The objectives in today’s video games have changed vastly from the original objectives of the games released in the early eighties such as Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt, which were simple, shoot the ducks and make your way through the maze-like levels without falling into fire pits, falling obstacles, and avoiding monsters. Over the years, video games and media in general have begun to desensitize violence, dulling what we consider violent.  As popularity of the video game consoles began to rise, the demand for new and entertaining new games grew with it. Over the years games have become exceedingly more violent in the story lines and objectives, and the game rewards you for following out those objectives.  Let’s use Grand Theft Auto as an example.  It’s a game where you are a hit man/thief, and you have objectives like to steal this car or item for this person, or make a hit on someone. But to make it worse, the game has a realistic surrounding with civilians and police officers, and you are free to roam, kill random people, run and shoot police officers, run people over and get in car chases; it’s insane. An article in the August 2005’s, Reader’s Digest, spoke with gang members that used the Grand Theft Auto video game as a training key. They would “play the game by day, and live it by night.” Gamers tend to develop these anger issues while playing games. Here are a few videos that show some of the rage that these players exert while gaming: here and here. The part of these games that’s unhealthy is that these players take part in these aggressive/violent activities in this virtual world so much that they start to think its acceptable behavior.  The Columbine High School shootings back in 1999 was the first incident that really caught the eye of society about how some of these video games were starting to effect how these games were changing how people thought, and how they were no longer thinking about it as just a game. So we look at these games that people think are harmless for their children to play, but in reality, they really are affecting those who play them, and some of them get so wrapped up in them that it develops dangerous and even deadly situations.

A major issue that has started to become more and more drastic amongst the video game crowd is the addiction to video games. When they were originally debuted in the seventies and eighties, these games were developed as a form of digital entertainment, but have now gone from simple entertainment to a serious addiction problem amongst our society.  There are groups of people whom are trying to get the American Medical Association to pass video game addiction as a psychiatric disorder, due to the seriousness of the matter.  It is becoming more and more common in our society to see people that live their life around playing video games. Here is an example of a gamer that has developed an addiction to his video game. I myself being in college, see it quite often. Perfect example, three weeks ago, Call of Duty 5: Modern Warfare was released to the public; I know of handfuls of friends and countless classmates that stayed up till 1 in the morning to buy it the day it was released, and many of them skipped classes for 1-2 days in order for them to be able to stay at home/in their dorms to play and attempt to beat it. You see these people so intent on playing these games that they don’t really think about even necessary tasks that are critical to their daily life.  You see gamers skip meals or just eat complete junk food, they don’t shower, they don’t leave their room, sometimes they won’t even communicate with the outside world; they are that set on playing this game. Console games are very addicting, but online gaming has taken video game addiction to a whole new level, allowing them to play with billions of people around the world, there are people on all the time because of different time zones, and the game never ends online. World of Warcraft has become one of the biggest followed online game to date, and is probably the game with the highest amounts of addicts.  World of Warcraft is a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) with over 9.3 million subscribers.  Blizzard Entertainment, those who created the World of Warcraft game estimate that 10% to even 40% of those subscribers are addicted to the online game. So you do the math. Ten to forty percent of 9.3 million people turns out to be 930,000 to 3,720,000 people that play so much that they’re considered addicted.  If people don’t think that video game addiction is not a serious problem, look at those numbers; and that’s only one of the multiple online games that are out there. And to think that people playing video games excessively are bad, there have been situations where playing video games have resulted death. In 2005 in South Korea, a man named Lee Seung Seop died after going into cardiac arrest from playing an online video game called StarCraft for fifty hours straight.  Another case in 2007 in China a man died after playing continuously for 3 days straight. These people get to the point where they are so wrapped in their game that they don’t even think to care about their actual life.  It’s ridiculous how much of an impact we as a society have allowed video games to make on us.

