But perhaps there are more risks and dark clouds surrounding the world of gaming than there are in the game itself.
In early February 2012, a man in Taiwan was found dead after playing League of Legends, an immensely popular MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) computer game for over 10 hours. He had cardiac arrest.
Similarly, on December 2004, a boy in China left a suicide note, saying he wanted “to join the heroes of the game he worshiped.” The thirteen-year-old then jumped off a tall building after playing World of Warcraft for 36 hours straight.
And there was a 15-year-old boy in Perth, Australia, who skipped school to play online games for 16 hours a day, for three weeks.
However, the apparent craze is still existent. And in recent times, there’s been a considerable amount of increase in the craze for video games among youths. Perhaps, after football, this is what most youngsters talk about and obsess over these days.
As Sujan Gurung, 19, a gamer, says, “I’ve been playing games ever since I learnt how to press keys on a keyboard.” Gurung’s gaming journey began with watching TV shows on gaming and playing at the local game parlors. “During my schooldays, computer games or any sorts of video games were beyond our reach. Also with limited Internet service, there was no way we could play such games,” he says, adding that in the recent times, however, with easy access to high-speed Internet, things have changed.
His journey in gaming began with playing Mario and Dave on his home computer, and sometimes even at the local game parlors. Today it’s mostly DOTA 2, Counter Strike and Assassin’s Creed that Gurung plays with his friends whenever he has free time.
Jyohomson Dawadi, 18, has a similar story to tell. He started playing video games like Mario at the age of five, just as many others of his age. His first gaming partner was his uncle who familiarized him with the controls and the game as a whole. Then gradually, Dawadi shifted from Mario to Contra and Pokémon. Today, like Gurung, Dawadi too spends almost all of his free time playing DOTA, Counter Strike, Elder Scrolls V, and Skyrim.
Tshering Ghyalbo, 18, another gamer, agrees that games played online such as DOTA and Counter Strike are particularly in trend among people as they allow players to interact with others from any part of the world, play with them or against, and demonstrate their gaming skills. “These games are internationally known, so we can encounter various players with various skills and abilities and compare ourselves with many other players,” he says.
However, as Gurung says, online games have most certainly not stolen the entire limelight for themselves. “Offline games offer a storyline that immerses players into the game and creates an urge within them to beat each and every level so that they can get to the end of the story,” he says.
Popular offline games include FIFA, Need for Speed and Grand Theft Auto (GTA).
Gurung adds, “The story isn’t the only thing that matters. Players also look for impressive graphics, neat game mechanics and great game play.”
So far, he agrees, offline games have been able to satisfy people of their hunger for better gaming experience.
But why do people get hooked to computer games in the first place?
The answer, as Ghyalbo explains, lies in the game itself. “Playing games is like reading a book or watching a movie,” says he. “But in playing games, you’re a part of it. Unlike in movies or books where you only look at the actions as they happen, in games you get to make those actions happen.”
Dawadi agrees, “That’s why movies too have their games. That’s why Harry Potter stands as a famous franchise.”
Apart from that, there are things concerned with graphics and plotline of the game that intrigue gamers, urging them to play all the time.
Sugam Bhattarai, 18, says that some games, notably Counter Strike, provide real-life effects, such as recoils with guns, using tactics, and how one should approach an enemy. He adds, “Games aren’t just about moving your joystick; when you play, you need to use your brains too. There are certain tactics and strategies that one must follow to win. Playing games, I believe, sharpens our minds too.”
Furthermore, Bhattarai argues that playing computer games reduces stress in people. When asked about his gaming schedule, Bhattrai admits that he games up to as much as 12 hours a day.
But there’s a different side in this story, too. Not everyone thinks that continuous gaming is good.
Saran Kumar, 43, a parent, says that young people should be doing something constructive instead of confining themselves in a room with a joystick in their hands, eyes glued to the computer screen.
“The creative minds of young kids mustn’t be
limited to shooting virtual terrorists or slaying dragons. Instead of playing games for hours and hours and hurting their eyes, they should try to do something productive and creative,” he says.
Kumar also adds that playing computer games can have serious impact on players. And he’s not wrong in saying that. As stated earlier, continuous gaming seems to have made many people delusional about their reality. “People have jumped off buildings to be a part of the DOTA world. And that’s not all, there are so many other cases when children have skipped classes to play games,” Kumar says. He also thinks that we’re lucky not to have had such extreme cases of computer games addiction in our kids in Nepal yet. “But we can’t say for sure they won’t follow the same route,” he adds.
Dawadi, on the other hand, argues. “Too much of skipping can also result in cardiac arrest, and still it’s considered a good form of exercise.” He agrees that addiction of any sort is bad, but that doesn’t mean one should stop playing altogether. “Games are just another form of entertainment, provided gamers are smart enough not to be consumed by it and know how to limit the time they spend playing,” he concludes.
ashis.d.upadhyay@gmail.com
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