1

An

Exploration

Of the relationship between

Performance and Video games

By

Aaron Frost

U0965225

University of Huddersfield 2013

BA(Hons) Animation

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Table of Images

Fig 1. Gran Turismo comparison. (2010) Available at: http://www.ridelust.com/how-close-is-gran-turismo-5-to-the-real-thing/ Last Accessed: 19th March 2013. Fig 2. World Championship Series EU. (2012) Available at: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images2/1/13/WCS_EU_Day1_crowd_and_stage.jpg Last Accessed 21st March 2013. Fig.3 CNN news broadcast. (2012) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHzTlkAGNIE Last Accessed 21st March 3013.

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Abstract

Video games are a unique medium. Over the last thirty years, video games have developed into

the largest entertainment industry in the world. They continue to evolve at a rapid pace,

capturing the imaginations, and altering lives of millions. This dissertation aims to explore the

relationship between video games and performance. More specifically, the practicality and

value of performance, and the benefits of performing well. It will also explore how these

benefits can materialize into real world gains for the players.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my family, for their continued love and support. I would like to thank

Studio Distract for taking me as an intern, mentoring me, and giving me a taste of the

Animation Industry, and I would also like to thank all the teachers who have helped me

throughout my educational life.

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Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..6 Chapter 1: Defining Performance and Becoming a Performer………………........................7-16 Defining Performance………………………………………………………………………………7 Becoming a Performer……………………………………………………………………………..9 The Value of Performance……………………………………………………………………….11 Chapter 2: Benefits of Performance……………………………………………………………………....17-26 The Materialization of Performance in the Real World……….........................17 Monetary Gain from Performance in Video Games...........………………………...17 Physical/Psychological Gains and Learning Opportunities……………………..21 Harmful effects of Gaming....……………………………………………………………………25 Chapter 3: Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………….27-29 References………………………………………………………………………………………….........................30-31 Research Interview………………………………………………………………………………………………....32 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………...........................33

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Introduction

This dissertation aims to look at the relationship between performance and video games.

Firstly it will look at defining performance in context, as there are many routes that you can

take when exploring the relationship between performance and video games. Technical

routes, such as how the game itself performs on a system, or theoretical routes documenting

and analyzing famous character performances in video game history. The route which this text

will be exploring however, is the practicality, productivity and value of performance, the

players perspective of performance, and how performance can be beneficial or harmful to the

player.

The dissertation will take into consideration theories such as “Flow Theory” and also refer to

studies which analyze performance based persistence and improvement of cognitive ability

through video games. It will also include experiences from players/performers themselves,

their opinions on the portrayal of performance, and how performance affects them personally.

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Chapter 1: Defining Performance and Becoming a Performer

Defining Performance

Performance is an essential part of storytelling. Stories have been told since the beginning of

man, through spoken words, written texts, painted pictures, and moving images. Recently,

during the last three decades, a new genre of storytelling has risen. This genre is video games.

In video games, performance is unique, as it allows the audience to become the performer

themselves. Taking on the persona of villains or heroes, experiencing the story through the

players own actions and exploring the world encompassing the story at their own pace.

Being both the audience and the performer, also has great potential for story tellers to take

advantage of. It gives the ability to amplify the experience of a story, as the audience can feel

powerful emotions through actions and through choice. In other mediums of storytelling

(movies and books) you have to watch or read about the performer going through the door,

but in a game, as the performer yourself, you have the choice to go through the door. It adds

another dynamic, another range of possibilities, and another layer of thought to the process of

a story.

Video games also can acquire an audience other than the Player/Performer. As each performer

or player is offering a unique version of the story, these unique variations are based upon a

number of variables, such as the performer’s skill, the difficulty that they are playing on and

who they are playing against. This other dynamic of performance, brings value. This value

comes from many things, such as viewer-ship. Found online are cult-like followings for niche

video game performances, like speed running, and competitive gaming which has been

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dubbed :'eSports'.

Although performance in video games has many positive effects, there is also risk involved.