A key issue that starts to develop amongst people that play video games extensively, or addicts, is that they begin to spend more time playing their games, and they end up starting to withdraw themselves from social circles, friends, families, and in some cases, basic human interaction.  Gamers that play excessively, go from the point of playing for fun to the point where they are living to play.  People get home from work or school, head off to their rooms and start playing video games.  You can read online on forums where mothers, spouses, and girlfriends and boyfriends are concerned and are looking for answers to figure out how to help their close ones that have become addicted to games.  The gamers tend to isolate themselves from outside surroundings, nonchalantly acknowledging when people are talking to them, put off things that expected of them, and basically just not do anything productive whatsoever.  Commitment and devotion are two honorable characteristics to have in a person, but when you’re committing or devoting your time to something that’s unproductive, and actually making your life worse.  Is it really helping you? Are all these hours of playing games going to help you meet people? Meet new friends? How about get a job in the future?  Those are things that most normal people strive to do, but when these people devote every waking moment to play games in a virtual universe, there’s a point where you have to say it’s not worth it.

Now that video games have been on the market for close to three decades, experts have been given more time to study the effects video games have on society.  The things that are starting to make their way to the front as players start playing for longer amounts of time are health risks and problems.  Weight gain has been a result seen in people who sit and play for multiple hours a day.  These players are sitting down in their chairs for hours on end moving nothing but their thumbs and their eyelids.  People who are intent on playing, don’t usually put time into preparing healthy foods, they commonly tend to just eat whatever is fast and easy while playing video games, so these fat-filled snacks are starting to really show in those who eat them, and is vastly effecting the obesity rate amongst children around the world.  Another problem that has started to become more and more problematic is carpel tunnel. Carpel tunnel is more common in avid computer users and less common in console game controllers as a keyboard on a computer requires you to keep you hands in the same position while typing.  Players using the keyboard for immense amounts of time are finding that they are developing weakened muscles in their wrists and forearms requiring surgeries.  Eye problems have also come into play in video gamers as they stare at television and computer screens for long periods of time, and with the modern day games and the resolutions and graphics that today’s screens can handle, staring at them for long amounts of time can damage your eye sight. There have even had cases where people have had seizures and migraines from prolonged gazing at video screens.

Aside from the behavioral and health-related effects that can be caused by playing video games uncontrollably, video games can quickly create debt and the time spent playing them can wreak havoc on your performances at work and in school.  Many people think video games are all fun and games, but what they don’t realize, is that if you start playing video games a lot, they can really rack up the cost fast. Let’s take an Xbox for example. At 30-50 dollars per game, and certain games with extension disks that allow you additional maps and upgrades at cost, and the monthly/yearly fee for Xbox Live (allows you to play with other Xbox players around the world); it adds up quick.  Despite console games being expensive, they are not even close to the amount of money online computer games are able to tally up. Its short of amazing, the games get these players hooked on playing, and then the players are so focused on upgrading and playing better that they don’t even think about how much they put into the game.  Once again, let’s use World of Warcraft as an example.  You are a character in the game and as you complete tasks and battles, you win gold which allows you to purchase and upgrade. But for those less patient people, you are able to actually buy gold to upgrade your character through your credit card.  So these players are just charging their credit card so it allows them to continue playing, and before they know it, they are hundred if not thousands of dollars in debt.  Debt is a serious issue and it can affect you for years, if not for the rest of your life.

There are select people in this world that get paid to play video games, but aside from those few, the rest of the world has to work for a living. The sad part is when gamers take their gaming so seriously that it starts to affect their performance in both education and the workplace.  I personally have friends that have had to go to continuation school so that they could graduate because they spent way too much time playing these computer games and not paying attention to their school work that they weren’t going to be able to graduate from high school without it. I also know people that have lost their jobs and ruined their credibility due to them being wrapped up in their games and not remembering that they were supposed to work that afternoon or that they had promised someone they would help them with something. And it’s not going to help you for your next job under work experience to put “Got fired for not showing up for work”, who is going to want to hire a person like that? Unless you are an heir to a huge fortune, you have to have money to live and eat, without a job that becomes pretty difficult.  Some of these players need to either break their habits from these games or get their priorities straight in order to not face these problems.

So it’s apparent; video games really are making a drastic impact on our society and our further generations. Children and adults are playing video games and developing aggressive and dangerous behaviors and some think it is socially acceptable to act that way in public. Players are becoming addicted to playing video games and spending all of their free time in front of a televisions and computer screens. The gamers remove themselves from society, family, and human interaction to allow them more time to focus on their virtual objectives. They are causing different types of health problems whether mental and physical, some causing serious injuries. And the amount of video game play has also started to develop debt amongst players and is creating negative performances in school and work worldwide. This problem has become progressively worse as time has gone on, and if something isn’t done to change it soon, the problem will only continue to progress further and further out of control.

