Is it All Just a Game?
You would be terribly wrong if you thought that technology had no influence over everyone and everything. Because it does. You only need to walk down to the local shops to see the teenage girl quickly texting away on her phone or the little kid blasting music on their IPod. Technology has positively influenced our use of communication, the entertainment and heath industry as well as the education system. It is continuously being evolved and improved upon to make our lives better, however, with each extension of this virtual world, the more vulnerable we are to be negatively affected.
Growing up, I was never spoilt with the latest gadget nor had the need, I was content with what I had. I grew very sick in my childhood, and was almost always in hospital. Spending so much time there, in pain, was draining, not only for myself but for my family. It didn’t help that I was a kid and didn’t understand what was going on, but I quickly found a way out of this somewhat distort world I was living in; a PlayStation 2 (PS2). The ward had a portable PS2 that patients could use to distract themselves, and let me tell you I did just that. I became immersed, as this piece of technology brought me away from my situation. I rapidly became addicted and started to hog the console from other patients. I quickly found my favourite style of game; first person shooters (fps). It wasn’t until my early years of high school that I was able to get my hands on my own console; the Xbox 360. I remember every Friday night after school playing Halo and Call Of Duty until the crack of dawn with friends. I would play all weekend as I wasn’t allowed on weekdays. As my obsession with fps games continued to blossom, my grades began to fall and my parents grew worried. However, I was satisfied with just a pass, and I pursued with my gaming endeavours. I made numerous online friends and continued to improve in the games that I was playing. It wasn’t until I started to watch eSports that my fixation grew to new levels and I started to take gaming “seriously”. I started to compete in online tournaments, and eventually my some-what talent was seen and I was asked to join a team.
Since 2012, eSports has obtained over $3 billion in sales, 2017 grossing $465 million of that figure. These numbers are expected to grow dramatically over the next 5 years. This is evident with recent partnerships to stream matches and tournaments through Twitch, Major League Gaming (MLG) and Facebook. Dota 2 gloats the largest prize pool of all time with The International Tournament 2017 succeeding over $24 million. With the rapid growth in viewership and money being poured into eSports, this new and exciting form of entertainment and competition is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Digital technology has quickly blurred the line of reality and boasts easy access to communication, entertainment and information. Technology influences everything, changing our beliefs and behaviours as well as ultimately us. What was a get away from reality quickly became my life. Giving me new opportunities, connecting me with new people and finally helped shape me into who I am today.