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Essay on Computer Games and Techniques Used to Create Computer Games
Playing video and computer games are a valued leisure activity among adolescents. The first electronic video games were introduced in the 1970s. By the 1980s, researchers had begun to evaluate the impact of playing video games in many areas, including health, eye-hand coordination, patterns of daily activities, school performance, personality and psychopathology, and prosocial applications. The value of studying play on both dedicated and computer based systems was recognized early. Such study is essential now, as most games are available for more than one system type.
Electronic game research has typically followed strategies from research evaluating the effects of television. A "multi-process model" suggests that viewing television violence influences behavior through the modeling of specific problem-solving and coping skills. The modeling effect is enhanced if the individual identifies with the characters and lacks more compelling real-life models (STANLEY, 1999).
Playing video and computer games provides opportunities for observational learning. In addition to the relatively passive influence of watching television, playing electronic games adds an active dimension that may intensify the impact of game playing. Most games require the player to take part in developing the game scenario, but players are routinely rewarded for identifying and selecting the strategies built in by the game designer.
The video game has come a long way from paddling a blip back and forth on a television screen. The $20 billion-a-year industry features a host of new gaming systems from Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft; hundreds of titles; and state-of-the-art technology that can bring a lifelike experience to home entertainment centers and computers.
Bethesda Softworks (www.bethsoft.com) has been creating on-screen adventure for 15 years. The Rockville-based company is working on a massive role-playing game, "Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind," for the PC and Microsoft's Xbox system that should be available this spring. Project leader and senior designer Todd Howard took time to explain the magic behind video games....