These risks stem from video game addiction, which although isn't a formal diagnoses, poses a

serious concern. Cases have been reported in which players have died from exhaustion due to

addiction. Another risk is the influence video games can have, violence in video games is a

concept which is very popular, and increased exposure to 'virtual' violence can have negative

effects on the player causing desensitization. Often violent video games reward players for

performing violent acts, which to someone who may have underlying mental health conditions

could be confusing, as for them, this could merge the boundaries of what is acceptable in the

game and the real world.

The definition of ‘Performance’:

“The act of staging, presenting a play, concert or other form of entertainment. A person’s rendering of a dramatic role, song or piece of music.” The word performance also can have the meaning of carrying out an action, “He performed well at work today” ( Oxford Dictionary - 2013)

So we can say performance is the study of one’s actions, how actions take place and the

contexts of what those actions are performed in.

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Becoming a Performer.

Upon becoming the player in a video game, you also become the performer. Becoming this

performer, allows for an interesting scenario to take place. One in which you are a member of

the audience, yet the one in control. This gives video games the ability to connect on a level

which other mediums cannot. It allows the creators immense freedom to explore a whole

range of interests and connect with the player in a very unique manner due to this 'interaction

and reaction' composition:

The juiciness of a game is the amplified (and at times excessive) audiovisual feedback that the player receives after every interaction. The action can be as minimal as just hovering over a button, which may trigger off a musical note and make it sparkle. (Clara Ferna ndez-Vara - 2009)

Before analyzing the relationship between the players and the video games more, it is

important to understand why we play and participate in such activities. A variety of reasons

can be presented for playing video games; we play for fun, to escape reality, to be challenged

and experience the satisfaction of completing goals. As video games develop more and

increase in complexity, so do our reasons for playing. These reasons can now include social

interaction, monetary gain, educational use, and competitive outlets.

The feedback after every interaction the player receives from the game, is a complex range of

emotions and reactions often linked with the reasons we play. Actions “as minimal as just

hovering over a button” induce a psychological reaction and thought process before carrying

out the task. This process is a big part of the difference in the way video games relate to other

media. It can be described as “active” and other media can be described as “passive”.

Because of this psychological reaction and thought process taking place, video games can have

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positive effects on people who play a lot. “If used properly, these games can improve hand-eye

coordination, problem solving and logic, multitasking, quick thinking and decision-making,

attention to detail and teamwork and cooperation” (Chandramita Bora - 2013)

The interaction between the player and the video game often starts out with the creator or

designer in control. Eventually the game being played, becomes the outcome of the players

actions, giving the player ownership of that specific play-through. “Once the player takes

control of the game, by using the games resources, the player makes the game respond to his

actions, he makes the game his own.” (Reginar Bernhaupt - 2010). This is another aspect,

which separates video games from other media, and why performance in video games can be

so unique. The player is performing in the video games, and his performance will differ from

everyone else, and even his own if he chooses to play the same parts of the game again.

Video games that possess the ability to create this interaction well and give the performer

intense feedback can also induce 'Flow Theory'. Flow Theory is regarded as a mental state, in

which one enters in a “state of simultaneous deep concentration, interest and enjoyment of an

activity.” (Robyn Gibbs & Dr Jenny Poskitt 2010). This theory was first proposed by Mihaly

Csikszentmihalyi. It is most commonly observed in people who perform art, and people who

take part in competition, such as athletes. However it can clearly be observed in people who

are playing video games. For Flow theory to take place, certain events and requirements have

to be met, these requirements are well documented and consist of:

A challenging activity that requires skills: This requires a fine balance: too high a challenge will produce anxiety; too easy an activity will produce boredom. Clear goals and feedback, Concentration on the task at hand, A sense of control, Loss of self-consciousness (Charles Dietz on the examination of Csikszentmihalyi's work. 2004)

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Flow theory is also regarded as being one of the reasons people can develop their talents, and

other people give up. In this case then, the ability for a player to enter this flow state can

translate to how well one can perform in a game, and how one could improve much faster than

other games.