Will add source list shortly.

I believe that if someone doesn’t agree with something that is happening in their surroundings, that they should make a stand against that opposing force. Whether it be protesting, whether it be creating a movement to circumvent that event from taking place, to other types of deterrents. Don’t get me wrong, I am not telling you that if your high school is serving meatloaf on Wednesday’s and you want pizza instead, to launch a full on riot about it. That would be crazy, funny, but crazy.  So if it is worthwhile and you believe strongly on what you are arguing for, then go for it.

Let’s use my daily computer usage as a perfect example, as I use it more than any other type of technology, of the common technological routine used by your average college student. Most of us students aren’t making international deals, running a business, or any other of the principles that the internet was originally designed to be used for.  I think one of the original design goals that we modern students are still using on the internet today is file sharing. Communication and file-sharing are key items when it comes to keeping in touch with people.  Social Networking is one major category of my time spent on the computer, as communication with friends and family is very important to me.  Social Networking is a huge resource used my billions of people around the world to allow people to keep in contact with one another. Currently, Facebook is one of the world’s leading social networking sites. I use it myself quite frequently as well as billions of others around the world. It’s a resource that allows daily communication with friends and family.  Not only do these sites allow you to talk with your friends, but also allow you to branch out, meet new people, learn and find new stuff, and experience new things.  Another common form of Social Networking: AOL Instant Messenger.  Instant messenger is slightly different than Facebook due to the fact that it is primarily a messenger application; you don’t have a site or a webpage, just a screen name that allows you to talk with as many people as you want simultaneously with text with the touch of a button.  The last and final method of communicating on the computer is Skype.  Skype is a really cool program that allows you to chat via webcam with friends that you don’t get to see often, allowing you to chat from computer screen to computer screen, basically talking face to face.  These are all common programs used by billions world-wide, but they all which have their con’s.  I believe that using numerous social networks has started to deteriorate a lot of modern-day face-to-face communication.  People are starting to send emails, texts, and online messages to people rather than meeting to talk or calling them on the phone.  The lack of this confrontation amongst others is a contributing factor to why it students are finding it harder to speak in front of groups of people as well as seem confident amongst others.

Social networking is a great thing. It unlocks a whole new world to people that have access to the internet.  But opening it to the entire world brings its own set of problems; it invites everybody.  There are no limitations on who can and cannot access these sites and programs. The internet can be a dangerous place for people that don’t exactly know how to use it, because not everyone that uses the internet uses it for positive reasons.  Here is a video discussing problems that have happened on the different social networking sites, where people have used these sites to prey on minors, spread rumors and get students expelled, etc.  Scams, identity theft, hackers and liars; all of which are very common on the internet, and all built and used by people trying to thrive on your mistakes and/or take advantage of those who are, lets say, gullible.  People getting there money stolen from fraudulent emails, people getting ripped off on transactions, people hacking into peoples personal files and stealing their identity; it happens all around us. Another issue that is becoming more and more common is sexual predators. It is sad to think that people use the internet to prey on teenagers. Another thing that is beginning to scatter around the internet is false information. There a lot of people that lie about information, they falsely advertise things; some people just like to display false information so that it misleads others.  Being that the internet is available to anyone, anyone is available to post a website with information that they believe is true, but may be completely false. So you have to really be careful what you read on the internet, and constantly have to cross-check with other sources to confirm that your info is trustworthy.  It is beginning to show that the internet is not for the faint at heart.  You need to be careful and think twice before you act, because not everything is as it seems.

