Video Games and Interpersonal Relationships

I think video games for the most part are used for enjoyment, but I do believe that they can cause a divide in interpersonal relationships. This topic is one that I usually come down hard on because I just cannot see how people can become so involved in a game and that it becomes so important to them that they treat it like reality or they neglect other aspects of life. Also some people become so involved that they ignore the reality of their life.

I thing that if you are playing video games 5 or 6 hours a day then it makes it difficult to create relationships with others. Your focus becomes so directed towardst the game that it just begins to tune everything else out.

My friends husband was quite addicted to video games for awhile. She noticed the more he played the more irritated he would become. She would try and talk to him and he would get aggitated. It started to drive their relationship apart. He has cut down his playing time and it has helped the issue. I don't think this is true with every relationship but I do think it would be pretty common.

The article "Effects of Video Games on Aggressive Thoughts and Behaviors," by Thomas Kooijmans discusses some of the effects video games can have on our minds. Studies have been conducted that video games can cause aggression and abuse. Some people beleive that because many video games are geared toward fighting and killing things that they bring it into their own life. The article talks about how much more developed video games are then they used to be. They used to consist of shapes and not as much detail and now they are so real it puts you into the game. Video games are also more controlling because we commit the acts when we are playing so that effects our minds more than a movie or other media would.

These aggressions found can definetly effect relationships because of the way they are being treated.

Stereotypes in video games also have an effect. Almost every video game has a hero and a demon. If the hero is a man then they are usually white (86% based on the study below), strong and good looking. If it is a women then she is beautiful, skinny and powerful. Minorities are shown as the ones who have less power. A 2001 study, Fair Play? Violence, Gender and Race in Video Games, from the US-based organization Children Now, examined a selection of the most popular games for the seven different game systems. It found that depictions of African American, Asian, Hispanic and Native American males were rare and white female characters outnumbered female characters of every racial group.

The study also showed that when the minorities were displayed they were played in their stereotypical roles.
- Eight out of ten African American males were portrayed as competitors in sports games.
- Latinos only appeared in sports games, most of them baseball.
- Seven out of ten Asian characters were portrayed as fighters or wrestlers.

Also in many video games the women are sexualized. This can have an effect on those who play video games for a large part of their day. The video game becomes their life and then they reflect what they have seen into the reality of their "real" lives.

On the flip side I found a study in an article titled, "The Game of Love: Relationship Expert Says Couples that Play Together Stay Together." The article is about an online survey that was taken by Kelton Research. The results found that gaming can be a fun inexpensive date that can help connect partners. Here are some of the results found below.

"The biggest allure for 61 percent of Americans is that video gaming is something a couple can do together. Others see gaming together as a good way to work as a team (25%), while some just enjoy watching the faces their significant other makes while playing (20%). During times of economic uncertainty, couples also look to this seemingly unconventional dating activity as an inexpensive way to spend time together. In fact, 21 percent of respondents admit that gaming is appealing because it's a low-cost date option."

I think this article is interesting and it gives us another view. The article also had many posts from respondants saying that they feel like video games can connect them in a different way.

Here is the articles link http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/208738/survey-says-games-make-a-great-date/.

Video game usage also have a toll on some peoples lives in other ways. In class we read an article called, "The Life of a Chinese Gold Farmer," by Jillian Dibbell. Gold farming is when certain people help gamers obtain certain levels in the game or gain coins. They are institutions that take control of a customers player and plays until they get them to the desired position. There is a fee that comes along with this, but it saves the player a great amount of time so that they can play on levels they desire. The way that it effects relationships is for those who are the actual gold farmers. In the article we read in class the gold farm we talked about was in China. It was almost like a small sweat shop. Employees would work 12 hour shifts working for nearly 30 cents an hour. Their relationships were effected because of the way that they live. Some even slept at the gold farm only resting to eat or rest. It also changes the way they view many people who purchase the exchange. The gold farmers played the games to make a living where as those who purchase the trade are doing it more for entertainment. It makes them feel in a lower position.

I had no idea that such a thing as gold farming existed until we read this article in our class. I wonder how many people know about this. Do you think that people would make the exchange if they knew the situation for some of the gold farmers?

Don't get me wrong, I do believe that video games can have postive aspects. They can be fun to play with groups of friends or to release stress, but the problem develops when people begin to isolate themselves.