The Value of Performance

A video game which features a heavy emphasis on Performance as well as the consequences of

poor performance is Heavy Rain (Quantic Dream - 2010). Heavy Rain is an adventure game,

which features elements of action, and psychological interaction. This game demonstrates well

what I was referring to when I talked about games which “induce a psychological reaction and

thought process before carrying out the task.” Heavy Rain features 22 endings. These 22

different outcomes depend on the performance in the game, and the interaction between the

characters and the players. The outcomes are the sum of the characters performance overall,

and even if the player performs badly, the game continues. There isn't a traditional game over

screen and the game will continues just as life would if something bad or unexpected happens

and you don't perform well.

A similar, but slightly more linear game, is The Walking Dead (Ep1-5 -Telltale games -2012) ,

which features lots of interaction with the characters and the player in the game. Performance

and how the player reacts influences how the characters in the game view you, the game also

adapts and changes to encompass your performance. These types of videos games, and their

story reflect on the player’s characteristics, and also allow the players to develop a

relationship with the characters, as they react to your performance, you react to theirs. This

relationship between player and character can cause a complex set of emotions to take place.

Some of your decisions in the game and how you perform can be the difference between the

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life and death of these characters on your play through. In a game which can take 20+ hours to

complete a play through. It’s not hard to see how one can develop an attachment to characters.

This can have a heavy impact on the player and also their performance.

We can see that video games can be, and are inspired by a vast majority of subjects, and

created for a variety of reasons. However one particular popular inspiration is the concept of

'War'.

Throughout the last decade there has been a number of running franchises which are centered

around the concept of war; from modern warfare franchises like Call of Duty and Medal of

Honour, to franchises such as Dynasty Warriors which explores the story of the Romance of

the three kingdoms and ancient Chinese history. Another style of war games are real time

strategy games, which test a players ability to react to situations, control armies and plan a

civilizations economy.

War seems to be an inevitable aspect of human culture. A natural outcome for society living

together, usually caused by delaying a resolution for a disagreement until there are no other

choices left. Humans are inherently competitive creatures, and competition inspires greatness,

it’s this competition which has lead us to where we are today, and war could be defined as a

competition for survival. E. O. Wilson, one of the world’s leading biologists says “War is

embedded in our very nature.” (E.O.Wilson 2012) and William James, an American

philosopher and psychologist wrote in the The Moral Equivalent of War “History is a bath of

blood” (James.W – 1906). Looking at our decorated history of war then, it is without any

surprise that it is one of the most popular concepts for video games. It has been argued that

these games mask the true reality of war, a veteran named Nathaniel Deitrick who was a

combat medic for the U.S Army commented. “ The single-player campaigns and fast-paced

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action tend to lead to players seeing war as something that can be undertaken casually.”

(Nathaniel Deitrick – 2012)

If for a brief moment we compared films and books to certain video games then, it goes from

watching and reading about the soldier – to becoming the soldier.

Upon becoming the virtual soldier, the player/performer experiences aspects of real war, in a

simulated environment. Firing virtual guns, battling in virtual tanks, and commanding virtual

characters to aid you in victory. Some argue that this trivializes war, Jef Palframan, a lieutenant

for the Canadian army commented:

My main problem with military shooters is that they seem to be less about celebrating the soldier and more about celebrating killing. (Jef Palframan - 2012)

He goes on to also say:

They (The players) are given an augmented reality that rewards them for killing, not for serving, and they think that that is reality. I do believe these games trivialize war: they make it something fun and adventurous. (Jef Palframan - 2012).

Despite the ethics of it, war games are hugely popular and provide the player/performer with

an experience which can be regarded as being close to the 'real thing' in a 'safe' environment.

Performance in war games translates into the real world as well. The U.S army recognized

video games and how they could be an asset, by developing a game themselves known as

'America's Army'. This game was developed for the purpose of evaluating a potential recruit by

their performance. The game has been discussed as a propaganda device and a recruitment

tool but overall it has proved a success. From the people that played, it reduced the amount of

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recruits that didn't finish basic training because they knew the process and what to expect

from their performance in the game, and the game also sparked an interest for many players,

turning them into potential recruits. (Mendoza, O - 2008)

What is happening right now is that a lot of people who are coming into the military service are thrilled by the idea of war. It's an adventure thing. (Linnett - 2004)

In 2006, America's Army developers introduced a new part to the game, called 'Real Heroes'.

