We are all gamers and we have been since birth. As we have grown up some of the games have changed but many have stayed the same, just will an updated version. Games are involved in every part of our lives and we cannot escape them. My question is how do these games impact and help develop our human psyche and how are they used today?

Your parents and teachers have used games to stimulate your mind and help teach you. Through games and puzzles you have engaged your mind and have experienced, learned or practiced something. Most of the time learning through a game is more effective then any other way. As you grow you take part in different types of games which are usually involving people. As a young boy or girl you may have taken part in some games such as “War” or “House” in these games you use your imagination to create a world that is all your own. This progresses to real life games, whether it be playing mind games in a relationship or playing the corporate game to advance your career. All these games are related. We are learning people, how to manipulate and use them to win the game of life. This reminds me of Social Darwinism, which is the idea that Charles Darwin’s theory can be extended and applied to the social realm, i.e. that just as competition between individual organisms drives biological evolutionary change (speciation) through “survival of the fittest” (not a scientific term itself), competition between individuals, groups, nations or ideas drives social evolution in human societies.

How does this relate to us in today’s everyday life?
As technology continues to advance there are more ways to reach people, more avenues to play these games, more methods to connect to people. The Internet is a game in itself. We go on to find out information, to learn, to communicate, and to just waste time when we are bored. Many companies have realized this and have taken advantage of how the Internet can affect our lives and game playing. Just as Pine, B.J., & Gilmore, J.H. states in their article Welcome to the Experience Economy, it is all about the experience. When you log-in to Second Life you are entering into an experience. The experience is what makes you want to come back and play again.

Why do we play games?
I was not a big fan of the article Nature and Significance of Play as a Cultural Phenomenon by J. Huizinga, so I looked up another article that might explain why we play and its attributes a little better. I found this article about games and play called “Why We Play Games” by Nicole Lazzaro and in the article it states that emotion is the most important aspect of the games we play and that there are four key factors that need to be used to continue to bring players back to your game. Coincidentally these four factors are also involved in “life’s games”. Below is an excerpt from the article.

Emotion and the Fun of Games
As experts in player experiences we see a huge gap between “market research” and what players most enjoy about play. Players may check “good graphics” on a online survey, but our cross-genre contextual research reveals a more interesting story. We know how games deliver more emotions than frustration, excitement, and fear. The secret is in the gameplay.

The 4 Fun Keys create games’ four most important emotions:
1. Hard Fun: Fiero – in the moment personal triumph over adversity
2. Easy Fun: Curiosity
3. Serious Fun: Relaxation and excitement
4. People Fun: Amusement

These four main reasons why people play games are how bestsellers create more emotions for more captivating play. Each key unlocks a different set of play experiences. Because players alternate between them during a single play session best selling games offer at least three of the 4 Fun Keys.

How do games and experiences to reach consumers?
This leads me to my final thought on games. Just as teachers and parents have used games to provoke a child’s knowledge, I believe that many marketing and advertising agencies may use the same tactic through games to influence potential buyers. Second Life as an example is growing with more and more companies using it as a tool to reach potential buyers. Instead of advertisements in the form of Pop-up Ads they are creating games and experiences for the customer to the play and be involved in. This type of play influences the viewer in a subliminal way and is less obtrusive. We have to ask ourselves is the way of the future? I think it is, it might not be in Second Life (I hate Second Life) but these tactics will be used other places on the Internet to manipulate consumers.
There is a great article on this in Communication Arts Magazine Sept/Oct 2007 issue; check it out!