Unit 22: Task 1-2

Types of Games

There are people that consider games an art and they like and appreciate them, but also there are people that don’t see anything interesting in games and think that they are not interesting. It is till he doesn’t try and find the genre of games that he will enjoy. World of games is really big, you can find games about everything.

Action Games

Action games – This type of games require attention, brain and reaction, a part of this games are included in ESports (CS:GO, DOTA 2, PUBG, Rainbow Six Siege). Action games are always full of intense scenes, sometimes scary and unexpected situations, where you need to think fast and smart, to be better than your opponent. Such game will never let you free and relaxed, you always must be on alert, because you can not expect everything, this game could teach you to read people and to know what they are going to do.

RPG Games

RPG (Role Play Games) represent a fiction world, like a dream or a tale, where can be included everything, and you are playing for the main character, in some cases there are more characters and you can choose any of them, like in “Dota”.

One of the most known games from this genre is “The Witcher : Wild Hunt”, this is one of my favourites games from this genre. It includes an ancient world with a lot of mythological creatures and monsters like : Werewolves, Griffins, Ghouls, Dragons, Scurvers and many other monsters.

Also “Dark Souls” and “Bloodborne”, are games from this genre that i could recommend to you.

Adventure Games

Adventure Games – This genre is for people who likes long games, or even without end, the player has the role of the protagonist in a long and interesting story, where sometimes your decisions affect the whole story of the game. “Teeltale Games” make the best games for this genre where every your decision is important, they made such games like “The Walking Dead” or “The Wolf Among Us”. But what about games not from this company. Also “Minecraft”, “The Forest”, “Rust” and “Raft” are very popular, I could even say the most popular games in this genre, also this games refers to another genre, “Survival Games”.

RTS Games

Real Time Strategy – Here players are building their cities or a place for defense and they need to upgrade it always, to get a bigger army and a lot of resources and money. Most of these games are made for phones, but on computer also there are such games. “Clash of Clans” is one of the most popular game of this genre.

Strategy Games

Strategy Games – are very similar to the previous type, you also need your strategies and tactics to be the best here. One of the newest members of this genre is “Three Kingdoms”. But also simple games like chess online are included here.

Puzzle Games

Puzzle Games are simple time killers that you can play everywhere on you phone or laptop or another platforms. In these games is important your attention and brain like in strategy games. One of most popular games of this type is “Candy Crush”, you need to put at least 3 candies in a row, and there are a lot games similar to it, just replacing candies with gems or another things.

Platform Games

Platform Games are simple games where you just need to move forward, eliminate the enemies and just to pass levels, some of these type of games are really interesting, like “Limbo”, “Super Mario Bros” or “Badland”.

Simulation Games

Simulation games sometimes are really useful or interesting but sometimes you think that there is no more weird games like these. Such games help people to pass exams or to practice something, in some countries exams are first time on a driving simulator.

And there are many such weird simulators

Sport Games

Sport Games – are similar to simulations, this type of games offer you possibility to play a sport with the same possibilities like in real life. From such game you will get experience almost like a professional footballer or driver, or other person, depends on what game are you playing. This section of games is very various, like action, RPG and adventure games. It is very attractive to dive in a world that you are interested in.

Stealth Shooters – this category of games must include stealth where you are trying to be like a shadow and to kill enemies so they don’t even know you are close to them. I consider this type of games really attractive and interesting. These genre is full of ideas and different stories, i can recommend you such stealth shooters like : “Dishonored”, “Sniper Elite”, Metal Gear Solid”, “Hitman”, “PayDay”, “Assassin’s Creed” or even “Batman”.

Combat and Fighting Games – These games include tactics like all other games, here you can use special powers and combination, usually in such games you can accumulate a big power that you can use and will give you a good boost and for the opponents will be harder to win you, it is like X-Ray in “Mortal Kombat” or speed boost in racing games like “Grip”. You can play in more ways and use different tactics, you can wait until the opponent is close to you or attack you and you will do a counterattack or use special powers.

First Person Shooters – are dynamic and interesting. Usually that you have to do here is to win with your team or to get the most kills or to be the last alive. They are similar to action games and require good reaction, movement and fast brain. You have a big weapon assortment and skins for each one, skins make some people to feel better or comfortable in the game. Such games have a lot of maps, created by the game producer or its community and players that are trying to do something for it.