This further increased the experience as it recreated real situations and missions of actual

soldiers for players/performers to experience - based on real accounts, videos and photos.

Seeing how the real life soldier performed in a real situation, and also comparing it to your

performance in the game, allowed people to experience a taste of what these soldiers had to

go through during their mission, and what to expect in the field. (Serious Army Gaming -

2008)

Another popular inspiration for video games is racing. Racing, stems back to the discussion of

humans and competition, and also man's obsession with always trying to go faster. In the last

century humans have been obsessed with speed. This obsession has allowed us to surpass

milestones such as the speed of sound, and engineered machines to take us beyond this world.

Car racing games have been a popular arcade attraction for decades. A game worth

mentioning is Ridge Racer. This game really set the standard for racing games, especially when

it came to consoles. Throughout the years, many franchises have been developed. A lot of them

taking inspiration from real places and real tracks, another prominent franchise which was

developed was Gran Turismo.

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Several of the Gran Turismo games, feature the world famous track 'The Nurbergring'. The

Nurbergring is in Germany and:

The track has become an industry standard for putting performance vehicles through their paces and the lap-time leader boards are a who's who of high end cars. (Chris Arnone, 2011.)

Players of the game who go around this track have been inspired to go around it in real life.

Real life racing driver and professional coach of the Nurbergring, Denis Malevanyi did just

that, he went around the track in real life, and in the game in the exact same car, a BMW M3

E92, then posted a video showing the difference, and there wasn't much of one, even down to

the time of the lap which was extremely similar. His performance in the game was almost

exactly the same as in real life around the track. Obviously, the skill set of driving in a video

game and driving in real life is very different, but the track in the game could be used to plan

your route, and your racing line, and try things which aren't always possible on the real life

track. (Kurt Ernst - 2010)

(Fig 1. Gran Turismo comparison (2010) showing the similarities of the track and car in the game and

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real life.)

Taking this into consideration then, it is possible to see a real world value of performing well

in video games. I bring this point up, because often at the forefront of discussions involving

video games is productivity, and in my next chapter this dissertation will discuss how

performance and productivity in video games can materialize from being virtual, to having

other real world benefits.

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Chapter 2: Benefits of Performance.

The Materialization of Performance in the Real World

Often a point brought up when discussing video games, is productivity. Productivity relates to

performance, because productivity is usually dependent on how well one can perform a

certain task. A popular question is “are video games a waste of time?” Many people argue that

they are, however the same people tend to spend multiple hours in the evening watching

television. When comparing these two actions, the argument often comes to the point of

energy consumption. When you are watching T.V, you are relaxing and winding down,

however when you are playing video games; your mind is very active, you are reacting,

planning and playing. This means that the energy you are using on these video games, could

be used for something which people would see as a more important issue, like studying or

working.

Monetary Gain from Performance in Video Games

Video Games have developed to a stage in which they can be productive. In South Korea, video

games have been adopted to the main stage, having their own TV channels, with the top

players earning healthy salaries and being treated as celebrities. The most prominent game

has been Starcraft: Brood War, and recently Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty. The following for

these types of games have turned competitive video games into a business, which has been

branded 'E-Sports' (So much a business it has become, that it even reported in blogs on Forbes).

Academies and Team houses exist, where players practice and develop. Tournaments are held

all over the world, players gain sponsorships who fly them out and provide them with

equipment to aid their performance in exchange for exposure and coverage.

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This phenomenon is not limited to South Korea. In fact in the last five years, there has been a

huge growth. It has become very prominent in Europe, North America and China. It has even

gone as far as having professional leagues, such as Major League Gaming, IPL, DreamHack and

the Global Star League. In this context, it is very clear to see how performance in one of these

E-sports can materialize, with monetary gain and fame being a product of performing in a

video game. The materialization of performance in video games is not limited to just this

process though.

