Teamwork Multiplayer

I just recently read a article and I found a good quote that I would like to share. "Gaming didn't eliminate social interaction, it supplemented it." There is definitely many truth to this statement as modern day gaming usually involve some form of social interaction.

Let's bank that thought for a few seconds. If I ask you to generate an image of a "Gamer" in your mind, what do you think that will look like? Perhaps an image of a person (alone) sitting in front of a computer or TV, constantly starring at the screen and seemingly motionless (except may be the hands on the controller). The only recorded interaction is mostly be the player reacting to things that's happening on screen.

Regrettably, the image may still be relevant if our focus is on single-player oriented gaming experience only. However, more and more video games are developed partially, if not mainly, with the focus on the multiplayer elements. Multiplayer, a game type that involve more than one person, basically mean adding the "social" interaction into video gaming. Multiplayer are meant for players to interact with each other either competitively or cooperatively. The interaction can be as simple as typing into the in-game chat system to having a full conversation using mic-headphones accessories.

I also notice a trend had develop within the "Multiplayer" realm. A shift from the traditional "Free-for-All" (me vs. the world) to more of a focus on "Team Battle" (team vs team). Examples can be found in some of the hottest titles in the market; the multiplayer game type are usually team oriented, such as:

• Call of Duty: Ghosts - Team Deathmatch, Extinction
• Titanfall - Attrition, Hardpoint Domination
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Wolf Pack DLC
• Match Making in sport games such as FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NHL 14
• Apps such as Clash of Clans, Candy Crush Saga

*Warning, video game (multiplayer) supplements social interaction, and it should not be interpreted as the "only" interaction.

Here is the [link] to the article.

Slight Update...(and I'm back!)

Well, I just notice that I had not been writing anything to this block for almost 3 weeks now. All I can say is that life has been busy and finding time for this blog was difficult. Anyway, I'm back now and I should have new post(s) coming up very shortly. I may make a few changes here and there to keep it refreshing.

P.S. I finally bite the bullet and bought a XboxOne, that totally didn't contribute on my "proper" time management at all. (FYI, Gamertag: Noface2give)

Reduce Craving with Video Games

Has the following scenario ever happened to you? You are so focus on doing one thing that you’ve forgotten a meal, or at the least delayed it for a couple of hours. Chances are your answer is “yes”, and the reason for doing that may vary. Some of the reasons may be very important to us; some other reasons may just be silly all together. An obvious example for the gamers, you’ve might have skipped a meal (or two) simply because you tried to get to the next checkpoint so the game will save your progress. Unfortunately, I’m not here to justify such behavior because doesn’t matter how you look at it, skipping a meal is bad for you. However, I do believe this is only one extreme and there are middle ground that gaming can be beneficial in terms of reduce craving.

To (really) generalize that thought: when a person is focus on doing one thing, it may take some of the craving for another away from our system. An article posted on The Atlantic called “Playing Tetris Can Reduce Urges to Eat, Smoke, Drink” by Julie Beck reinforce that thought. The article summarized a study that shows playing Tetris help reduce craving by 24 percent.

Perhaps my favorite part of the article is this, “Strange as it may seem, Tetris could actually be a helpful tool for those trying to quit smoking, or just avoid indulging in an unhealthy snack.” It goes to show the possibility of Tetris (or other games) can be beneficial on certain aspect of life.

Here is the [link] to Julie’s article.