Despite that people use the internet daily, I think it affects people over time. Ever notice all the people that can sit on computers for hours on end, doing nothing overly productive? Avid video gamers are key examples of this. Watch this video, its a perfect example of how people use technology and how it changes how they live their lives and its negative effects.  An excerpt from that video, “Experts are now stating, addiction to technology is becoming the fastest growing illness of the twenty-first century.”  These people use the computer aimlessly when they could be using and/or developing their abilities to do something more productive.  One thing that I have noticed personally from using the computer a lot is it really affects my writing abilities. Think about it. Ever notice the large amount of abbreviations and slang spoken on online social networking gateways, and how it is starting to show up in peoples writing?  When we ever read stories and excerpts from old books and famous writings, was it common to see slang and abbreviations in the writing? It just seems that the role of technology in our daily lives is showing up in our writing and how we speak to each other.  I think that the internet is beginning to force book reading, newspapers and magazines to the point of extinction because people can find their information online so some beg to wonder why read when you can just Google it. I have heard teachers and professors criticize students writings due to the lack of proper writing mechanics, and it isn’t because they didn’t learn how to read and write, it is because due to the time spent online, they don’t practice those skills often enough and begin to have struggle after while. I think it’s a modern-day epidemic. The computer, internet, social networking, video games, they all are leaving their mark in our lives.  It is our responsibility to not let it effect us so much that we cannot change it back.

So it’s inevitable.  Technology is all around us; our society is practically engulfed in it. Society has become reliant on it, and without it, people would not know what to do.  It’s almost scary to see how some people rely on it so much, not knowing what to do when they are without it.  Technology use should be taken with a grain of sand. It can affect your life.  One of the main concerns I have is, after really stepping back to look at how large a role technology plays in our lives, imagine what it will be like for those generations that follow us.  If the internet and social networks are affecting us in their own ways today, will this continue into the future?

Alright. Well since I am having some problems posting the video straight to this blog entry, here is the link to the Youtube page so you can watch it straight from there.

Enjoy.

I think the perfect scene to portray this idea of mischevious doing would be depicted in the scene where the the students went around with their scanners changing the codes to the Fastpasses, ID cards, and other coded possessions.  Within the hour security posts were backed up, people were getting pulled over, etc.  The simple scanner/translator was able to pretty much break down a set up infrastructure of a cities security and use it against them.  Scary to think that its very possible….

Let’s use my daily computer usage as a perfect example, as I use it more than any other type of technology, of the common technological routine used by your average college student. Most of us students aren’t making international deals, running a business, or any other of the principles that the internet was originally designed to be used for.  I think one of the original design goals that we modern students are still using on the internet today is file sharing. Communication and file-sharing are key items when it comes to keeping in touch with people.  Social Networking is one major category of my time spent on the computer, as communication with friends and family is very important to me.  Social Networking is a huge resource used my billions of people around the world to allow people to keep in contact with one another. Currently, Facebook is one of the world’s leading social networking sites. I use it myself quite frequently as well as billions of others around the world. It’s a resource that allows daily communication with friends and family.  Not only do these sites allow you to talk with your friends, but also allow you to branch out, meet new people, learn and find new stuff, and experience new things.  Another common form of Social Networking: AOL Instant Messenger.  Instant messenger is slightly different than Facebook due to the fact that it is primarily a messenger application; you don’t have a site or a webpage, just a screen name that allows you to talk with as many people as you want simultaneously with text with the touch of a button.  The last and final method of communicating on the computer is Skype.  Skype is a really cool program that allows you to chat via webcam with friends that you don’t get to see often, allowing you to chat from computer screen to computer screen, basically talking face to face.  These are all common programs used by billions world-wide, but they all which have their con’s.  I believe that using numerous social networks has started to deteriorate a lot of modern-day face-to-face communication.  People are starting to send emails, texts, and online messages to people rather than meeting to talk or calling them on the phone.  The lack of this confrontation amongst others is a contributing factor to why it students are finding it harder to speak in front of groups of people as well as seem confident amongst others.

Social networking is a great thing. It unlocks a whole new world to people that have access to the internet.  But opening it to the entire world brings its own set of problems; it invites everybody.  There are no limitations on who can and cannot access these sites and programs. The internet can be a dangerous place for people that don’t exactly know how to use it, because not everyone that uses the internet uses it for positive reasons.  Scams, identity theft, hackers and liars; all of which are very common on the internet, and all built and used by people trying to thrive on your mistakes and/or take advantage of those who are, lets say, gullible.  People getting there money stolen from fraudulent emails, people getting ripped off on transactions, people hacking into peoples personal files and stealing their identity; it happens all around us. Another issue that is becoming more and more common is sexual predators. It is sad to think that people use the internet to prey on teenagers. Another thing that is beginning to scatter around the internet is false information. There a lot of people that lie about information, they falsely advertise things; some people just like to display false information so that it misleads others.  Being that the internet is available to anyone, anyone is available to post a website with information that they believe is true, but may be completely false. So you have to really be careful what you read on the internet, and constantly have to cross-check with other sources to confirm that your info is trustworthy.  It is beginning to show that the internet is not for the faint at heart.  You need to be careful and think twice before you act, because not everything is as it seems.

