When Nintendo introduced its new Wii console it was offering users a new way to emit gaming behaviors. It was literally changing the way people experienced playing a video game. This brought with it numerous benefits including remarkable sales figures for the Nintendo company. In no time at all there were wii consoles at bars and restaurants, wii bowling leagues, parents and grandparents were buying wii's, and not as presents, to use for themselves.
http://www.mentalhealthblog.com/2008/03/critics-have-long-argued-against.html
Above is a news article about the increasing popularity of wii-hab. That's right, physical rehabilitation that uses the wii. The wii is so unique, fun, and engaging that it is being used in senior citizens homes, assisted living, and hospitals to increase overall health. It is only natural Japanese eastern culture with its long history of emphasizing the importance of mind and body, as well as a rich history of technological innovation would combine the two.
The article also links itself to another website explaining that by utilizing the wiimote and computer technology psychologists were able to study the interaction between reaching motions and selecting objects on a screen, and how these behaviors changed as they got better at the task. The article goes on to say that wii technology "provides psychologists with a very affordable and immersive environment to study the relations between cognition and action."
Not all technological innovation is to the betterment of psychological health however.
http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/89570087.html
This article outlines a Japanese video game called 'RapeLay' in which the gamer finds a young women on a train and then viciously rapes and molests her. Yet another game requires that the gamer track down and rape the female boss who fired him to get revenge. Hentai, a popular form of Japanese animation depicting anything from sexy cartoons, to animated pornography has been difficult to regulate in Japan. Although this is not a wii game, it is not said what format the game was available on, only that it was pulled from shelves almost immediately.
This article suggests that self-regulation on the part of game creators is the only form of (or one of a few) regulation currently in use by the government agency charged with policing issues such as these. Some argue that these games are mostly available as free downloads over the internet, as opposed to games published by major gaming companies, and as such there is little you can do to prevent their availability.
Video games have permeated every part of our society and like most technologies can be used for good or ill. It will be very interesting to see what impact these new gaming systems like the wii, xbox live, etc., will have in the future.
I found this post very interesting. The concept of video game devices used as a learning instrument or some sort of rehabilitation is nothing new, however. For example, when the Dance Dance Revolution craze came out, my high school invested in arcade style DDR machines as a means of Physical Education. (Don't ask... my school really didn't know what to do with its' funds.) Taking the Nintendo DS as an example, there are almost as many learning/puzzle games as there is for non-educational games. For example, there are games that teach math, sciences, and so on for children as well as adults, and there are special interest games that teach a foreign language, cooking, or basic animal care.
Being an avid gamer myself, I like to keep tabs on games that are innovative or spark some sort of controversy. We all know Grand Theft Auto, but violence isn't the only way that makes people gasp. The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) is a non-profit non-government service that categorizes sold video games within the United States by age groups. On the packaging, the ESRB will state the rating, as well as why the game is rated so. More often than not, a game rated AO (Adults Only) don't make it on the shelves in America. Almost all games rated AO have some sort of strong sexual content. The oldest I can recall was called "Custer's Revenge" for the Atari 2600... back in 1982. Since the ESRB's creation around 1993, there has been 23 games rated AO according to the link below. One of them being Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In short, many nations have their rating system. The publishers have the freedom of speech to create what they wish, but that doesn't mean they can market it as well. That's up to each country to determine if they want that product on their shelves or not.
I forgot to put the link up on my last post... here it is:
http://kotaku.com/gaming/the-manhunt-club/the-other-adult-only-games-270365.php
Mankind has persisted throughout centuries without any games. None. Despite the appealing selection of video games, until I can get a college degree by playing video games it all seems like a waste of time to me. I feel as though the negative affects associated with video games far outweigh the positive characteristics of video games. Unplug the machine, set yourself free! Read a book, study something, volunteer, give blood, clean your bathroom, all of these things are likely to increase self-efficacy and self-esteem exponentially faster than any video game on the market. Sorry for the negative Nancy perspective, but I'm pretty sure video games will play some sort of role in the film "Idiocracy" coming true...