Video Game Addiction in Youths

Parents are turning to the help of trained professionals as popular free too play game Fortnite is taking over the life of their children. The game is currently being actively played by a shocking 200 million users. The game is presented as a free to play childish shooter game with no signs of blood and gore but instead it approaches the battle royale genre in a comical style that is able to hook a younger audience into its grudges. Fortnite is described as "cuddly on the outside" by online news source Polygon as the game invites the player to its realm free of charge but in reality the game has made over $1.2 billion on the sale of in-game currency V-Bucks allows the player to purchase customisation features for their characters through micro transactions. The game manages to brainwash youths into getting their friends into the game as one can play both solo and in groups. Even if the player decides to drop the game they will still end up hear their friends talking about it as the game has become this year's craze.

While the game is free, Epic has created opportunities to sell hundreds of dollars of add-ons -- including exotic weapons and “skins,” such as Dark Voyager, a black space suit with reflective striping -- on credit cards. The company recently partnered with the National Football League to sell jerseys based on players’ favorite teams.

“Parents have lost substantial amounts of money by notpaying attention to whether their credit card is tied to the game console,”said Marer, the behavioral specialist.

Many schools are concerned for their students as the game is it taking over both of their social and academic life. In fact several Australian schools have issued advice to parents about potential for bullying or abuse as many teachers have noticed changes in their student's behaviour as many are putting Fortnite as their number one priority instead of focusing on homework and school. This is especially concerning for younger generations; despite not everyone being the same at this age children are easily influenced by the media. 

“If kids are letting other responsibilities slide because they’re playing Fortnite every night, if they’re not getting homework done, that’s a problem. But I don’t know if it  changes their behaviour, I’m sceptical of that. It depends on the child.”

In my personal opinion this whole idea around addiction is up to the parent's actions on how they approach the matter. One should be mature enough to do his research and monitor what their children are exposing themselves to. In reality this is a hard task to do as this generation is growing with technology in their hands from an early age. The whole hype around the game will eventually die out and a new game will emerge as the top dog, as a parent one has to be able to assess the content their children are accessing and set boundaries for their kids. The concept of violence in games is something common but as a parent one should do his best and follow the age restrictions set on the market for video games while also being able to explain that it's just a game that should not reflect reality. Children are easily influenced by violent games as many studies have shown that aggression in games results in destructive behaviour; this is why parents should be more concerned before it is too late.

One of the many social aspects the game offers is the option to purchase dances and moves that have become popular with people even in everyday life. Football player Dele Alli showed just how big of a deal it has become by doing one of the dances as his goal celebration after he scored the opener against Man United in the FA Cup semi-final. As one can see the game has reached out to many so called influencers and got them to play the game at some point or another even if the content they produce on their YouTube channel has nothing to do with the game. As a method of exposure to youth's the game's designers Epic Games invited various celebrities and streamers to showcase their game in a competitive tournament environment in which professionals teamed up with actors and sport athletes to show them to ropes of the game. 

At the end of the day gaming addiction has become a reality but it can be highly debated on control from both parents and the individual himself. In serious cases children have been reported to log into the game up to 12 hours a day; in the case of 

          Michigan mom Debbie Vitany said in the article that her son Carson, 17, has   been logging into play Fortnite up to 12 hours a day. 

 His grades have nose-dived. And teachers have complained he's fallen asleep in class. 

"We’d made some progress in getting him to cut down his Fortnite hours and get better sleep, but he’s slipped back into his old habits,” Vitany said. "I've never seen a game that has such control over kids’ minds."

Confronting new crazes is inevitable in such an intertwined society. One way or another being a parent, student or an adult that simply has no care for such things will eventually hear the news and formulate their own opinion on the game. Is it a waste of time? Is it a way of making new friends and socialising? Do the positives outweigh the negatives? These are all questions one has to answer when discussing any game; in the end one has to realise that they are in control of what they decide to view. People have to be able to realise when a game is taking over their own life goals and priorities as the achievements one can achieve in game do not translate into the real world.

                            

   

China Bans Top Grossing Games

The Chinese government has reportedly banned or ordered changes for twenty massively popular video games as of last Wednesday. Major games in the gaming industry such as Fortnite and PUBG have been reportedly banned for blood, gore and vulgar content. China's Online Games Ethics Committee (OGEC) has appointed most of its concerns to the "Battle Royale" genre, which has obliterated other formats of games throughout 2018. The real question is, why is China this drastic when it comes to censorship? In comparison to other countries these hypothetical bans sound comical when compared to other places who have little to no limitations on video games apart from the mandatory age restriction labels. In my personal opinion these bans strongly show China's communist ways in order to keep social order at an extreme level in which one cannot immerse and express himself in his game of choice just because it was deemed as slightly "violent" or "inadequate" by the OGEC and government.

A blog post by South China Morning Post mentions that video games are considered as a hazard by the Chinese community in terms of addiction as it poses as an inescapable addiction that hinders any form of education and progress in life. In my eyes this statement is quite ironic as China produces some of the world's best players in the video game industry who are always at the top of their game taking home international titles in multiple video game titles.