Despite that people use the internet daily, I think it affects people over time. Ever notice all the people that can sit on computers for hours on end, doing nothing overly productive? Playing video games? They use the computer aimlessly when they could be using and/or developing their abilities to do something more productive.  One thing that I have noticed personally from using the computer a lot is it really affects my writing abilities. Think about it. Ever notice the large amount of abbreviations and slang spoken on online social networking gateways, and how it is starting to show up in peoples writing?  When we ever read stories and excerpts from old books and famous writings, was it common to see slang and abbreviations in the writing? It just seems that the role of technology in our daily lives is showing up in our writing and how we speak to each other.  I think that the internet is beginning to force book reading, newspapers and magazines to the point of extinction because people can find their information online so some beg to wonder why read when you can just Google it. I have heard teachers and professors criticize students writings due to the lack of proper writing mechanics, and it isn’t because they didn’t learn how to read and write, it is because due to the time spent online, they don’t practice those skills often enough and begin to have struggle after while. I think it’s a modern-day epidemic. The computer, internet, social networking, video games, they all are leaving their mark in our lives.  It is our responsibility to not let it effect us so much that we cannot change it back.

So it’s inevitable.  Technology is all around us; our society is practically engulfed in it. Society has become reliant on it, and without it, people would not know what to do.  It’s almost scary to see how some people rely on it so much, not knowing what to do when they are without it.  Technology use should be taken with a grain of sand. It can affect your life.  One of the main concerns I have is, after really stepping back to look at how large a role technology plays in our lives, imagine what it will be like for those generations that follow us.  If the internet and social networks are affecting us in their own ways today, will this continue into the future?

I think that we all use different types of technology everyday, and most of it we have become so accustomed to using it, that we don’t even think twice about it.  You can’t even walk around downtown without seeing numerous different sources of technology being used simultaneously.  Whether it be the internet, television, cell phones, radio, or the newspaper.  The different forms of technology that surround us today is astronomical, but it continues to progress to help us become more efficient and effective in how we carry on in life.  All of the above forms of technology can be used by just about anyone nowadays to help them fulfill their needs.

Since all four of the types of technology I described in the previous paragraph more or less be used on the computer, let’s use the computer as the examples of the technologic tools that I myself use on a day to day basis. Despite the internet being originally designed to allow the transfer of important files from one person to another, I must say that the internet has come a long way, and the purpose for its use has changed in today’s society.  There are so many things on the computer that I use daily; it’s probably too many for my own good.  Social Networking is one major category of my time spent on the computer, as communication with friends and family is very important to me.  Social Networking is a huge resource used my billions of people around the world to allow people to keep in contact with one another.  I visit sites such as Facebook and Myspace daily to keep up with my friends and family, so that I am able to see what is going on in their lives.  Not only do these sites allow you to talk with your friends, but also allow you to branch out, meet new people, learn and find new stuff, and experience new things.  Another common form of Social Networking: AOL Instant Messenger.  I am almost always logged on, chatting with friends who are both local and distant, allowing me the capability to communicate with them with the touch of a button. It is convenient because it allows you to talk to more than one person at a time, and you can do other things while chatting, versus talking on the phone.  The last and final method of communicating on the computer is Skype.  Skype is a really cool program that allows you to chat via webcam with friends that you don’t get to see often, allowing you to chat from computer screen to computer screen, basically talking face to face.  Despite there being many more, those are four forms of social networking that allow me to communicate with others whenever I please.