Educational Games – this category of games is more for a small auditory, these games can teach kids to count, the alphabet or how to solve simple maths exercises. These games are training children’s brain and help them to train not at school the topics where they are weak.

MMO Games – A Massively Multiplayer Online, it is almost the same as RPG game, but in this category of games you can play with your friends, or with any other people that you find while playing. You will have a big world where you are free to travel, a lot of characters, weapons, armors, powers and levels and missions that you can pass together. Some good games from this category that i liked are: “Destiny 2”, “World of Warcraft”, “Warframe”, “The Elder Scrools Online” and “Final Fantasy”.

Platforms for Gaming

Personal computer

This is the most popular platform used for gaming, and there are much reasons, such as FPS (Frames Per Second) and the big assortment of games, of course there are some games that are not available for PC, but also there are games that are available only for it. This machine is used not only for gaming, but it is your desktop, your place where besides the gaming, you can work, watch movies, listen music or do other stuff that you like. But like everything, PC is not perfect, everything got its minuses. I counted the pluses of it below, of course there are more like games price, for PC games are cheaper, and diversity of possibilities. But buy a personal computer is not so cheap as you think, if you want a good one, because nowadays, the modern processors, videocards, SSD and ram are expensive.

Consoles

Consoles are the platform that almost can replace a PC. It has a big part of games that has the PC and some exclusives. Two most popular consoles nowadays are Xbox and PlayStation. Starting with this century, these consoles are trying to do all to be better than each other. PlayStation include more exclusive games, but Xbox include better performance and less exclusive games. Consoles are twice cheaper than a gaming PC, and you can play the same games like there, but in 30-60 FPS. For consoles you will need only a TV and the controller, and a charger for it if you are going to play a lot. Consoles are also not comfortable to take with you in a trip, but anyway better than with a PC in your bag. You can also connect a keyboard and mouse to your console, or to watch movies and youtube, but doesn’t give you all the possibilities like a PC. I consider it a platform just for gaming and sometimes for watching something.

Portable Consoles and Laptops

These are the same as PC and regular consoles but they are more lighter, compact and comfortable. Actually laptops are the same PC, the only things that differs are the cooling system, it is not so good at a laptop if to compare with a PC, but still there are laptops with good cooling systems, and battery. Laptops are portable computers, so. they must have a battery. These are the weaknesses of a laptop if to compare with a PC. But there are also many pluses, you can take it everywhere and do the same, you will not need to pay 300$ or even more for the rest of devices like monitor, keyboard or mouse. Laptops have all of them. What about portable consoles like PSP, PS VITA or Nintendo Switch? They are also the compact version of the regular console. It look like a controller with a screen on it or even like a phone. You can do the same like on the simple consoles, of course here you will not be able to play the same games because the portable consoles are not so powerful to launch such games like a big console. But you still will have the possibilities to watch movies or videos or listen music. And like the laptop, the portable console will need to be charged.

Mobile Gaming

Gaming nowadays is even available on the smartphones that we use. With such a small thing you could talk with anyone, text anyone, watch anything, find the way when you are lost or do something connected to your work. But now, you can even play a lot of games on it. Now are available games from each category: RPG, Shooters, Adventure, Survival or even Simulators. It can help us to destroy the time when we are bored, when we are in a trip or when we are waiting something and do not have what to do. Personally i do not consider mobile phone games – Gaming. Yes you can play a lot of games there, even games that you can find on PC and consoles, like PUBG or Clash of Clans or Call of Duty. But it can’t be compared with consoles and computers. It is just my personal opinion, i do not consider it the same as gaming on PC and Consoles, it is really far from real gaming.

Internet and Network

All must know that internet is the network of all networks. And networks represent a number of systems connected together through. Also networks are connected through internet, as i said internet is the network of all networks. But what is the purpose of internet and network in gaming? When you are playing an online game, especially a FPS like CS:GO or PUBG or Rainbow Six Siege, you will have in game PING. Ping works by sending an Internet Control Message Protocol, it represent your speed of loading on your map, when you have a bad ping, it will be really hard to play because you will have lags.

