Video Games and Common Sense

Ironically, most people are apprehensive about the idea of video games because the very word ‘video game’ is deceptive as it appears to be a primary source of distraction from essential and important things. This perception is often dominant in the society, which has been deeply conditioned through decades by media in a negative way. Video games have always been infamous for the violence that is shown in them. The negativism brought in by video games is due to the unrestricted duration for which they are played.

Skeptics usually generalize their opinion about the impact of video games, especially on kids and teens, mostly in a cynical way that gives an impression that the only way to focus on better things in life is to avoid playing games. It is not surprising to have such a paradigm when one reads articles such as “Neglected child dies while parents play World of Warcraft” and “A Nintendo gamer kills his classmates”. Isn’t this unreasonably insane? C’mon! Who is the mysterious culprit? Video games? JEEZZZ! I am sure one can come up with a more intelligent excuse to justify this irrationality. Can war films be blamed for violence in the world?

It’s time we begin looking at video games in the right perspective. After all, games are intended to entertain. The all-new Sony’s tagline “Let’s save humanity from boredom” is rightly justified. But that’s not all. Video games give the means to channelize one’s emotions in a positive way. Long gone are the days when games include blowing up a bunch of aliens or rattling through racing tracks. Recent games ascertain innovative gaming environments, high-powered game hardware, creatively diverse game elements, and mind-blowing visuals.

Video games challenge players’ ability to think logically, make clever decisions and most of all, to apply common sense. But as Stephen Covey, author of ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, said “What is common sense is not very common”. Common sense is more subtle than hackneyed old perception of being aware and intelligent reflection of happenings.

Psychologists have proven that any skill that is nurtured consistently becomes a habit. Skills like creative decision making, critical thinking, crisis management, organizational skills, and problem solving can be greatly developed by playing games.

Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games like Star Craft certainly require common sense to beat a level; the player needs make effective decisions like where to construct the building units so that the enemy attacks or spying is minimal. 

Most of the Role Playing Games (RPGs) don’t have a defined approach to accomplish a quest. Some quests demand clear application of common sense. This adds an element of surprise to players and makes them wonder if games can ‘also’ be made this way. Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games are no different. In such games, a player gets to encounter with other players from all around the world. Hence, right application of common sense is definitely necessary to safeguard the survival in the game. First Person Shooter (FPS) games are also not an exception for applying common sense.

Example:

Game: God of War Platform: PS2 Chapter: Challenge of Posiedon

In Challenge of Poseidon, the player needs to defeat the three Minotaurs enemies and find the lever. A lever in the center needs to be pulled to raise a path leading up to the top. This is a temporary path so when the levered is pulled, the player needs to be sure to mosey along. The player needs to jump back in the water and swim to the lever again, pull it, swim to the bottom and the back of this whole area.

Common sense: The player needs to understand the environment through interaction. In this case, the player cannot possibly get to the lever unless the player jumps back into the water. This depicts a clear application of common sense.

There is wide variation in video games, and although some appear to have harmful effects, particularly through the promotion of violence (Doom 3) and other anti-social behaviors (Postal 2), this is a function of the content of specific games. Video games as a medium have equal potential to develop positive social skills and common sense. Today’s video game characters can animate beautifully and navigate intelligently from place to place, but they require detailed instructions at a low level about where to go and how to interact with the environment. Kids and teens can effectively use their common sense to make clever decisions in games.

                                                                                         Thanks for reading...

                                                                                         Written by Anirudh