Gaming – An Addiction or A Career?
Gaming has evolved from playing 2D games in an arcade to having the most challenging and graphically impressive games in our mobile phones, computers and consoles. Gaming has become an industry itself with established communities in different genres of games and created a flourishing marketplace for developers to produce and sell games on a large scale. These genres range from offline single-player/co-op games to massive online multiplayer games such as roleplaying games, first-person shooter games, real-time strategy games, etc. The gaming world has progressed so much that we are now proud to see a growing e-sports industry broadcasting leagues and tournaments across the world. Games such as CSGO, Dota 2, League of Legends, PUBG, Valorant, etc. have yielded numerous e-sports tournaments and has brought the best teams and the best players from different continents together to compete at the highest level. This revolutionary wave continues to change the perception of those who think gaming is just a waste of time and a way to escape reality.
Though, it is true some that kids and young adults tend to get addicted to the game, but it is a very small percentage. According to a statistic, over two billion people play video games worldwide and only 3-4% are addicted. These are severe cases where one loses track of reality and gets too involved in the game affecting the mental and physical health of that individual and the people around him/her. There are also other types of cases where people spend too much money on games than they should be spending to fulfil basic needs causing great financial losses. Some cases are fatal, where one starves to death after playing for days without taking a break or where one commits suicide because he/she gets deeply emotionally affected by some unfortunate incidents in the game. These cases are examples of why one should game responsibly and not let the game take over you. Surely, there are some adverse consequences from gaming too much but does that mean that gaming is detrimental to everyone? No. Gaming brings a lot of happiness in the lives of some people and it has also put food on the table for some. It is not just a source of entertainment anymore; it has become a career opportunity for game enthusiasts and fanatics When it comes to careers in gaming, there isn’t just one where you play games for a living but a variety of jobs that revolve around the creation of games. Here are some of those great opportunities: -.
1) Game Designer: - A game designer creates the design and the aesthetics of characters, objects, environment and also designs storylines, concepts, screenplay, etc. in a game. It requires one to be visionary, artistic, and technically knowledgeable in the field of game development.
2) Game Programmer: - A game programmer is a software engineer and a programmer who writes the code for a game to run smoothly. He/she also fixes issues like bugs, errors and glitches that one comes across while gaming. For this needs to have advanced knowledge in programming languages and coding.
3) Game Animator: - Animation is a big part of video games, as unlike films, you have to either create visuals or convert filmed scenes into visuals that pertain to the requirements of the game. This job needs an artistic and skilful animator who is able to create lifelike gameplay.
4) Game Tester: - As a professional gamer, you can earn money to test a game for bugs, errors and glitches. A professional gamer is someone who has become an expert at a game and has studied the game to a point where he knows the technical aspects. This makes it easier for the gamer to analyse what is wrong with the game.
There are more such careers like game producer, games artist, audio engineer, etc. who are involved in the making of a game.
But how does one neglect the negative and take advantage of the positive side of gaming? As a child, a teenager or a young adult, it is possible that you can get influenced by games and fall prey to excessive gaming or irresponsible gaming. Here are some of the guidelines you should follow to prevent yourself or your child from getting addicted to the game: -
a) Monitor how much time you or your child spends on the game. It is advised not to spend more than 2 hours/day on a game.
b) Pay attention to your mental health and make sure that you’re not too emotionally affected by losing a game, losing in-game credits, toxic players, etc.
c) If your job requires you to spend long hours in a game (for e.g., e-sports, game testing, etc.), make sure to take breaks from time to time to rest your eyes and avoid sitting in the same position for hours. Do a little bit of exercise to be extra careful.
d) Keep yourself financially stable by spending significantly lesser than what you spend on basic stuff like groceries, house bills.
e) Take care of your personal hygiene and don’t ignore daily activities such as brushing, bathing, etc.
f) Don’t get too detached from your friends and family, it will harm your personal and social life. Internet friends might make you feel like you belong there but you also belong in the real world.
g) If you think you’re suffering from gaming disorder, do go to a therapist/counsellor for expert advice.
Some parents and teachers shun children who play games and believe that they should rather play sports or other outdoor games rather than playing on a screen. But not all children, or people in general, are attracted towards outdoor activities. Gaming provides them an opportunity to have fun and have friends in the virtual world with less risk of being physically harmed. If a child is passionate about gaming, the adults around him/her should support them. These days you don’t even need an expensive device to play games, you can get a reasonable computer or mobile and play free or low-costing games that offer e-sports opportunities. Even if one is not good at gaming but has a knack to entertain people, he/she can start streaming on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, etc. and work towards creating a fanbase who will watch the streamer for their personality and not how they play. With a lot of patience and perseverance, all you have to do is keep playing and eventually you might learn to earn from it.