“Indulging in online games is a huge hazard – the whole society should act to establish a protection net and wall for youngsters,” the official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary published on Tuesday. “For the nation’s future, we can never allow gaming companies to hunt for wealth by inducing teens to get addicted [to games].”

At the end of the day what does this mean to the economical gaming industry in China? The country is already suffering its slowest growth in the last decade as it has to go through months of waiting approval from the Chinese government in order for new games to be released to the public. In fact in the first half of this year the gross revenue for video games only went up by 5%, this was reported as the first single-digit growth since at least 2009 as stated in a report from Beijing-based researcher CNG. One of the most successful Chinese companies Tencent has also reported that it has experienced its first decline in profit since 2005 in gaming revenue. Being the largest shareholder in the gaming industry this is quite concerning as statistics have shown that its shares have decreased by almost a whopping 20%. 

To conclude with my own personal opinion I think that the situation is quite ridiculous as this limits both freedom of expression and personal enjoyment. The video game culture brings together communities of people that are genuine and creative. The gaming platform inspires both friendly competition and a social environment and these bans will continue to kill this sense of community. Another final point to state that this has caused major problems for professional players who have not been allowed to compete by the Chinese government in multiple tournaments such as the annual DOTA 2 international tournament in which players compete for ridiculously high prize pools as both fans and the company contribute to the awarded money through online transactions.  

  

The GO Malta Esports Fesitval 2018

Three days of non-stop tournaments and battles attracted a wide audience of both locals and foreigners. The GO Malta Esports Festival 2018 was clearly the largest gaming event of the year with a staggering venue of 2,500 square metres of area perfect for a variety of exhibitions suited for all ages. As someone who has attended and participated in the event I can say that the turnout was huge. Many may question what is the point in all of this? In our modern day the social stigma related to people who enjoy the world of gaming and its culture are considered as an "antisocial" group with little to no social skills, is completely false. From my perspective people who play games find it easier to start conversations as there is already a common interest between the two especially at events in which players interact both in game and out of game. Personally every event I attend always yields new friendships and experiences, the question is why have organisations such as the World Health Organization considered gaming as a disorder? While I do agree that one should not spend an excessive amount of time playing video games this creates an unnecessary form of judgement for people who are able to balance their priorities with their hobbies.

This point in particular is relevant to the founder of the organisation Andre' Mizzi who stated in an interview that he is not

proud for not sitting for my O levels, but the determination to succeed led me to where I am today

He was still able to build a career by following his passion to create a whole new industry on the island by going against the traditional education system. Video games are by no means a disorder, in my eyes games are a medium in which one can express himself and show off his capabilities while also learning new skills leading to the encounter of new found friends. Overall The GO Malta Esports Festival was a hit as it was able to bring together 350 participants from ten different countries all under one roof for a memorable weekend of competitions and entertainment.

                            

Supernova CS:GO Malta

Malta held its first professional esports tournament this weekend with an uproar of over 4,000 tourists attending the event. The games were played at the Intercontinental Arena Conference Centre under the organisation of well-known esports group "Quickfire". The tournament consisted of eight international teams competing for a whopping prize pool of $150k. In collaboration with internationally known online tournament organisation "Starladder" Malta was also advertised as a venue for such events. 

The tournament revolved around a game known as "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" which dates back to August 21st of 2012. The game mainly focuses on fast paced combat which involves a solid amount of teamwork, reflexes and of course accuracy. In the end it was "Team Liquid" who emerged victorious under the leadership of Canadian super star Keith "NAF" Markovic who was voted as the most valuable player in the tournament. The 21-year old stood out as he was statistically the hardest player to kill with less than a death per round while also maintaining the highest amount of contributions per game. While Keith stood out as one of the most consistent players in the tournament other players have lost their spot in the limelight. The career of a professional player is not as easy as it sounds as players have to rely on being on top of their game. In fact many teams hire professional esports psychologists to help players cope with stress and tension caused by the high stake environment they live by. Many professional esports players tend to fall in slumps both individually and as teams. 

At the end of the day "Team Liquid" emerged victorious from the North American derby against "NRG Esports" taking first place at the event. Overall the tournament was a huge success bringing both fans and newcomers alike to the world of esports.

Introduction

Many of us are taught to believe that video games are a "waste of time" and "will never get you anywhere in life" when in reality gaming can be beneficial when done in moderation. From a young age video games gave me a space to immerse myself in a land of imagination where I could be anything or anyone I desired. Every game is its own story providing new possibilities, endings all stemming from the decisions the player takes. 

Many studies have shown that games increase decision making, reaction times and other factors related to cognitive performance. Games make the player consider all possibilities, much like life one must be able to analyse, adapt and overcome different situations in virtual environments. Personally video games have offered me a sense of community filled with people who I can relate to both in real life and online. Organisations such as "Quickfire" and "Gamers" are known in the Maltese scene for hosting major tournaments on the island that are able to bring people together and compete for large prize pools. At the end of the day competitive gaming (more commonly referred to as "esports") is growing both locally and internationally resulting in furthering both the economy and video games as a franchise that can be enjoyed by both young and older generations.