SLC S21W5/ Video Games

Gone are those days we used to play on the ground. We would play with sand and use it to cook food. Our human people were broom sticks, match sticks, or even carved paper people in our drama. We would use rolling tires, milk containers, and sticks with cassettes as our cars. We played all sorts of games on the ground with our crude tools because we barely knew what technology was like.

The advent of technology changed the world. Before the advent of technology, we were used to physical activities. Our footballs were mainly physical with oranges or BOBO containers. We would fly kites and recreate a lot of manual things for play. The advent of technology changed the system totally.

Last two weeks, I saw a kid of 3 years fiddling his mom's phone confidently. I checked in to see what he was doing, only to see how he was manipulating video games on the phone. I was like, hmmm.

This indomie generation is very lucky to be a big part of the revolutionization of technology as to entertainment and games. This technology era has replaced a lot of things and has tended to put an end to playing on the ground, which was paramount in our time.

Technology in the 21st century had replaced the following games. Little wonder the present generation can never enjoy what we enjoyed or play what we play because those crude tools are somehow replaced today.

• We used sand to cook in our days, but this current generation uses real food to cook

• We used broom sticks, match sticks, and paper people to represent humans. We would even dress them and build houses with stones for them. Now, these are replaced with baby dolls, teddy bears, and robots. They live in houses where humans live and even sleep on the same bed with humans. These are their toys.

• The use of cassette stick cars and rolling tyre cars is now replaced with robotic cars, electronic toy cars, and even aeroplanes that fly with the help of a remote control system.

• **Most of us don't play physically again. The use of phone games has taken control and replaced physical games to the extent that a lot of people create different game apps every day just to entertain the open public.

What am I implying? I'm implying that video games have somehow replaced physical games, though they're still relevant but not as before. With video games, young and old people can play comfortably in their homes or anywhere they find themselves just to derive pleasure and fun. Adults find it childish to play with toy cars or any other form of games that involves physical activities.

They feel embarrassed, but with video games, the feeling is different because both young and old people can play anytime they want to. Why stress video games? A video game is a form of game that involves virtual activities with your mobile phone or a virtual display screen. It ranges from;

• car racing

• football matches

• cooking games

• dressing game

• mission impossible games

• tiles matching games and many other genres of games. In this course, I'll be talking exclusively about video games, so you'll understand what I'm trying to imply and how it's played.

The name of the video game I played with this child is called PES Station Game. It's a football game that involves the use of pads for controls. It's just like using a mouse to control activities or movements in a computer. That's the same function these pads perform.

This football game has a media application connected to a virtual visual display. Two or more people can play this game in a roll, but it's mostly two in a set because it's football. This has to do with choosing a team while your opponent chooses his. When the match begins, you'll use your pads to physically control your players on the verge of scoring while your opponent does the same.

In this game, there's timing, and there are rules governing the play. It's just like normal football match rules, but there are a few changes in terms of utilising some skills from the pad. The pad is meant to control your movements as to defense, pass, throw, and shoot.

Anyone who scores the most goals before the time elapses is declared the winner of the game. In my locality, we usually play set by set. Anyone who wins will still be on seat and play with all those available. If he successfully beats all his opponents, he's declared the champion and would be rewarded handsomely by the youth president.

This is the nature of the game. Once you know how to control your pads, even with the least of knowledge in football, you can win a match. It's just like playing this football on your mobile device. The controls are on the screen, and you can navigate this conveniently, but when it comes to PES, the settings are the same, but the controls are on a physical device, and it's much easier to control without a hanging screen. This is the video game I played with the child.

"It's called a video game in the sense that it involves using controls to move activities on a visual* display that's more like watching a movie.

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages to playing video games. It all depends on who uses it and how it's used, because you can say video games are bad. It's the usage that makes it bad and what kind of video game played. A PES football game is an entertaining game that involves the use of controls to play matches for any team.

To those who find it difficult to play football physically, they learn how to play via PES. To those who are addicted to football and can't do without it, they can be entertained in the comfort of their homes once they just have a phone as the game is not limited to pads. The advantages are stated below.

In PES, you'll need a lot of thinking skills as it involves using your pad to play. So one advantage of playing PES is that it improves one's thinking ability. That's the essence of a game. You'll think of the best ways to play this game and win and also employ strategies that help you make wise decisions as to team formation, player positioning, and skills or tactics. In real life, it can be helpful to you to know ways or strategies of solving a particular problem from whatever angle the problem may come from.

• It's a form of entertainment and helps in relieving stress. Most people do this at their leisure to get entertained, as the game is fun and fully engaging.

• This video game has to do with the hands and the eyes. It improves one's typing skills in the sense that when playing PES, your hands are on your pad and your eyes are on the television. You need a lot of hand and eye coordination to be able to play this effectively, as you won't be looking at your pad. This is applicable to typing. This game can help you type without looking at your keyboard.

• The knowledge aspect of it is a major advantage. You get to know a lot of strategies about football, the names of countries you've not known before, cities, names of popular football players, and many other sport knowledge, rules, and strategies. With your knowledge, you can voice out in a football argument as you have great knowledge of the game play and team members.

Disadvantages

• One major disadvantage of this video game is that it's very addictive. I can remember playing from morning till night without remembering I haven't taken my breakfast and lunch. It can be so accommodating and addictive and can make you lose focus if not managed properly.

• This particular video game can bring about depression in the sense that you'll be so focused on playing football on your phone or with a pad than playing it physically, which reduces your chances of face-to-face interaction.

• It can deprive one of sleep and regular physical activities, which is a healthy challenge that must be curtailed.

These are a few advantages and disadvantages of this video game I played.

The child I played with is 11 years old, and I met him in the game shop. The happiness on his face when he heard I wanted to play with him—all expenses paid—was just there. He started saying God bless me. He's just a young boy, and he usually comes around to see people play but doesn't have money to play. So I gave him the opportunity to play with me at his age.

This is a video of how we played. I'll say the game is suitable for his age because it doesn't involve violence or immoral conduct. It's a game people play physically to stay fit. So for someone of his age to play this game virtually, he is in effect programming his mind and learning how to be an effective thinker. Children nowadays think faster than their age, and this game is one factor that makes this very possible and achievable.

There's this particular subject called quantitative reasoning that needs a lot of brain work. When I was young, I needed to seek people's guidance to solve some mathematical problems. With this video game, one can enhance his thinking skills with the strategies that one gains from the tactics involved in the game play. That's why I said it's suitable for him at his age. Now, how did he feel playing this game for the first time?