Video Game Addiction and PUBG

We all play different games, online or offline, since smartphone step into the market, the gaming industry has seen various new developments. Nowadays most of people like to play their favourite games online, some likes to play racing games, while some prefer fighting games such as PUBG. Gaming works like a stress buster, but this is only one side of it, the dark side is Video game addiction (VGA).

It is proposed as a gaming disorder,  but still unclear how much this disorder is caused by the gaming activity itself. some researchers believed that it is related to violent video games, but other research has failed to find evidence for such links. Video game addiction has caused various serious issues, let's try to understand what is a video game and how it's impacting our lives.

What is a video game?

A video game is a kind of electronic game that is played on an electronic device with the help of an user interface like a gamepad or a joystick and the game is displayed with an inbuilt display unit or using an external display device like a TV screen, virtual reality headset or computer monitor.

Games are distributed using a permanent storage media like ROM-cartridges and CD/DVD discs or on re-writable medium like Floppy disc (obsolete), CD-RW/DVD-RW, Flash drives and memory sticks/cards.

History of video games:

Video game was first created by academic computer scientists in 1950s and played the games as part of their research or just for fun. In 1960 the professors and students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology played video games like tic-tac-toe on computers such as IBM-1560 using punch cards.

Video game was not popular in the world until 1980 because computers for playing video games were not used in every home but after the introduction of game consoles from Atari and Nintendo video games became popular in most parts of the world.

Video arcades with large CRT displays and graphics-decorated coin-operated machines started to run in malls and affordable home consoles such as the Atari 2600 enabled people to play games on their home TVs. During the 1980s, gaming computers, online gaming and handheld LCD game consoles like Gameboy started to become popular.

Video Game Evolution:

In the 80’s every child’s dream machine was a video game console and it was a demand of almost every children to buy a video game console. Initially the video games were mostly 2D and the game consoles from Atari, Nintendo and Sega were dominating the gaming market.

These game consoles used microprocessors and removable ROM cartridges which contained the games. Such game consoles didn’t have any inbuilt display and a standard analog CRT television with AV input was used to connect the game consoles. Hence whatever game was loaded on the game console, it was displayed on the CRT display. This also made the other family members to miss their television shows while someone is playing video game on the TV. Games like Pac-Man, Tetris, Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt and Sonic the Hedgehog were the most popular and bestselling games.

It was a pride for every children and young people to own a video game console and enjoyed playing video games passionately. Even though such game consoles came to India little late, video games like Super Mario Bros and Sonic the Hedgehog became popular in India also. In India every child started to own a video game console in the late 90’s and spent most of the time playing video games on their television sets.

Video games were not only seen at homes but also in public business places like restaurants, bars and amusement parks and such video games are called Arcade games and people used to put coin inside the video gaming machine and could play the video game of choice for certain period of time.

Nintendo launched Game Boy in the 90’s for those who are hardcore gamers and likes to play their favorite Nintendo games while travelling. This was the most popular hand-held game console during 90’s and it dominated the market for 10 years.

Then came the Sony Play Station game console in 90’s and it was created by Sony Corporation (Japan). This game console used completely a different technology and it used CD-ROM (Compact Disc) instead of a ROM-Cartridge. It also used a special kind of gaming pad with vibration feedback and a player can feel the gaming effects through the vibration of the gaming pads. But this game console also required a TV to use it as a display. This game console supported 3D games and were richer in color. Some popular PlayStation games were Tekken 3, Tomb Raider and Gran Turismo.

After the domination of Sony PlayStation in the market, the sale of most 2D game consoles like Atari and Nintendo started to decline.

Sony also related their portable version of PlayStation in 2004 and it was for those who wanted to play the PlayStation games while travelling. This was more like the Nintendo’s Gameboy but it was more advanced and it was able to run 3D games. It was like a smartphone with wide LCD screen and a rechargeable battery. The portable game console was also able to vibrate like a gamepad and one can play playstation games using a memory stick. It was liked by most young people and children as they could play video games comfortably from anywhere.

During the 21th century PC market started to grow and as computers became more powerful, 3D computer games started to become popular. After the introduction of high end graphics cards by Nvidia and AMD, computer gaming was becoming popular in the world.

