed to a different environment.
Based on this analysis, it is now clear that, video games influence human behavior in a manner that can be depicted from the games played by individuals. The type of game influences the actions of an individual. An aggressive game may result in aggressive behavior of an individual. There is a biological influence from the nature of a game to an individual. Through the use of video games, the individual behavior will be greatly influenced by the visual images seen by the individual. This is because, individual behavior is influenced by the activities done, seen and heard. The cognitive motives are different across individuals. Some individuals play the game to learn or to obtain some information or tactics. Other individuals play the game to pass the time. This shows that, game motives are different across various players.
The uses of video games and gratification paradigm elaborate a theoretical explanation of the study of video games from the human behavior perspective. Video games contribute to many changes in the context of human behavior. Essentially, a game is a basic need to every individual. This need differs across individuals, on the context of preferences and accessibility. Through the use of a game, a combined action resulting from the perceived actions and emotional factors are exhibited in an individual. Like educational video games, the player can acquire the necessary knowledge from playing the game. The game can be made interesting to attract the player to play the game. The video game can be used to teach the preschool students as they have an attractive feature that will encourage their learning. From the analysis, little has been done to explain the human behavioral change from the use of games, especially the use of video games. The fact reveals that, human behavior tends to be influenced by the actions learnt from the game.
In the study, the most unexpected effect of the use of video games reveals itself. It is evident that, some of human behavior results from the visual observations they make and actions taken. This influences their behavior towards other members of the society. This leads to a definite form of interactions among individuals.
The uses and gratification can be analyzed following the way human behavior is developed. The human behavior starts from the needs of a person which may be high or low. These needs led to the combination of intra individual and extra individual characteristics whose structure depends on the activity and surroundings of an individual. This includes media available, for instance video game. The different pattern of human behavior is adopted by an individual depends on the pattern of needs. The solution is obtained from the perceived actions of an individual. Different motives in an individual in seeking the problem solving actions are exhibited by the individual. This makes an individual to adopt behavior that has been greatly influenced by the actions or media surrounding.
Works Cited
Baer, Ralph H. Videogames: in the beginning. illustrated. Springfield: Rolenta Press, 2005.
Newman, James. Video Games. illustrated, reprint. New York: Routledge, 2004.
Phan, M H, J R Jardina and W S Hoyle. "Video Games: Males Prefer Violence while Females Prefer Social." Vol. 14. Issue 1 (August 2012,): 1-6.
Sherry, John L, Kristen Lucas and Bradley S Greenberg. "Video Game Uses and Gratifications as Predictors of Use and Game Preference." (2005): 2-35.
Vorderer, Peter and Jennings Bryant. Playing Video Games: Motives, Responses, and Consequences. illustrated. New York: Routledge, 2012.
