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2. Intro
3. Platform Gaming
4.  Anger While Gaming
5.  Job Opportunities
6. Gaming Revenue
7. Using Games to Destress
8. Age of Gamers and Effects on Age Groups
9. Gender Diversity in Gaming
10.Creative Development
11. Gaming Popularity in Gaming
12. Group/Multiplayer Gaming
13.The CUB
14. Parental Gaming
15.Gaming Community
16. Mobile Gaming
17. Interview
18. Reference List (Kyle)
19. Reference list (Chris)

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Gaming on platforms, or consoles, was how the gaming industry started and has continued to dominate the way games are played. With consoles like the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and computers, there are endless ways to play and thousands of games to choose from. As of 2016, the PC was rated as the most popular platform to play on, with Xbox and Playstation coming in second and third, and as the popularity of platform gaming continues to rise, the gaming culture will be imbedded deeper into our society. (Campbell, C. 2015)

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Everyone who has played a first-person shooter or strategy game will know first-hand how stressful video games can be at times. Almost everyone will get angry while playing video games at some point, it is only a matter of time, however, this anger that is generated while playing very rarely transfers to the outside world once you stop playing. The famous phrase, "It is just a game," is applied to this almost all the time and serves to show that carrying your anger from the game over into your personal life will only lead to increased aggravation in your personal life.

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Gaming is mostly seen as a source of enjoyment and a stimulate for relaxation. Not all people see it as a leading role into their future goals and job opportunities. The advancement of video games has become so astronomical that it is in need of creative thinkers to help develop new video games. Being a huge industry in America with over 155 million people playing video games regularly, the job market is vast and ever so growing.( Campbell, C, 2015) An article on the CNN Wire highlighted this fact and wrote about a man who quit his job to play video games professionally. His name was Ben Wu who graduated from college in 2009 and landed a job in a trading firm in Chicago. He found the work fast paced and it paid well, but something was missing. He asked for some time off in 2012. He quit a week later to become a full-time video game player. (Heather Long, 2014) As this seems to be a ridiculous thing to do after having a well paying job, but he took the risk and is now playing for championships which have the chance of winning million dollars. Video games have many more benefits then it meets the eye and Ben Wu was a perfect example of how video games can guide you to your future jobs.

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Video games can cause stress, but they can also be used to destress from your every day life. Many people, including myself, play many different types of games to destress. These games can range from first-person shooters to strategy game, every person who uses games to relax has their own personal preference. The games allow people to escape their own realities for a short period of time, release their stress. in a healthy way, and allow the player to have fun. The most important aspect of gaming is to have fun and since many gamers thoroughly enjoy playing these games, the industry is not going to go away any time soon.

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The gaming industry grew significantly in 2016, revenue wise. According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) the U.S. gaming industry generated $30.4 in 2016, which was up from the 2015 number of $30.2 billion. Now a $.2 billion difference may not seem like much, but to the industry it is seen as a major growth. (Campbell, C. 2015)Not only was the revenue up, but the industry introduce many new products such as the Playstation VR (Virtual Reality) and the advanced version of the Playstation and xbox, Pro and One S, respectively. These innovations played a major role in the revenue that was generated and show us that the gaming industry will continue to find new technology to introduce or find new ways to charge for the software or other content that they release and as long as they continue to do this, then people will continue to buy these games and help the industry's continued rise in popularity.

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Although the typical game consumer used to be a male under 30 years of age, games are increasingly being played by other age groups and by females. The female role in the video game industry is increasing, making the market more diverse. According to a Entertainment Software Association survey, women players in the United States increased from 40% in 2010 to 48% in 2014. (Campbell, C. 2015) Despite the dominant perception that most gamers are men, the ratio of female to male game is balanced, mirroring the population at large.This diversity will only benefit video games giving more perspectives for newly developed games and could bring a whole new genre to video games as a whole.