Desktop PC was cheap and easy to build using the desired hardware configuration. As PC was used by all kinds of people, computer gaming was not limited to only children but adults also enjoyed playing high quality computer games. But it was not possible to play such games while travelling as Desktop PC is not portable.

However after when Laptops started to dominate the market, gaming laptops started to beat the Desktop PCs. People then were able to play games from anywhere even while travelling while using a gaming laptop.

Some popular computer games include –

# Delta Force-2

# Doom-3

# Half Life-2

# Quake-3

# Need for Speed

# Grand Theft Auto (GTA)

# Sims2

It’s also possible to play games of other game consoles like Nintendo or PlayStation on a PC and laptop using a Game Console Emulator Software like Project64, Pcsx2, Dolphin, Epsxe, and PPSSPP.

Even if gaming laptops dominated the desktop PCs, the cost of buying a gaming laptop was higher than a gaming desktop. Moreover the hardware of most laptops can’t be upgraded or customized as per the user needs but one can built a gaming desktop according to the gaming requirements. Hence one can build a gaming desktop as per the required game and can be a cheaper option.

The main advantage of buying a gaming laptop is portability and one can carry it anywhere. However most gaming laptops are not compact and light weight compared to regular laptops.

Microsoft also lunched it’s game console called Xbox in 2001 which was able to run 3D games like Sony PlayStation but it was able to play games online also. Most of the Windows PC games were also available on Xbox. Games like Halo and Froza Horizon were most popular games played on Xbox game consoles.

Since the introduction of Smartphones and use of Android Operating System, gaming on touch phones have become enjoyable like on PC or Laptop. As Android systems are less prone to viruses and bugs, games can run on Android smart phones flawlessly. However the only disadvantage is that one can’t get the feel of a large screen like on a 17 inch laptop or display.

We also don’t get that tactile feel on a touch screen like we get on a gamepad while playing a game. Touch screens also causes response delays in some low-end phones and that can make someone feel uncomfortable while playing action 3D games. That’s why a special gamepad is available in the market that can be used wirelessly with smartphones to overcome this difficulty.

That’s why it’s suitable to play 2D games like puzzles, chess or pool on such Android phones. Some popular Android games like Angry birds, Minecraft, 8 Ball Pool, Asphalt, Fruit Ninja and PUBG are liked by people around the globe.

Video games are now not only played on display screens of laptops, desktops or smartphones but can be played in a virtual world using a Virtual Reality (VR) headset. This technology uses a stereoscopic head-mounted display and earphones to simulate a virtual 3D environment so that the player would feel the presence in the gaming environment. This type of games are also enjoyed by adults because of such realistic experience.

Now a days one can play games using a VR headset connected to their smartphones and could experience a virtual reality gaming. Companies like Samsung and LG have created such VR headsets specially designed for their phones and there are also cheaper headsets available in the market from various Chinese makers. VR headsets are also used by the US army to train the military personal without any harm.

Game Ratings:

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) of USA rates each and every video game sold in the market and decides which games should be played by which age group of people. According to ESRB games which are designed for everyone are rated as ‘E’, above 10yrs are rated as ‘E10+’, for teens between 10-17 years of age are rated as ‘T’, games that are for above 17 years of age are rated ‘M’ and for 18 years and above adults, games are rated as ‘A’.

If video games are played according to the rated age group then it will cause no psychological harm to the player. However some video games are often played by the unsuitable age groups by means of piracy or if the game is free to download and this could cause physiological problem to such an individuals.

Video Game Addiction:

Video game addiction is a kind of behavioral addiction that makes someone to play video games excessively and that interferes with the everyday life. Behavioral addiction is a kind of addiction that doesn’t involve the use of any drugs but it happens because of a rewarding behavior.

This type of addiction happens because of the rewarding system of our brain. Our brain is functioning because of the neurotransmitters like serotonin, GABA and dopamine.

Certain activity or behavior of person could increase such neurotransmitter levels in the brain and can give pleasure. That’s why this could vary from person to person because everybody’s brain chemistry is not same.