(Fig 2. WCS EU – 201. A picture of the audience at the Starcraft 2 World Championship Series,

Europe.)

Video Games known as MMORPG's (Massively-Multiplayer-Online-Role-Playing-Game) started

becoming popular in the 1990's. Probably the most important advancement of this time was

the game Ultima: Online which was released in 1997. This game reached a peak of a quarter of

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a million players, having its own virtual market which players then took onto themselves to

translate into it, a real world market. “Virtual objects create real value for people” (Susan Wu -

2007)

In 2004, the giant that is known as World of Warcraft was released. This game went on to

achieve 12 million paying subscribers at once, (Rich Brown – 2010) making the demand for

virtual items increase dramatically. With this demand for virtual items, players could

capitalize. Their performance in the game, allowed them to access items which other players

wanted in the game, but didn't have the time or skill to get. This led to a term which has been

coined as RWT/RMT.

Real world trading (RWT) or Real money trading (RMT), is the exchange of real currency for

virtual items. Players who excelled and performed well in the game, could reap the benefits of

it by selling items and virtual currency. RWT has been a controversial subject, and a lot of

video game developers have chosen to make it illegal within their game. Players who

participate in such events can be banned from the game and companies can even seek legal

repercussions. Some developers however, have chosen to run with the idea. Games such as

EvE Online and Diablo 3, feature a system in which one can participate in RWT through the

game, and it is completely legal and abiding to the terms of service. Games like these often

feature items or auction houses where player can use their real money to invest into virtual

items.

To take advantage of the auction house and the need for resources from other players. Players

use a tactic known as farming. They farm resources to sell. Farming resources is basically the

equivalent of using time as a currency as you repeat a specific task over and over again. A

game in which you can farm a lot is Diablo 3. Diablo 3 is a game which contains an auction

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house which features RMT/RWT but is capped at $250, this leads people to go outside the

game to sell more expensive items. One such item which dropped whilst a player was

“farming” was a weapon named “Echoing Fury”, this item was reported as being worth 40

billion gold in game (d2jsp - 2012) .The item was reportedly sold in the range of 7500-12400

Euros, to a player named Hieven, who has become somewhat famous in the world of D3 due to

this purchase. (Lavelle - 2013)

A game called Second life encourages this merge of virtual items becoming real. They have

created a virtual currency and named it “A Linden Dollar.” This currency can be cashed out for

real money. In 2006, a women named Ailin Graef or better known by her online persona Anshe Chung

became the first millionaire of second life, by selling virtual land, with an initial investment of

only $9.95. (Rob Hof, 2006)

With these examples, it’s easy to see how performing well in video games can materialize into

having a real world benefit in the shape of monetary gain.

One of the most common ways in which players can demonstrate their performance and

actually become a performer in a traditional sense, is by web-streaming. Websites exist such

as twitch.tv and ow3ned.tv. These websites allow players to live stream there games. As well

as providing a platform for them to do this, they also provide the ability to play adverts.

Depending on the amount of live viewers watching the channel, these adverts provide the

streamer/performer with monetary gain. This allows players who stream to do this as a full

time job. Some players have developed huge fan bases and manage to have up to 30,000

people watching them play games live.

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Physical/Psychological Gains and Learning Opportunities whilst playing Video Games.

Apart from there being a whole genre of video games aimed directly at teaching children,

mainstream games still contain elements in which players learn real life applicable skills. As

referenced earlier, video games can improve things such as:

hand eye coordination. problem solving and logic, multitasking, quick thinking and decision-making, attention to detail and teamwork and cooperation. (Chandramita Bora - 2013)

These skills are demonstrated in games such Starcraft, where professional players often can

perform at a rate of 300-600 APM (Actions-per-minute), and use a mouse with surgical

precision by micro managing their huge armies at an very fast speed. It is not uncommon, for

people who are not used to watching the game from the players point of views, to experience

dizziness from the huge amount of actions taking place in such a short space of time. These

players also demonstrate the ability to make split second decisions which can influence entire

games, and show a great amount of attention to detail, noticing opponents movements on

their maps and being able to predict how the opponent is going to act.

