Bio/Psycho/Social aspects of human behaviors
In the world of entertainment, video games have become a colossal industry; Arguably eclipsing the film industry. One of the largest factors in this rise in the popularity of video games is realism. Wether it be graphics, level design, in-game physics, modern videogames are, in many aspects, alternate realities. One key piece of these games that has come a very long way, is character design. In most modern games, characters have become radically more realistic in many ways, such as motion capturing for character movement, professional voice actors, and visual graphics improvements from years prior.Much like characters portrayed on TV shows, video game characters often have a desirable, strong set of traits and personalities. They often have voiced opinions, a strong drive, and are typically very capable. Because of this, it's not uncommon for people (both young and old) to mirror the traits of their favorite characters. This is very common in children.
Why people do this has no singular answer, and is because of various biological, social, and psychological influences.
For social reasons, a person may mirror the traits of a (non)fictional character not only because of their admiration towards said character, but in hopes that they may gain the same success and status as the character.
From the psychological viewpoint, someone could don selected traits from a character because they look up to them in a way, sense that they lack said traits, and attempt to better themselves in their image. This isn't always a conscious drive, it may be done subconsciously as well.
The biological viewpoint is a little less relevant alongside the previous two, and the only obvious connection that I can make is regarding physical traits. While someone may mimic the personality traits of a character, they may also attempt to replicate their physical characteristics as well; Such as wanting to learn archery, copying hair styles, attempting martial arts, ect. This isn't always a bad thing, as it can serve as an incentive for someone to better themselves, or possibly find a new hobby.
I wonder what you think about the BPS of why video games are so popular and even addictive in a way--what social, psychological and biological rewards does gaming provide modern humans with? It must be significant or else the industry would not be as huge as it is--why do we seem to almost need this type of entertainment?
ReplyDeleteI think gaming holds such an "addictive" value in modern humans because, well, most peoples lives are fairly boring, and video games aren't. People play video games not only because they're fun, but because they can be exciting, and can let them live fictitious roles they probably never could in real life. In a game, everything is typically relatively straight forward, with a clear and attainable goals (this is most true when talking about competitive multiplayer games) and when a player achieves these goals, they get the same happiness they would if they achieved something in real life (to a degree, obviously). The happiness that the player feels may not be as great as say, being hired at your dream job, but it's still happiness, however miniscule. And it adds up. When you get better and better at a game, you "win" more and more, and thus, more happiness. And people like being happy, so the appeal of video games is fairly simple.
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