Without getting off topic, let’s venture away from the social networking side and discuss other things I use the computer and the internet for.  One of my favorite internet tools has to be Google Maps. You heard me right. My friends laugh at me when I say that but it’s true, I am too cheap to pay hundreds of dollars for a little computer when the computer will tell me the same information for free.  I personally love Google in general, it is simply amazing.  Whoever invented it was a genius.  It allows us to search for infinite amounts of information at the click of a button. What more could you ask for? Another key thing that the Internet provides me is my music. For me, music makes the world go round.  With file-sharing programs such as Limewire, I am able to access immense amounts of files whenever I please. And the last thing that I can say I spend a lot of time looking at on the internet, just about as much as I do spend talking to my friends, is looking at websites regarding old VW’s.  I will admit it.  I am addicted. It’s pretty bad when you can remember every little fact about a topic that you enjoy, but you cannot remember the little things discussed in history class.  It is a dilemma to say the least.  So as you can see, there is a lot of stuff that I use solely on the computer on a daily basis.

The internet is a great resource that is available to everyone, it’s the truth and nobody will deny it.  The one of the downfalls to the internet is exactly that, it’s available to everyone.  The internet can be a dangerous place for people that don’t exactly know how to use it, because not everyone that uses the internet uses it for positive reasons.  Scams, Identity theft, Hackers, Viruses; all of which are very common on the internet, and all built and used by people trying to thrive on your mistakes and/or take advantage of those who are, lets say, gullible.  You hear stories about people getting “supposed” emails from their banks needing information, responding believing its real and losing their identity and their life savings.  You read about how people were trying to buy/sell something, and after the transaction was made, they find that the payment was fraudulent and they are stuck with the short stick.  It happens all around us. Another issue that is becoming more and more common is sexual predators. It is sad to think that people use the internet to prey on young, unexpecting children. Not all people you talk with online are who they appear, people can tell you they are this person, and tell you they look like this, but unless you know them personally, how can you be sure?  Another thing that is scattered around the internet is false information.  Being that the internet is available to anyone, anyone is available to post a website with information that they believe is true, but may be completely false. So you have to really be careful what you read on the internet, and constantly have to cross-check with other sources to confirm that your info is trustworthy.  It is beginning to show that the internet is not for the faint at heart.  You need to be careful and think twice before you act, because not everything is as it seems.

Despite that I use the internet daily and it allows me to access many different capabilities simultaneously, I think it affects people over time.  I have noticed over time that I spend more time on the computer than I probably should. When I start talking to friends, downloading/listening to music, and reading about something, I tend to not notice the arms on that clock flying by.  I have found myself looking over at the clock after sitting on the computer for a while and being surprised that multiple hours have passed.  Another thing that concerns me about the constant exposure to technology is the amount of abbreviations and slang spoken on online social networking gateways, and how it is starting to show up in peoples writing.  I sometimes feel less creative in my writing after talking on the computer a lot.  The large amounts of chit-chatting from person to person that occurs daily, isn’t helping people with their creative and not to mention basic writing skills.  I think that the internet is beginning to force book reading, newspapers and magazines to the point of extinction because people can find their information online so some beg to wonder why read when you can just Google it. I have heard teachers and professors criticize students writings due to the lack of proper writing mechanics, and it isn’t because they didn’t learn how to read and write, it is because due to the time spent online, they don’t practice those skills often enough and begin to have struggle after while. I like to say writing is similar to sports.  If you quit practicing, you’re going to fall farther and farther away from potential.

So it’s true.  Technology is all around, and my life is partially engulfed in it. Society has become reliant on it, and without it, life would become much less efficient and probably more hectic.  One of the main concerns I have is, after really stepping back to look at how large a role technology plays in my life, imagine what it will be like for those generations that follow us.  Think about it.  If our generation is becoming more and more dependent on technology and more developments are being made to allow computers to do things in place of humans, so in time what will our world come to?

Some things I am considering discussing:

-Cell Phones and the impact they have on society and myself

-The usage of the Internet

-Television/Radio/News

Three very common technological resources that are used by people across the world, all of which are different yet still play key roles, and without them modern-day life would become significantly more difficult

Reading and writing in the past consisted of reading books and writing letters to communicate with others by mail.  Technology in these modern times has taken literacy to new heights.  E-mail, blogs, search engines, etc.  All of these allow people to communicate and transfer information to a more efficient level than that of the previous eras.  All of these sorts of communication are different ways people learn to be literate.  I believe that without harnessing the knowledge on how to use these certain types of resources that are available to others, people are going to fall behind in what is considered “modern-day literacy.”