Regarding studies made on people playing RTS games similar to Starcraft: Robert A. Stern,

Ph.D. A Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery says:

People get better on tests of memory, motor speed, visual-spatial skills, and tasks requiring cognitive flexibility (Robert A.Stern - 2011)

and Arthur Kramer a Professor of Psychology recognizes this by saying:

The strategy-heavy videogame Rise of Nations improves executive-control functions such as task switching, working memory, visual short-term memory, and reasoning in older adults. (Arthur Kramer – 2011)

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Starcraft 2, features a ranking system, known as the ladder. Everyone has a visible rank and

the better the player; the more one climbs the ladder, all the way to becoming a Grandmaster.

This ranking system has led to a small phenomenon known as “Ladder Anxiety”. According to

Team Liquid's definition this is “Due to the perception in RTSes that one's performance

reflects one's intelligence.” and “losing can often feel like a blow to ones ego.”. (Teamliquid -

2011)This anxiety often leads to the “Flight or Fight” Response. This response produces

adrenaline which, again according to Team Liquid's archive can “leave you left with cold,

trembling hands and feet, as well as an accelerated heart rate and breathing, all for no good

reason.“ (Teamliquid -2011) It’s hard to believe all this can happen from the anticipation of

playing and performing badly, and losing a video game.

This anxiety can often be compared to real life settings which produce the same effect.

Overcoming ladder anxiety has had positive effects on people who had reported less

procrastination and the ability to deal with their body’s flight of fight response. When asking

about peoples experiences with ladder anxiety on an open forum, a middle level player named

Ben Simpson commented,

I still suffer from ladder anxiety quite a lot, but I've found that the best way for me to deal with it is to meet it head on. The more I play and lose (or indeed win), the less bad I feel about the losing. Playing the game itself has made me better at just about every other practical skill, because it's improved my multi-tasking, decision making, and practicality in most aspects of my life. (Ben Simpson - 2013)

Referring back to MMORPG's, which contains whole social structures and huge communities, if

broken down and examined closer, it’s not hard to see the effect these games can have on

players. These games feature things such as auction houses. The use of this in games, clearly

demonstrates that a player who understands the concept of business practice; buying lower,

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and selling higher, or providing a service - can excel at the game by obtaining much more

virtual currency than other players. Josh Kaufman, author of the #1 international bestseller

The Personal MBA, in an article titled “Everything I Know About Business I Learned from World

of Warcraft” talks about “11 real-life business concepts you can learn from playing an MMORPG

like World of Warcraft“ ( Josh Kaufman – 2013) These 11 concepts are:

Value Chain, Product Pricing, The Law of Supply and Demand. Price Vs Value, The Power of Wholesale, Arbitrage, Marketing and Sale, Seasonality, Frictional Costs, Specialization pays, and Achieving Goals. ( Josh Kaufman - 2013)

Games such as World of Warcraft and Guild Wars, also feature ‘Guilds’. The definition of a Guild

according to the oxford dictionary is “An association of people for mutual aid and or the

pursuit of a common goal.” (Oxford dictionary – 2013). Guilds require social interaction, and

teamwork to achieve a mutual goal. Games such as World of Warcraft, feature 40 and 25 man

raids. Raids require great co-ordination, research, teamwork, leadership and social skills. Co-

coordinating 40 people and managing them while taking down a 'raid boss' takes a great deal

of effort. To get to this point in the game, each individual player has invested 1,000s of hours

into their character, this shows dedication and commitment, combining all the players from

the raids average playtime, it is probably in the tens of thousands of hours. (Wilson. T – 2009)

In 2012, a guild leader called Neri who has managed a guild for four years posted an article