Some might find Video games addictive but for some might find it a waste of time. But according to American Psychiatric Association video games doesn’t cause any kind of addiction.

Video game craze was limited in the 80’s because the games were different from the presently played games on smartphones. Earlier the games were 2D and were more like cartoons, which causes the brain to think that it’s not dealing with something real.

Now–a-days games are becoming 3D and with HD graphics. As the appearance and feel of a video game becomes real, the brain believes whatever happening within the gaming environment to be real. Even if the game is not rewarding to the player, the realistic feel of the game would make a person to spend more time with it. Not even it will make the brain to spend more time playing the game but it will adapt to that gaming environment. This could cause the brain to perceive things about the physical world differently because in a gaming environment the laws of physics doesn’t work nor the laws of society.

What we think about game addiction is not correct because it’s not exactly the same as drug addiction. Playing any game excessively could be because of many reasons. This could happen with other games like Chess, Carrom, Ludo, Card games etc as well. For example if someone is having a competitive mind about a particular game like Chess then he would like to spend more time with it just to practice and improve the skills.

Video game is also one kind of a game where competition is done with the opponent player and it’s usually the computer itself or a human player. As the difficulty level of a game depends on the processing power of the microprocessor, it becomes a challenge for a human player to win the game when played against a powerful computer. This could make someone to spend more time playing a computer game just to challenge the opponent player (computer).

Moreover as the graphics quality of video games get better day by day, the human brain would take such 3D games to be a part of the real life and whatever happens within the game will be taken for granted.

PUBG Addiction:

PUBG is a computer game that also runs on most smartphones and the full name of this game is PlayerUnknown's BattleGrounds (PUBG). This game was developed by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of South Korean video game company Bluehole. The man behind this game is Brendan Greene and he got inspired by the Japanese movie called Battle Royale released in 2000. In the game, up to one hundred players parachute onto an island and scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill others while avoiding getting killed themselves. The available safe area of the game's map decreases in size over time, directing surviving players into tighter areas to force encounters. The last player or team standing wins the round.

This game was first released for Microsoft Windows only in 2017 but later the Android version was also released in 2018. As the Android version was free to download, it was played by most Android users including children. The reason why this game was liked by many people is because of it’s realistic gaming environment and strategy.

This game is competitive because it’s a multiplayer game and it gives reward as chicken dinner for winning. This PUBG game has received many awards like 35th Golden Joystick Awards and The Game Awards 2017.

However the realistic feel of this game could make some children to spend much time with the game and could involve in such PUBG like activities in the real life. Such video games could cause hypnosis and can make a person (especially) children to take such games as a part of their real life.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) of USA rates PUBG as ‘T’ rated and this means that it can be played by children between 10-17 years but why was it rated as ‘T’ if this game contained violence and the answer lies in the terms and condition of this game.

This game is governed by the laws of the Republic of Korea. However on the website of PUBG it’s mentioned that one must comply with all local laws. May be because of this reason this game was rated as ‘T’ so that PUBG Corporation won’t be responsible for any loss or harm caused by playing this game and they want this to be played by maximum people for benefit of PUBG Corporation only.

Conclusion:

Other Action-Adventure games like Grand Theft Auto (GTA) also caused nuisance in USA and many lawsuits were filed but that happened only when underage children especially teenage group played the game because this game is “M” rated.

Gaming industry cannot always be blamed for such nuisance because some games like Mario Bro, Sonic the Hedgehog Game, Tekken 3, Doom3 and Angry Birds were liked by many people around the world but didn’t cause any problem.

Therefore video games don’t really cause any addiction and if someone is playing video games excessively then it should not be taken as an addiction because there is no medical diagnosis to prove such an addiction.

Moreover the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of USA didn’t approve any medication to treat Video Game addiction. PUBG was banned in Gujarat and China because of ethical risks but not because of any addiction related issue. Some youngsters caused a few nuisance after playing this video game that made the government of Gujarat to ban this game.

Even though games like PUBG are banned, the passion for playing video games can’t be stopped and there is no harm in playing video games if played safely by the suitable age group. Video games are just one kind of a digital entertainment that will keep on entertaining the people of the world who are passionate about it.

By Debojit Acharjee, IT Profressional