Technology

• Gameplay – represent all player’s actions and movements, all with what he interact. In some games he need to shoot, other games to drive and in other games to destroy the enemies. All games offer you different possibilities, some games can have a lot of interactive things about what you maybe do not even know, like GTA, this game have a big free world where you choose what to do.
• Graphics – this is a important characteristic of games because graphics refers to all that you see, how you see it when you are close or far away…In games are more types of graphics: 2D, 3D, Text-based, Vector Graphics, Full Motion Video, Multi Monitor Setup or Virtual Reality Headset. All of them show you worlds in different angles.
• AI – (Artificial Intelect) in games are also called NPC (Non Player Character). Usually it is a created character with what you can interact but it has limited abilities, like if he answer you at a question he will answer you the same always, sometimes some characters can have more phrases in vocabulary but it will be the same phrase as before but replaced by synonyms and will have the same meaning. NPC are used in some multiplayer games, but most of times you will see them in singleplayer games, they can have the role of your enemies, your mates or even the antagonist of the game
• Audio – this part is used in almost all games. Even the worse games or short games must have some audio files. It infer more feelings while playing and it must be not an annoying sound, it should be something pleasant for the players ears because it is an criteria in a game.
• Scripting – it is a programming language for a special run-time environment that automates the execution of tasks. The tasks could alternatively be executed one-by-one by a human operator. 

Impact of Games

Gaming can have as good as bad affects on the people who are playing games. Always all depend of the person who is playing that games, it depends of his character/nature if he get addicted or no. Some people can’t stop and can’t live without games, and this happens because they are weak inside of them and have weak strength of will and do not understand that they are doing. But there are people that realise what are they doing.

Excessive Playing Time

Addiction is a big problem for some people because as i said, most of people have a weak strength of will, they just can’t stop. People just start playing and they can forget about all and don’t realise about what can happen if they will only stay in front of the screen and play games. It will not affect only your time organisation but your life as well. The interviews and other sources demonstrated us it and not once. Excessive gaming will change your cardiovascular system cycle, your blood pressure increases because it is using more blood, oxygen and sugar to give you more energy. You can watch a short video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrtQK1h6awo

Social Isolation

This can be considered a subfactor of the previous one because if you are playing to much time, you isolate yourself from your friends, family and others. Social Isolation can also affect your spelling, you become more closed for others and don’t want to talk, so you forgot how to talk with someone free like before or you do not know how to expose your personal opinion. And it is bad because it create a lot of problems, like when you want to get a job or to make new friends. It is a big problem especially for the nowadays kids, because most of them are not limited by their parents and they stay hours in front of the screen, the negative effects for kids were shown here, they understood that they should use that devices only for 1-2 hours, but were using 2-4 times more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkiWS0fmnt0 .

Cost

To play a game, you need to pay for it because nowadays nothing is free. Yes there are some free games, but not many of them are good. So people start paying per 30-60£ for games. It is a really big sum especially when they pay so much for a single player game. And when you will count all the games that gamers bought, you will have a sum of a lot of money. If one game for PS4 or XBOX is 40£, imagine that eh have only 10 games, it is already 400£, but they have not 10 games, they have much more. Most of them do not realise that they paid thousands of pounds for these games, and could do a lot of other useful things with these money. One guy realised it, and he regrets that he used to stay so much time playing games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmnOPUOIp6A

Separation from Reality

This factor can create really bad and scary problems. Some players don’t see difference between the games and reality. All we know that were some cases with people that played violent games and they decided to do the same in reality. And the most of cases were because of such games like GTA, Battlefield, PayDay or Call of Duty. Most popular cases were connected to GTA, were spotted people who steal cars, rob the banks or jewerly shops, or even cases of killing and threaten people. This is the worst thing that could happen in my opinion, to be unable to see the difference between a game and reality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN4Rf1J-ZtY

Benefits of Gaming

Like everything, gaming got good sides. Anything is good in this life and useful if we will use it with a limit. The same thing is with gaming.

Hand-Eye Coordination

Gamers are more different than other people. They have the same abilities but a little upgraded, especially brain and visual abilities. Through Hand-Eye Coordination we understand that gamers have a better visual memory and they can see better contrast of diverse colours than other people. It is really useful in a lot of cases. Like if we have a lot of yellow circles and some blue, at one moment they become yellow all, and a regular human would not see where is the circle that was blue, but a gamer will. It was demonstrated here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOsqkQytHOs

Brain Training

This is a really good benefit of gaming. It can train brain of children with disabilities, like dyslexia, there are a lot of educational games and others that could help them in their education. This thing you can also find in the video that I attached for the previous benefit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOsqkQytHOs .

Thinking and Strategy Skills

It was tested, and most of gamers have a nonstandard thinking and most of gamers have more IQ than simple people. They surprised the whole world with their thinking not once. They can see ways of solving different problems that other people can’t or need much time to find it.

What are the statistics of people meaning about gaming?

All these stats means a lot. And people who said yes, games make children more isolated, they blame the games always. They think that their child is perfect and games are guilty. But actually the problem is in them and their child, they must make him to understand that all must have a limit, they can’t see the thing that is always in front of them. The parents, the way how they educate their children and children are the cause of addiction and other concerns. Then how do they explain that some people do not get addicted, they had a good education and their parents knew how to act in such situations. The same thing is attributed to violence, it depends of education and how is the child treated at home.

Psychological Factors

• Use of sound – sound is a important part of a game, when the player hear familiar music or just pleasant music and sounds it makes him feel better the gaming process and so he will appreciate more this game than others, because it has a good music accompaniment. Like Forza Horizon 4, Rocket League or Fifa, these games have a good music accompaniment and they make player to feel comfortable, in Forza is a pleasure when you drive with the music included in game, and the music in Rocket League main menu as well, you feel like you would not start the game just because you like the music in main menu.
• High Score Listings – a lot of games include this astonishing element, especially mobile games, why is it astonishing? Because it attract more players than other games, it contain a competitive atmosphere and all want to be the best and they need to spend time on it, or just to play with your friends and to have the best results.
• Competitive Games – they created the cybersport and esports of nowadays. There are many competetive games but best of them now are included in esports, such games like CS:GO, PUBG, Dota 2, Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite or Mortal Kombat. These games offer you the possibility to play not only against an AI (Artificial Intilect), but against real players as well. It is kind of High Score Game but better and upgraded, here you need to show the best results as well to feel like a king.
• Fun – many people are playing games with their friends just to spend time together in a different way and to get fun from this time or they are just far from each other and are playing games.
• Educational Value – some people play because they are learning something, usually these are children, these games are made for them because they are learning and playing at the same time, it is effective and interesting for them, especially for children with disabilities.

Online Gambling

There are a lot of websites connected to gambling. Starting with online lotteries and casinos, and ending with exact copies of popular websites. The first about i said were casinos and lotteries. These websites are online games where you need to deposit money and to play, so, some websites can show you like you won a lot of things but actually you can’t withdraw them and other websites, after you deposit the money there, just give you the smallest rewards, or don’t give you it at all. And such websites are created, but with thematic of a game like CS:GO, Dota 2, PUBG or Fortnite. Like you open cases there or other different ways to win something, but actually you do not win anything. Sometimes for these websites is enough you to log in, they will have you account details and steal your Steam account and sell it or try to transfer all your stuff from account to another, to steal all that you had. A lot of people get scammed like this and it is sad, because they pay money for all this or got all that skins for their skill and hours played, but someone who is lazy just try to scam you and steal everything you have. There are much things how to make difference between a gambling website and how to prevent getting scammed. I was scammed once in my life, but not by gambling, i have never been scammed by them. But i scammed the scammer and returned my stuff back. I know how is it, to feel this fail, and it is not pleasant at all.

Social Media

Those people who are not playing games, think that they are not addicted to them, but Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and other social media, are also considered kind of games. And people can’t live without them, even if they use it only for communication and watching funny videos, they are trying to have more followers and likes than their friends. So it can be considered an addiction but not the same like gaming addiction, but a very similar one.

Conclusion

So, what can we deduce about internet and games addiction. It is not a malady. These are people and their self control, they just need to fight with it and to understand that it is enough and he should go outside with someone. People need to stop isolating themselves from society to play games or just to stay in front of the screen and do other things. This is a weakness, and if you can fight with it you are strong-willed. It is like a diet for people that are going to the gym, but this diet is universal, it must be attributed to all people, otherwise, they will become like animals that are protecting their food. But these will be people, protecting their phones and computers, from a side it is scary, because people actually are not like this. Their self control is weak, and they need to improve it, and they can do it simply by understanding that they are addicted and need to limit themselves to games and internet sometimes, it will really help them in the future.