Reflection: What is it Like to be a Gamer?

In every household till date, there have been several debates about games being a 'waste' of time which the people who call themselves 'gamers' completely oppose to.

Just like dance, drama and music, gaming is an art which not all can adapt to. On the other hand, why is it that not many people have gaming as an hobby? Is it because the gamers themselves think that it is distracting them or simply because gaming is underrated?

Based on our research, 3 OUT OF 6 GAMERS believe that games are underrated to a huge extent and that all that they require to change people's mindset about gaming is to expose them to it because thats how the realisation of it being a teacher in a gamers life will set in. They strongly believe that gaming plays a major role in their development as a person as well as it acts as a stress buster. Role playing, situational, strategic and logical gaming helps a person improve their accuracy and widens their spatial outlook [scientific claim should be cited with a source]. It not only helps a person to understand how to react to a particular situation but also exposes a person to different cultures, for example, The assassins creed series does a great job at representing the American and European societies and how they functioned in the 1800s and The fallout series plays with one's imagination by showing an after nuclear war world.

On asking people of different age groups about what is it that they like about gaming, the common reply was the story line and the fact that it evokes curiosity among them. Some of them also mentioned that it has helped them through their tough times and help them relieve their anger and stress by playing violent games. They mentioned how online gaming has helped them improve their social contacts and introduced them to gamers from around the world who hold different opinions but their dedication towards gaming is what unites them. 6 OUT OF 6 GAMERS strongly disagree to this statement. All the games have a certain age limit and it is also the responsibility of the parents to see that their kids dont buy games not appropriate for their age. In short, if you dont allow your kids to watch 18+ movies, why buy them games that are meant for adults? Most of the gamers agree that certain games like, candy crush, GTA series do not impart anything educational and is a waste of time but that doesn't mean the entire gaming industry should be looked down upon. Despite having so many flop movies in a year, why isnt bollywood looked down upon? Just as some people find peace and entertainment in movies, gamers find peace in gaming. Ayush Jain, 18, said "Gaming has always been a getaway from all the noise since I was a kid. However, only 2 OUT OF 6 GAMERS believe that gaming should be authorised as an occupation and added as an optional subject in school as they improve hand and eye coordination of a person. They mentioned if music and dance could be an optional subject for kids in school, why not gaming? The rest 4 of them said it should be authorised as an occupation but should only be a 'mere hobby' instead of being an optional in schools. On asking if they would like to pursue a career in gaming on being given a chance, 4 of them exclaimed "Yes!" whereas 2 of them said they would only if it gave them a decent income to have a healthy lifestyle for even if they dont become a 'professional' gamer, they can still buy a lot of games to keep themselves engaged with their earnings. None disagree to the fact that gaming has negative impacts as it may distract a child from their studies and may expose them to things they shouldn't be knowing at this age. But every coin has two sides and what is important is the positive one. We should not overlook the negative impacts but should not even ignore the positive one's as well. Every game has a motto and a designed end which encourages a player to finish it and get rewards that hold importance not in the materialistic but in the gaming world. It is media who simply looks for a chance to target games as it is already considered a 'waste'. Books and movies show equal violence but why is that reading books are not considered a waste of time but playing games are? If books gives us knowledge, games give a person a chance to express themselves and think beyond their imagination. It is just that it is not exposed enough to the adult world as a mode of experience and learning.