Online gaming has been shown thus far as being almost entirely positive. However, the Internet is not a complete answer to the problems that many claim to plague video games. There are new possible negative aspects that the Internet brings to video games, however most of these negative allegations have no merit. Much research still needs to be done in order to determine the implications of online gaming.

False Claims

Addiction is one false claim associated with online gaming. Although addiction is a possibility, it is no more of a possibility to that of single-player games. Some also think that online gaming will create an atmosphere where players would rather play with online friends rather than with real-life friends, “Electronic relationships might be preferable to more difficult, close interpersonal relationships (Sheff 112).” This would create an anti-social atmosphere where one has decreased physical, face-to-face interaction. However, this claim also seems to be false for children appear to spend the same amount of time playing video games before and after the introduction of online gaming. Children also do not replace the time they spend playing with physical friends with online gaming. The time that is spent playing online games is the time that they would usually spend playing solitaire games.

Negative Aspects

Other issues that have been brought up with video games continue to plague online games. One such negative aspect is that they promote decreased academic performance. Addiction may result in such behavior that places emphasis on nothing but online gaming. However, this is a very uncommon occurrence. And as presented in Positive Outlook, the opposite may in fact be true, in which online gaming promotes increased intelligence. Playing online provides for an environment that allows one to become familiar with computers and surf the Internet, leading to an overall increase in knowledge.

One positive aspect of video games is that they are often used as a bonding experience between family members. Video games allow children to act as teachers, instructing their parents how to play and manipulate a character in a video game environment. This often has helped to strengthen the parent-child relationship. However, with online gaming a question arises whether this bonding time will continue, or will children forego this time spent with their parents to spend their time online?

Another potential negative factor of online gaming is that most online games are highly competitive, especially since the advent of ranking ladders and online tournaments. Thus, there is an inherent danger of creating an atmosphere that promotes single-minded competitiveness. This does not encourage long-term relationships to blossom as other areas of the Internet often allow. When one becomes highly engrossed in the competition, addiction may often set in, leading to anti-social behavior.

The aspect that really sets online gaming apart from MUDs is that there is usually no to little communication during game play. In the online games one cannot afford to take their attention away from the game play to type a quick message on the keyboard. It creates a delay that could be fatal in a very fast-moving game like Quake. Thus, online games have not taken complete advantage of the Internet by lacking the important social aspect of communication. However, a new game, Fire Team, has addressed this issue. Fire Team emphasizes team play and real communication between teammates. The solution that is being used in Fire Team is the use of headsets to verbally communicate over the Internet while playing the game. Voice interaction is an absolute must in Fire Team because one person cannot see the entire field at one time, forcing players to work together. Voice potential has great potential in online games, but the current problem is the huge hit in bandwidth.