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8. Age of Gamers and Effects on Age Groups

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8. Age of Gamers and Effects on Age Groups

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The average age of a gamer in America is 35 years old, with 26% of gamers under the age of 18 and 27% are over the age of 50.  (Campbell, C. 2015) This statistic itself highlights the fact that all ages are playing video games and is only increasing by the amount of people playing. The argument against video games is not directed towards everyone, however, it is only directed to one certain group which is young children. There are two debates on video games causing children or young adults to act out in violence from video games and being addicted to video games. One study by Iowa State University and National Institute on Media and the Family, Minneapolis, Minnesota tested their theory on addiction of video games. In a national sample of youth ages 8 to 18, 8.5% of video-game players exhibited pathological patterns of play as defined by exhibiting at least 6 out of 11 symptoms of damage to family, social, school, or psychological functioning. (Gentile, Douglas, 2009) Although this percentage may at first appear to be high, it is very similar to the many other studies of pathological video-game use in this age group. This includes studies in other nations which tend to be higher such as Spain with a prevalence rate of 9.9%. There is no defense for the rate of addiction in America to video games, but it is a reasonable amount. (Gentile, Douglas, 2009) Video games have many positives to the use of gaming, but stimulates have the tendency to cause addiction. The only defense against this from happening is parental control and monitoring.

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A creative mind who plays video games can develop various ideas which can apply to the platform of gaming or elsewhere in the world needed for creative minds. With the video game industry, creative thinkers can help develop a new game, console, idea, plot, setting, and more that will impact the industry effectively. A well renowned source of creative thinking put into a video game is called "Minecraft". This sandbox platform highlights the endless possibilities that can be made and shown with the only source in the game, blocks. Not only does it bring out the creative thinkers, but connects one another into a strong community sharing ideas and creations made.

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Games in recent decades have revolved around playing as a group or team in the video game realm. The traditional way of playing in groups side by side each other has changed into online gaming with people around the world. This would seem to bring people farther apart from one another, but it does does the complete opposite connecting friends with each other is from far distances. The physical group gaming is still not out of the picture and is done to this day, but gaming online is the new norm. 56% of the most frequent gamers play with others. (Campbell, C, 2015) This can create development strengths such as teamwork, which can be applied to the workforce. With experience with far distance interactions, it could help you in job opportunities surrounding communications. The possibilities are endless and it creates a good platform for future endeavors.

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The popularity of games has skyrocketed since the development of Pong in 1972, with 49% of American adults currently playing and 10% consider themselves traditional gamers. The average age of a gamer in America is 35 years old, with 26% of gamers under the age of 18 and 27% are over the age of 50. Male gamers continue to dominate the community at a strong 56% compared to women who are ranked at 44%. (Campbell, C, 2015) Parents are also beginning to use games to connect and bond with their children. The gaming industry is projected to reach a net worth of $23.5 billion in 2017 and this is up significantly from the net worth is 2004 which was $10.3 billion. In 13 years, the net worth of the gaming industry jumped $13.2 billion. If trends continue, then the gaming industry will only continue to grow in popularity. (Campbell, C, 2015)

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The Compton Union Center is the center of activity on the Washington State University campus. This location features a variety of opportunities for you to get involved in the community through leadership, professional development, and volunteer possibilities. The hub area located on the second floor has a section where you can play countless ends of video games alone or with friends. This is a perfect environment for friends to release the stress of college and enjoy a friendly battle of Halo. The fact that there is a video game section in the Cub enlightens the fact on how video games are part of American culture and have the sense of relaxation once played.

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Parents in the past (some in the present) have always been indecisive about their kids being aloud to play video games at certain ages. Studies show 90 percent of parents say their kids can only buy or rent games with their parental consent. The same study says 79% of parent’s place time limits on video game playing. (Campbell, C, 2015) Many critics believe that it is the job of the parent to monitor and control the content that their children view and late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia believes this when he stated, "Parents who care about the matter can readily evaluate the games their children bring home." As the years have progressed, many parents have taken a greater interest in the games that their children play and have also started to take part in the gaming experience with them as well.The studies from Entertainment Software Association say 59% of parents play video games with their children weekly. (Campbell, C, 2015) This statistic itself shows the involvement parents have in gaming for their kids and the family time factor of having with your children. Video games do open up the discussion of it affecting young audiences, in bringing out violent behavior, but the true evidence is in the parental guidance. Not all parents can see what children play every second, but if parents are more involved in their kids video game playing, then there will be that broken barrier of always being concerned what they play. Also this can lead to a bonding session between a parent and child in playing video games together, building a better relationship through the use of video games.

