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Name: Ahmed Aldarwish

Instructor: Robert Arnold
Course: 1101 UWRT
Gamers and the Gaming Culture
Reflection on Learning Outcomes for Econ 290 Course
In every essence of the word, society is composed of divergent cultures based on a
myriad of factors. One of these aforementioned cultures is technology and its impact on the
current generation is profound. Technology stands as the centerpiece of gadgets like mobile
phones, cameras and social networks among other numerous software used in todays lifestyle.
One of the most intriguing and prominent culture stemming from the advent of technology is the
gaming community. This community involves the use of gaming technology by individuals to
indulge in a ritual-like competitive coexistence specifically among the youth. The youths do
not necessarily converge at a single point; instead they often play with or against each other on
an online platform which allows them to communicate with each other on a virtual but real time
basis. The results of this have manifested in a unique group of individuals bound by one thing in
common.
For the gaming community, this is the only common ground they can find that is worth
pursuing, thus they spend enormous time playing different games. The gamers are driven to their
action by the popularity of the games and the prestige associated with being the best at playing a
particular game. The prestige of being at the top of the food chain in playing terms demands
frequent if not constant practice. Engaging the gaming interface on a regular basis enables one to
improve their abilities which they can then show off to the counterparts. Most of the games
played have a structural setting that allows for medals of honor or badges to be bequeathed to
individuals based on their performance in the game. the ranking system is the source of
competitiveness as each player seeks to climb in ranking while the leading pack seeks to oust the
outright leader.

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Most of the individuals spending a considerable time playing the games tend to cut off
communication in the real world, instead they opt for the voice over their headset as they engage
in the challenges on their gaming console. For individuals playing over the internet,
communication with other individuals is limited to the in-game performance rather than
developing social skills in a face to face basis. The gaming community seems to have its dialect
which stems mainly from the actions and skills relating to the games they play. As such, an
individual who is not exposed regularly to the gaming environment might be lost completely
when in the company of the gamers. The unique language dissociates them from the rest of the
society who might perceive them as antisocial or awkward individuals.
The gaming community faces several challenges to its existence but the most prominent
is the threat from online hackers who may be looking to take advantage of their popular culture.
Being hacked is almost akin to being eliminated completely from the face of the earth, such
cases end up destroying months upon moths of constant playing that enabled the victim to build
an in-game presence. Gamers continually expect a positive improvement on the gaming
experience the encounter in the games. The primary source for this would be from the companies
producing such games. However, certain sections of the gaming community have unique albeit
prohibited tendency to modify their games. They insert external intangible components which act
as catalysts for their gaming experienced to max out thus delivering optical gaming.
Retrospectively, the gaming culture is not limited to geography or ethnicity instead every
individual from virtually anywhere in the world can join the community and foster unique bonds
with new gaming friends.
Another challenge that the gaming community faces is the risk of addiction to the games.
Just like any other activity or indulgence, playing video games online for extended periods of
time creates a risk of gaming members becoming addicted to the games. The youth are the main

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members of the gaming community and some may spend too much time on the online games
until they forget other aspects of life such as study or school, work, physical exercise and family.
As noted in previous paragraphs, the more a person is engaged in a game, the more they become
proficient and climb the gaming social ladder. Some game members may get over attached to
the virtual community and remain aloof and unaware of what is happening in their surroundings.
Gaming members have their ways of blending among other gamers but rarely do they
find time to meet personally. The main interaction between game members is through the gaming
communication platforms of other virtual chatrooms. This poses another challenge for gaming
community members that is lack of personal interaction and socialization. In fact some members
may never meet each other physically because of geographical barriers. As a result, the gaming
community members tend to be anti-social among people in physical, social settings such as
parties, and other gatherings. In most cases, they can communicate and relate more freely with
fellow gamers via technology than they are with people around them.
Furthermore, gamers are denied the chance to have constructive interpersonal
relationships with members of their family and friends in the world outside the gaming arena.
They tend to spend time playing games and prefer the virtual world to the real world. According
to Warmelink (n.p) online gaming communities are composed of members from all over the
world and that they can function as useful analogies to work for organizations. Their utility is
derived from the presence of diverse who solve problems through cooperation. However, gamers
are usually more concern about solving problems in the virtual world in order to move from one
level to another making it difficult to apply the same principle in the real world.
Apart from the challenges gamers face, there ae several advantages of being a gamer. To
begin with gamers have plenty of freedom to use their imagination in overcoming the challenges
of various levels in online games. A sense of satisfaction and invincibility after making major
strides in a game motivate gamers to become increasingly determined to make even more

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achievements than they did in the past. Even though there is no evidence to show that laying
video games has positive effects on a persons sense of satisfaction in life, the gratification from
the video games can help gamers fulfilled with their accomplishments.
Scientific research has indicated that playing video games could have cognitive benefits
(Eck 2). Video games have many strategies that can be useful in making real-world situations,
but the experimental application of those skills has not been explored deeply. Some video games
resemble simulators of real world scenarios. For instance, gamers who have a lot of screen time
with games that simulate flying airplanes can have very easy time learning the laws of air and
how to fly aircraft in real life. The association between the real world and the virtual world can
help shorted the learning curve of gamers as compared to non-gamers. In fact, flight training
always involves considerable hours in sophisticated flight simulators that have real size controls
and representation of virtual realities. Also, combat and military based games provide
entertainment and also virtual settings that could test military personnel some vital skills about
strategy in combat zones. Video games have greatly advanced, and most of the games are very
close duplicates of the real world. Since research has shown that gamers have an advantage
through the cognitive skills they acquire, it is possible to use the positive aspects to improve lives
and sharpen skills.
In conclusion, the gaming community is mainly composed of young people who have
developed a code of association and way of life that is distinct from the rest of the world. The
challenges the gaming community faces includes hackers who may frustrate gamers by
jeopardizing their valuable progress in online games, poor interpersonal relationships with
people around gamers, addiction to video games that could lead to neglect and other negative
behaviors among others. On the flipside, gamers benefit from cognitive skills that they gain from
playing, they may have an easy time learning new skills such as flying if they constantly play

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related flight games and finally have the opportunity to replicate some of their skills because
many games have near to reality setups and simulations.

Works Cited
Eck, Richard V. Gaming and Cognition: Theories and Practice from the Learning Sciences.
Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2010. Print.
Warmelink, Harald. Online Gaming and Playful Organization. Taylor & Francis Group.
Routledge, 2014. Print