Is Online Gaming Bad?

The Good

Some differences of MMORPGs from traditional video games is the cooperative, large group context of the genre. Gamers are able to experience the opportunity of not having to advance solo in a game but, with one or two other players, it can be up to hundreds or thousands of other online participants. In fact, to experience the end-game content (conclusion of a given storyline) of an MMORPG (e.g., World of Warcraft), it is required that a player team-up with other gamers to face in-game challenges that are impossible on their own. 

Online gaming can be known as a motivator as social outreach. “Online gaming is a social activity in which players meet new friends or play with friends they have already had outside the online world.”(Gaming "Part of students life") Through their examinations of social interactions of MMORPG gamers these virtual games may provide a means for players to express themselves in way they do not feel comfortable with in the real world. (Cole and Griffiths) Age, gender, sexuality, and appearance are all potential factors that could prevent them expressing themselves. Bennett  notes that “Virtual worlds provide additional and potentially therapeutic venues for people with physical and/or other disabilities for whom real-world contacts are accompanied by anxiety or stigma or are even physically impossible.” (Bennett and Beith) Online gaming give those individuals who may appear to be shy and less social a different way to participate without fear of direct social evaluation. Online gaming has created a perfect opportunity for individuals to be more themselves. 

The Bad 

Though online gaming can be good for some it can have a negative effect on others  if you have an addictive personality you may turn it into countless hours of playing instead of hobby. Prices for games can be expensive ranging from 40-50 dollars an expansion, add this with addiction and you may forget to pay bills just to get your online gaming fix. (Henshaw) Now think of this situation you play this online game 20 hours a day does that leave time to make friends outside the game? to spend time with family or spouses? Addiction to online gaming has been known to rip meaningful relationships apart having spouses, family, friends leave your side. There is an online group dedicated to partners that have been effected by loosing their loved ones to online gaming. Like the Stop Leveling and Start Living yahoo group for people who feel like widows when their husband, girl/boy friend, mothers, fathers, sons, or daughters get highly addicted to online gaming. 

And The Ugly

Now, there are also some truly terrifying situations like the young man who killed himself from playing EverQuest. Its been found that many people all over the world have died from online gaming addiction a young man in Korea was playing StartCraft for over 70 hours, he only stopped playing to sleep a little and use the bathroom he collapsed from lack of food and exhaustion cause of death was heart failure. (Lopez ) Then there is the very infamous 2002 EverQuest related death, Hudson Wooley was playing EverQuest when his connection dropped he was obsessed with online gaming that he couldn't handle not being able to play so he shot himself in the head. In most cases it has been found that people who kill others or themselves for online gaming have some sort of emotional and physiological problem which added with an addiction can be a deadly match much like we see in drug users. Its sad to see and just as sad that Blizzard gets over 1000 client suicide calls or emails to customer service for ban accounts, many people may already be suicidal and by having their alter reality taken away they just loose it. (Lopez)

Where We Stand
Where we stand on the matter, is online gaming can be good or bad just like anything else. If you eat to much junk food its bad for your body, if you absorb yourself in to much television you hurt your social life, your eyes, and probably some brain cells. Online gaming is about balancing your time knowing when is a good time to play and when you should stop, in portion controls it can be great a stress reliever, or a way to make friends for the awkwardly shy person. But, if you abuse online games you can end up hurting yourself and others around you. The key to online gaming and gaming in general is to remember its just a GAME, its not your real life and what you do outside of that game has consequences there is no restart button on life, so before you pick up that game controller think about how you are going to treat this game.