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A Second Self
A phenomenon is known as something remarkable or extraordinary that is observed or is observable and can be perceived by our senses. It could be significant or insignificant, but overall it is prominent and/or prevalent in some way or another. Video gaming has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. Video game consoles are present in over 36 million homes in the United States today (Assorted Gaming Statistics). Video games sales produced over 9.8 billion dollars in 2001 alone (Assorted Gaming Statistics). As you can see, video gamers are a prevalent group in our society. They serve as a subculture and have many interesting characteristics. Video games along with technology serve as an impact on society and effect culture worldwide. Some people feel that video games create an addiction to gaming and increase the time spent wasted on this activity. “Gamers” see only positive views on video games, while others see both the positive and negative aspects. In this paper, I will provide information on the behaviors, rules, rituals, language, artifacts, and traditions of this video gaming subculture, and interpret and reflect on my data and observations to provide accurate knowledge and unbiased views on this unique subculture.
Rumor has it that a man named William Higinbotham created the very first video game in 1958. This game was called Tennis for Two and could only be played for twenty minutes at a time before it would blow up due to over heating. Back then, most people did not even know this game was even created because they had more important things to tend to. So of course this game did not have much of a social impact on society. Since then we have come a long way in the gaming industry, and more and more people have turned their attention to their favorite game or system. From Pacman to Halo, Atari to Xbox 360 this industry is constantly changing and coming up with new ways to occupy the lives of many. There are several different aspects of life that can affect a human socially. Some can be minor and others can be major occurrences. Many people across the world spend a majority of their day in front of the TV screen, with a controller in their hand playing video games and blocking out what’s going on in the rest of the world for the time being. These gamers only have one thing on their mind and that is how they are going to make it to the next level or how they can beat the computer.
Since the time I arrived here at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the spring of 2006 semester, I have taken notice of the subculture of gaming. The behavior of video gaming is well known to many college students and something I have experienced on a week-to-week basis. For my fieldwork observations, I visited a friend of mine, Chris Furyk. Chris is a 6’1” male, with long shaggy hair, who is a video game fanatic. He is the perfect model of a video gamer. He plays night and day, and lives and breathes video games. For this inductive fieldwork, I was able to insert myself in his video gaming atmosphere to observe, interview, and interpret the views and ideas of a true “gamer.”
This was a concept I never really understood. I was never into gaming and felt it was a distraction and waste of time. I believed gaming could become an addiction, and something that was dependent in someone’s life, which would never be a part of mine. I saw the controller as a commanding instrument, not only for the game, but also for the “gamer.” Coming into this interview and observation, I tried to keep an open mind about the activity of video gaming. When I arrived, Chris was already in the middle of a game called “Gears of War.” As I sat and watched him game, I took notice of the intensity and concentration that he possessed as he played the game. He sat hunched over, eyes piercing the television screen, as if he felt he was actually a part of the game. What he was doing seemed to be one of the most important things he would ever do in his life. He was living through the character.
After Chris successfully completed the game, he took some time to answer some of the questions I had about video gaming to try to understand the aspects of this subculture. I had to try to understand what attracts so many people to video gaming, considering I saw all the negative aspects and had such a biased view. Chris explained to me that he enjoys the stimulation and the representations of what he calls the “microworlds” of video gaming. He also appreciates the excitement presented in each video game. He believes that in these games, not only does he get to identify with the character, but he also gets to act through the game by “playing” the character. Scientific studies prove that identification through action presents a special kind of hold on an individual. During my observation, I did take notice of the video game controller, the material object that associates control with video gaming. Chris feels focused and in a highly charged state of mind that causes the impulse to want to “game” quite often and create an addiction. This addiction for gaming is connected to the electronics addiction. Just as some people are addicted to “gaming”, others can be addicted to television and other electronic devices, such as I-pods or Black Berries.
Chris definitely prefers video gaming to television. This was a logical question due to the relationship of technology and addiction with television vs. gaming, especially in the college atmosphere, which presents a lot of free time. He feels gaming “takes skill” and is more exciting than sitting and watching television. In my interpretation and analysis of his comments, video games are more interactive than television. Video games do not involve constructive thinking, just constructive button-pushing. It has been shown through scientific brain monitoring that video games put the brain into a repetitive loop and can cause more negative than positive impact on the brain developmental processes (Sheff 25).
I then wanted to determine whether Chris feels that video gaming plays an important role in his life. Chris explained that video games present great enjoyment and leisure time in his life. He describes that video games do more for a person than what an outside viewer can describe. He said to truly understand gaming you have to be an actual gamer. He believes video gaming has taught him not to give up until something is finished and how to become a good problem-solver. Research has shown that many skills can be achieved by playing video games. It hits on areas such as memory, estimating, logistics, resource management, quick thinking, recognition, creating hypotheses, perseverance, problem-solving, mapping, and inductive reasoning, which are all extremely important areas to improve upon. This information broadened my view on the idea of video gaming.
Chris concludes that video games are “definitely” good for society. He believes that video games fall into the same category as new and improved technology. He senses they are an important aspect in society and will just keep getting better with time. Some video games habituate the idea of social structure, competition, show leadership, and give empowerment, but too much of these things can cause negative impacts on anyone. It has been proven that video games do present violence to the viewer. Gender biases and stereotypes are also evident throughout most video games, which are carried over to the real world. Video games also suggest that most games are exclusive in nature, which effect natural “people” skills and personalities.
I decided to it was necessary to visit Chris again to observe a small group of gamers participating in a game called “Viva Pinata.” It was of great interest to me to see that there were some slight but noticeable similar characteristics among these gamers. Their lingo, attitudes, attire, and feelings towards video games were very alike in many ways. I had already realized this from their demeanor, actions, and words that they felt gaming was stimulating, exciting, and was an important aspect in their lives as it is in Chris’s. I then examined the interaction between the “gamers” as they participated in the video gaming. I took notice that there was more social interaction between players, both about the video game being played and some other just general conversation. They talked trash on each other concerning the game, and then talked about what they were going to do this upcoming weekend. This was encouraging to see because of the fact that I asserted that video games limit interaction and “people” skills. I also noticed more excitement from Chris than when he just played individual setting. There was more “trash” talking and actions of expressions when put into a group setting.
I have determined that video gaming is a huge part of the 21st Century that brings about both positive and negative aspects for society. I looked at both the negative and positive aspects of video gaming that go along with this subculture. Social expectations are reaffirmed through the social contract governing play, even as they are symbolically cast aside within the transgressive fantasies represented onscreen. Indeed the video game industry has become the most active and dynamic merchandisers of culture to the young and some elder. Some say that video games foster a healthy competitiveness, and, in their multi-player Internet manifestations, contain vast new possibilities for community building. Others see video games as isolating and damaging to both individuals and communities. I do not change where I stand about video games, but I now better understand reasons why video gamers do what they do. Video games imply an altered state or “second self” to the “gamer,” but this altered state is what helps attract the “gamer” to the game.