Larger than any other means of entertainment, video gaming are the fastest growing form of media entertainment. With their use of cutting edge technologies, video games involve the player in ever-more unrealistic, complex and involved gaming situations. Because of their high appeal, video games are potentially addictive. One such unveiling addictive is complex multi-player online playing, Counter strike, a first-person shooter in which players join either the terrorist team, the counter-terrorist team, or become spectators.
Originating in 2000, throughout the years, Counterstrike grew in popularity and has become one of the most popular first-person shooters of all time. Its fast-paced and team-oriented gameplay has stayed relative the same, through these years. The most recent 1.6 is now used as a title to differentiate the original game from the rest of the series. The game consists of counter-terrorists & terrorists who fight to complete an objective or eliminate the opposing team. Although basic, it is considered to be the most revolutionary online games.
Researchers have shown that playing violent games like CS, may boost one’s learning, health, social skills and a range of cognitive skills such as reasoning, spatial navigation, memory and perception. They are also known to improve hand-eye co-ordination, induce decision making, enhance creativity and inculcate a taste for graphics, design and technology. But, there are counter views also to this. Playing CS is not passive. The player has to be an aggressor in order to win. Young people, who often feel powerless in their daily lives, suddenly have the ability to command armies and wreak havoc on a virtual world with no real-life consequences. This is seductive!
Gamers who become hooked show clear signs of addiction. Like a drug, gamers who play almost every day, play for extended periods of time (over 4 hours), get restless or irritable if they can’t play, and sacrifice other social activities just to game are showing signs of addiction. “When we do anything that triggers our brain’s reward system, that information gets locked into our brains. Video games are built to exploit this part of our brain. Kill opponents, get points. Complete level, get happy music. Win game, feel satisfied. It’s a very simple and primitive part of who we are. We react the same way to everything. I play CS to refresh myself from the daily routine. Though revolutionary, it helps distract mind from the uncomforts of the real world. After all, anything in moderation is not a problem”, says Sagar thakkar, one of the prominent CS players, in a survey.
There’s a lot more work to be done before we truly understand this stuff. Gaming is like any other activity in life, too much hamburger or pizza can be harmful too. Indeed, the science of addiction itself is still hopelessly infantile. In the meantime, gaming addicts are more or less on their own, and have to fight their addiction by figuring out what makes the real world so unappealing when compared to the bright lights of the computer screen.
– TANVI SHAH
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