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The Gaming community is spread into a wide variety of categories from, Pokemon gaming fanatics to FPS shooters such as Call of Duty or Battlefield gamers. With in each group, the bond between them in unbreakable. Events such as Comicon where people dress up as their favorite characters from all types of genres come together to elaborate on their obsessions and show off their gaming costume pride. Another big one is Gamescon, where companies show off their latest games and trailers to their community to give anticipation for the next up coming title and bring the gaming community into one place for a day. These events and many more create this atmosphere where everyone is free to express themselves how they please and criticism is left at the door. Being part of this sub-group gives me the sense of a new family and and outlet to reach out to and express my ideas and creativity without being criticized. The gaming community is one of the strongest communities their is and is ever so growing in America and around the world.

PC: Harry Carey

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Kyle:  Did you play video games as a kid and did it have a influence on your up bringing?
Tristan: Yes , they were not a huge influence on me, but they did play a role in my early childhood.
Chris: Have you ever seen video games being the cause of violent behavior in your life?
Tristan: No, I would only get angry at certain games, but would never take that anger into the real world.
Kyle: How often do you play games on a weekly basis and did you ever feel addicted to video games in your life?
Tristan: I usually play around 5 to 6 hours a week, but I used to play way more before college. I never feel addicted to video games, but I do play them as a source of relaxation and enjoyment.
Chris: In your opinion, are video games good for society, or bad for society?
Tristan: I think video games in society offer a lot and have many benefits adding to our society. Playing video games is a great way to connect with others and relax. It also is a huge industry and helps the economy.
Kyle: Last question, who is your favorite character from every video game you played and why?
Tristan: Lara Croft from Tomb Raider because that it one of my favorite games and her character is very dope and can get out of any situation she puts herself in.

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Mobile gaming has taken the gaming industry by storm over the past decade with games such as Clash of Clans, Candy Crush Saga, and Pokémon GO. The mobile gaming market worldwide is valued at $45.7 billion, with the US generating a revenue of $2.61 billion. The mobile industry is largely dominated by Electronic Arts, generating a $355 million revenue. The number of mobile gamers in the US is a staggering 164.9 million people, making the mobile gaming penetration in the United States at 58.9% of people playing. (Campbell, C. 2015) Children now spend an average of 7 hours a weeks playing mobile games and consumers annually spend about $80.00 for games on their phones.

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Campbell, Collin. (2015, April 14) Here’s How Many People are Playing Games in America. Retrieved March 7, 2017. http://www.polygon.com/2015/4/14/8415611/gaming-stats-2015

Duggan, Maeve. (2015, December 15) Gaming and Gamers. Retrieved March 8, 2015. http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/gaming-and-gamers/

Kain, Erik. (2012, December 30) Violence and Video Games in America. Retrieved March 8, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/12/30/violence-and-video-games-in-america/#777702094e7b

Montclair Diplomats. (2016, May 10) Video Games and Their Effect on Modern Day Society. Retrieved March 7, 2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/montclair-diplomats/video-games-and-their-eff_b_9873646.html

Scutti, Susan. (2016, July 26) Do Video Games Lead to Violence? Retrieved March 8, 2017. http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/25/health/video-games-and-violence/

Taylor, Rich. (2015, June 14) Video Games’ Place in American Culture. Retrieved March 8, 2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rich-taylor/video-games-place-in-american-culture_b_7063838.html

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Retrieved March 07, 2017, from http://www.polygon.com/2015/4/14/8415611/gaming-stats-2015

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Duggan, Maeve. (2015, December 15) Gaming and Gamers. Retrieved March 8, 2015. http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/gaming-and-gamers/

Scutti, S. (2016, July 26). Do video games lead to violence? Retrieved March 07, 2017, from

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/25/health/video-games-and-violence/

Taylor, R. (2015, April 14). Video Games' Place in American Culture.

Retrieved March 07, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rich-taylor/video-games-place-in-american-culture_b_7063838.html

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