Online games have quickly become a common and universal aspect of pop culture. The search for better graphics and realistic gameplay has resulted in advancements and sophistication in software and hardware, as well as in the animation and graphic design of games.
The online market has grown rapidly, growing 44% in 2000, when it was worth around $ 6.5 billion. The advancement and availability of the Internet for an increasing number of people is the main cause of this exponential growth.
The variety available in online games
This is a type of games where players interact with the help of a server. Some also allow players to interact with other players.
They can be of several types. A classification is:
- Simulation: This involves strategic thinking when the player is put into simulation of an experiment.
- Role-playing games: they allow players to play a role in a particular environment; they are games centered on scenarios.
- Multi-user dimension: they also look like role-playing games, but they are text oriented; they instill the involvement of a cybercommunity in their game.
- Shooting: They evolved from arcade shooters; the main game is to shoot at a target and hit it.
What is it that attracts people to online gaming?
Several factors influence the popularity, such as dazzling graphics and sound, ease of access and widespread availability of online games, and the thrill and excitement that people experience when playing these games. People play repeatedly and spend a lot of time and money behind them because it gives them pleasure. Motivation to play stems from the rewarding experience that these games provide. These have a strong possibility of losing, so this presents a challenge and a tangible goal. Being able to rise to the challenge and win despite the odds gives players a sense of accomplishment and self-efficacy.
However, it also contributes to the risk of gambling addiction.
The game has benefits, believe it or not
Although they have been regularly criticized for their negative effects such as encouraging violence, cyberbullying and xenophobia, research has shown that online games bring benefits to gamers. Some of them are:
- Action-based online games can improve specific cognitive abilities because they involve some training and brain plasticity is affected. They require the activity of the senses, a rapid processing of information, in an adaptive way because these games are stimulating and the level of difficulty increases after each success.
- Shooting games improve attention span as they require sensory discrimination and rapid processing of information, as well as monitoring all parts of the screen or the playing environment.
- Women who played visuospatial puzzle games were found to have improved their visuospatial performance and this improvement was maintained even after 5 months. Additionally, visual contrast sensitivity improved in young adults after playing shooters.