Multi Player Video Games example essay topic

2500 years ago the Romans were the most powerful civilization on earth, their global power hadn't been met until the 20th century. When the Romans wanted entertainment they turned to violence. They would have gladiators covered in armor wielding sharp swords fight till the death for entertainment. During the 1500's the French would behead a criminal publicly to show the citizens how powerful the law was and also for their entertainment.

The turn of the century is almost here and such violent acts have all but been abolished. These acts are considered barbaric and we think of ourselves as a more peaceful race. Humans in general are not peaceful in nature, we have always been violent and we shouldn't try to change our nature as drastically as we have done. There are going to be side effects that we aren't aware of if we try to remove this important part of our nature.

Humans need some form of violence to help cope with stress and the everyday hassles we have created for ourselves. Now with new technology and faster computers we no longer need to injure someone to get that needed amount of violence. Simulated violence is a more humane way of dealing with such problems. Groups of people should partake in sessions of simulated violence to get the dosage of violence they need. When I speak of simulated violence I speak of video games and more specifically multi-player video games.

A single-player video game is one where a single person is engaged against the computer. This form of play can help relive stress but not nearly as much as a multi-player game. A multi-player game is one where at least 2 people are playing against each other. Multi-player games highly satisfy the need for violence because it becomes easy to show aggression against someone with injury or personal harm. I have been a player of these games since I was younger and I have participated in many multi-player games.

The games I have been evolved in mostly had at least 3 players and are generally at night and during the weekend. Games consisting of only 2 players aren't played as frequently as a game with more simply because they aren't as entertaining. A session of playing will start almost whenever there are a few men in the vicinity of a playing console. The game playing can usually become the centerpiece of a small party, enabling the players to enjoy playing and all bystanders to watch what unfolds while waiting their turn. Clifford Geertz author of several books on anthropology said "a set of persons engrossed in a common flow of activity and relating to one another in terms of that flow" (237) which perfectly describes the atmosphere during a gaming session. Multi-player games are typically played in-groups of 3, 4, 5 or more.

The greater number of opponents involved increases the entertainment aspect. A lot of the entertainment comes from the violence in the game. There are multiplayer games that are low on violence, but these games rarely become big sellers. In video games, violence sells, same as the entire entertainment industry. Since the emphasis on violence, women have not shown substantial interest in these games.

Almost all games are geared towards male players, regardless of race or religion. Race becomes such a small factor because inside the game everyone is represented by a digital picture and not where they are from. For example if there were two players, one Caucasian and the other African, they would both be only a digital picture, each the same with no racism or prejudice. The competitive aspect is great during play. Since the game is usually against peers a great stress is put on the player to win. The person who wins the most can be considered the best at a particular game.

With this title also comes a form of status. A player's status directly effects the person's emotions. If a player was to lose consecutively then they may feel depressed or upset. The player who wins will undoubtedly feel more content and happy. There are many emotions, which get tied into the game. Other players can easily fear someone who has a reputation of success.

"The marginal dis utility of loss is so great", said Geertz, can explain the reason why other players become afraid of a stronger opponent. During large multi-player games these emotions will almost always be expressed with talking, laughter and sometimes yelling. I asked a personal friend named Ryan Ramsey, who has also been playing for many years, his feelings about the emotional aspect of multi-player games and he responded with, "these games can become very emotional, sometimes when playing we can find ourselves screaming and yelling". The games seem to be addicting, a person who plays can become engulfed in the game and so become totally unaware of everything going on outside the video game.

The games make people forget about what is going on and this quality makes people feel very relaxed and at ease with themselves. A large portion of someone's stress, which has built up over time, can be released in a small span of time. Violent multi-player games should not be considered a problem with society; they are a valid way of releasing pent-up aggression and stress. Without such ways of entertainment people could resort to other more harmful actions that could injure themselves or someone else.