“Three ways which being a guild leader has helped me in real life”. (Neri – 2012) This guild

leader goes on to talk about how leading a guild has taught him about how to approach and

resolve a conflict between people. It has sharpened his time management skills, having to

schedule times for players and also move times around and plan for replacement players, if

real life get in the way of their playtime. The next thing he talks about is communication,

dealing with miss-communication, and responsibility of being a leader. If he doesn't show up

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at the time they have scheduled, he has inconvenienced a significant number of other people

who have shown up and now can't complete the task. (Neri – 2012)

MMMORPGS are extremely popular, “The attraction is most often in the social interaction”

(Eugene Goh - 2012 ) It could be argued that MMO's teach you that hard work and dedication

pay off. Everyone starts out the same, and you can achieve anything if you work hard. This

dedication can be applied to every single aspect of life. The harder you work the better you

become at something. Although skill doesn't directly correlate with time invested in a subject,

someone who spends a lot of time learning something will obviously improve and have a

higher chance of success.

In January, 2013, a study took place, this study looked at “the relationship between video game

use and a performance based measure of persistence.” Persistence in this sense, could also be

called dedication, or determination, which is what I discussed when talking about MMORPG's

pushing players to work harder outside the game. The study shown that “Time spent on

unsolved problems was correlated to video game use.” (Ventura, M. and Shute, V. 2013). The

study also shown that “playing commercial video games for extended hours has been shown

to enhance visual–spatial skills.” (Ventura, M. and Shute, V. 2013). According to the study,

conscientiousness, also referred to as persistence “has emerged as one of the most important

personality traits in predicting academic performance“. (Ventura, M. and Shute, V. 2013) and

also many other aspects of life

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Harmful effects of Gaming.

Although there are numerous productive and positive aspects of gaming, It would be

irresponsible, if this exploration didn't cover the darker side of gaming. Like everything in life,

too much of something good, can turn into something bad. Gaming is not without its dangers.

Video game addiction is a very serious concern, like all addictions it can be very damaging, not

just to the individual, but to people around the player, their family and their friends. According

to the Diagnostics of Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Video gaming addiction is not a

formal addiction, and therefore cannot be diagnosed. However it clearly takes place and many

cases have been recorded, it is suggested that the addiction is similar to any other

psychological addiction, such as gambling.

According to Christopher J Ferguson, Mark Coulson and Jane Barnett's research in “A meta-

analysis of pathological gaming prevalence and comorbidity with mental health, academic and

social problems” Defining video game addiction was difficult, and there were problems in

coming up with a conclusion on the definition, therefore eventually stating the addiction is

most likely “a product of underlying mental health issues.”. ( Christopher J Ferguson, Mark

Coulson and Jane Barnett's -2011)

Despite the lack of formal diagnoses it is extremely important to be aware of it. Tragedies can

occur. In 2005 a South Korean man, at the age of 28, collapsed after playing the video game

Starcraft for 50 hours without a break. The man went on to die from heart failure stemming

from exhaustion(BBC - 2005) . This case is not alone, on the 18th July 2012, it was reported a

Taiwanese player, aged 18, died from exhaustion of playing Diablo 3 for 40 hours without a

break (CVG - 2012). There have been many deaths which have been well documented and

have revolved in some way to video game addiction, with people aging from as young as 13.

26

(Autumn Spragg – 2011)

These are not the only risks of video games. With the violence which can be portrayed in

games, some studies show video games:

Can have far reaching effects on child behavior and psychology. And also as video games are more engaging in nature, children usually actively participate in these games and also identify themselves with the aggressor. Besides, video games often reward the violent activities, which further put children in the risk zone for developing aggressive thoughts and behavior. In addition to this, they play these games over and over. (Chandramita Bora 2013)

27

Chapter 3

Conclusion

This dissertation has looked at the relationship between video games and performance, and

how video games can be used as an asset. How becoming a performer in this unique medium

can have and hold significant value. This value comes from many different things, from

monetary gain, to advancement of one's cognitive functions, and the improvement of one's

ability to persist. It has looked at how video games, although primarily used for

entertainment, can function as many different outlets, ranging from social interaction,

educational use, and competition. Certain video games also share attributes with subjects

such as art and sport which allow for a player to enter a 'Flow State'. A mental state which

promotes the development of one's talent. Video games can have significant risk though, and

this risk comes from the possibility of addiction, and the desensitization of emotional

reactions to violence.

