Exploring the Negotiable Consequences of Videogames

Roberto Zapata

26840469

April 12th, 2016

Research Essay:

Exploring The Negotiable Consequences Of

Videogames

Work presented to

Stefan Jovanović

MARK 451

Service Marketing

Concordia University

Videogames are an essential component of our society. People who marginalize videogames often tend to forget that at the very essence, videogames are games and that humans have played games for as long as history can verify it, about 5,000 years^[1], and perhaps even longer than that. In light of that, it was only a matter of time until humanity pushed the limitations of games through technology. Despite this, some people still see no value in videogames; they argue that they’re nothing more than a waste of time.

Bearing that in mind, I look forward to shedding some light on the consequences of playing videogames. After all, one of the features of games, according to Jesper Juul, is that they have negotiable consequences^[2]. That being said, I want to explore how people can benefit from playing videogames besides simply having fun, but also how it could potentially hinder their lives. The consequences may be negotiable, but it is important to know what they are, first and foremost. In my opinion, in moderation, videogames can be beneficial to our lives.

The structure I chose for this analysis will allow us to clearly assess the impact of videogames in our lives. Whether you’ve realized it or not, happiness and success in life come from the synergy between body, mind and spirit. Hence, we will explore how videogames affect the physical, psychological and spiritual aspects of our lives to get  a holistic picture of their impact.

First Dimension: Physical

In this first dimension, I want to explore the physical implications of videogames to immediately set aside the stereotype of videogames being nothing but bad for our physical health. Of course, there are indeed a handful of repercussions to playing videogames, like spending extended hours of time sitting down, but let’s look at positive first.

Let’s begin with a 2009 study that reveals that videogames improve vision. More precisely, Daphne Bavelier, professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, found out that people who regularly play action videogames have an improved ability to perceive subtle changes in shades of gray by up to 58%^[3]. This is not to say that more casual players will no reap such benefits; they will, just not as much. The improved contrast sensitivity can also last for months after the game was last played. Having good contrast sensitivity is particularly important for activities such as driving at night, in case you were wondering how having improved contrast sensitivity is beneficial. Furthermore, a 2012 McMaster University study also revealed that first-person shooter videogames can improve the vision of people suffering from cataracts^[4]. Despite having had eye surgery during their early childhoods, patients from the study were facing a lifetime of reduced vision with no more possible improvements, not even further surgery, until this breakthrough.

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