Video games are an incredibly unique media, which will continue to develop and evolve.

Continued evolution of games will also evolve and change their effects on players, and the

productivity and benefits of being able to perform well in them.

Video games, by those who don't play them or try to understand them, are often looked down

upon. Generally society brands video games as being 'bad'. They are often misunderstood by

the older generation of people, and often the first thing to blame when tragedies occur, or used

as an escape goat for peoples downfalls. (Events such as Columbine High School massacre, and

the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, were all initially linked with gaming, and gaming is

often regarded as a reason for the tragedy by the mainstream media.)

28

Fig.3 (A still image taken from a CNN news broadcast stating games were a key factor which

caused Adam Lanza to commit the Sandy Hook School Massacre.)

However a new generation of adults are taking their place, adults which grew up playing video

games and can recognize them for what they are.

One of these people, a popular streamer known as NevetsGiarc, expresses this by saying “I am

a part of a new generation of adult males that grew up playing video games. I consider myself

a connoisseur of this art form”. (NevetsGiarc – 2012)

Hopefully by reading this, people can begin to understand video games and recognize

productivity from performance in games, and the potential that they hold. As this generation

of gamers gets older, games will continue to solidify their place in society and become even

more accepted. Careers in gaming which seem unconventional now may be the norm within

the next decade, with the growth of streaming and viewership in eSports.

The future of gaming is bright, and only recently are people beginning to realize what an asset

29

video games can be. The industry is expanding at a rapid rate, and more opportunities for use

of them are around every corner. As a video game enthusiast who has played since as long as I

can remember, an avid follower of eSports, and great believer in productivity achieved from

performance in gaming, I am very excited for what the future holds.

30

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32

Research Interview Regarding Ladder Anxiety, I posted on a forum, asking for people to share their experiences, I'm still searching for more appropriate sources for overcoming ladder anxiety and the benefits for it in real life. Here is the post and relevant reply. Aaron Frost: Yo MCB (Manchester Barcraft), I'm writing my dissertation at the moment, its called "An exploration of the relationship between Video Games and Performance, and how Performance in Video Games can materialize in the real world."...... Its a working title xD. Anyway, I have a small section in there devoted to Starcraft and RTS games in general, and I also have a small part about ladder anxiety, but need some 'Primary Research'. I know ladder anxiety is pretty common, I kinda need you guys to share some stories with me about what ladder anxiety feels like to you, also anyone who has gotten over ladder anxiety, and maybe how beating ladder anxiety has helped you develop in the real world in some small way? Has it helped with procrastination or any anxiety in real life? Any help would be appreciated! Ben Simpson: For me, it feels like being sat in a dark little spot where I lose a lot of faith in my own abilities, but if I actually play a game in order to maybe get better, I could lose it and feel even worse about myself, so I end up in a kind of limbo. I think it arises from my own happiness being too closely linked to my performance at certain tasks, and since I'm something of a perfectionist, doing well at something is a big high for me, but doing poorly is a big low. I still suffer from ladder anxiety quite a lot, but I've found that the best way for me to deal with it is to meet it head on. The more I play and lose (or indeed win), the less bad I feel about the losing. I've gone from silver to high plat in the past 2-3 months, and I'm intending to be diamond by the end of this one. So you could say I've not overcome it as much as I've learned to work around it. Hope this was helpful. Aaron Frost: Yeh man, that is pretty helpful. Thanks a lot. Has working around ladder anxiety helped you face anything in real life better, or has there been a positive effect from it which occurs outside the game in any way? Ben Simpson:Other than teaching me that the best way to improve at something is to admit that you suck and just try and learn from there, I don't think so, sorry. Playing the game itself has made me better at just about every other practical skill though, because it's improved my multi-tasking, decision making, and practicality in most aspects of my life.

33

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