Inspecting the dark corners of Tamalpais High School will reveal secluded groups of students who spend their days quietly babbling amongst themselves about dragons, level 80 paladins, and their beloved "poke-mans". What sort of treacherous, evil plot is responsible for the creation of these social outcasts?

    When video games began to catch on during the 1970s, only a small demographic was involved. At that time, America’s stereotype for the gamer was synonymous with its stereotype for the nerd. This negative generalization still exists and has been encouraged by popular media, like the 2009 movie “Gamer” and the 2006 South Park episode titled “Make Love, Not Warcraft” in which Cartman starts playing World of Warcraft and becomes what is referred to as a “no-lifer” – a lazy, sun-deprived, overweight nerd, living in relative isolation. However, this widely-accepted perception of the gamer no longer holds true: The audience for video games has increased in both volume and diversity, and in doing so has raised important questions about addiction, accessibility, and the ever-changing identity of the gamer.

    “A bunch of my friends were playing World of Warcraft, and I decided I was going to get it too. Next thing I know, it’s five hours later, there are three empty cans of Red Bull on my desk, and I’m blasting techno music arguing with some twelve-year-old from Arkansas about whether being a Jew is a race or a religion… Video games have eaten my life,” senior Joe Brookes said.

    Others have been less affected. “Not everyone who plays video games is a nerd. There are a lot of normal people who play video games,” senior Ian Barry said. “Video games have an almost profound impact on culture today with the movies and the music that’s made about them… I think that technology and video games have a huge influence on us.”

    Today there is no stereotypical gamer. Contrary to common belief, 40 percent of gamers in the United States are female, according to a 2008 Entertainment Software Association (ESA) statistic. The same study also found that 41 percent of Americans purchased one or more games in 2008.

    These numbers are growing, along with the continued fiscal development of the video game industry. Even in a time of recession, the compound annual growth rate for the video game market is about ten percent – meaning that every year, the industry makes ten percent more profit than it did the previous year.

    In 1996, computer and video games pulled in $2.6 billion, and by 2007, the number had risen to $9.5 billion. This sharp increase in profit can be attributed to growing number of casual games.

    With the introduction of more accessible games and gaming systems like the Nintendo Wii and titles like Guitar Hero, gaming has, in many ways, become a social norm. Companies like Nintendo have taken the initiative by starting marketing campaigns that target people who are less familiar, and less receptive to the idea of a “typical” video game.

    “We want to get new people playing games,” said Nintendo Company President Satoru Iwata. Many industry veterans and enthusiast press publications considered Nintendo’s new approach “too casual,” and deemed their efforts financial suicide, but since the console’s release in 2006, over 50 million units have been sold. Today, the Wii is a symbol of easy-to-use, friendly gaming. The primary reason behind the console’s success is the fact that anyone can play – rather than relying on a traditional controller, the system instead utilizes a motion sensing control, which makes the system very intuitive and familiar. Like with any trend, industry giants like Sony and Microsoft have quickly followed in Nintendo’s wake, hoping to snag their own share of the ever-expanding video gaming populace, and thus continuing the trend of casual games.

    “[Gaming] has definitely entered popular culture,” senior Brennan Bertram said. “Casual games – Bejeweled, Peggle, anything on an iPod – those are all video games, they’re small video games and not hard video games, but they’re definitely video games.”

    Online flash games have also played a large part in the growth of the video game audience. As mentioned in the November 2006 issue of the Tam News, students often use class time to play online games. Games are everywhere – on cell phones, on the internet, and in 65 percent of American households as reported by the 2008 ESA statistic. The increased availability of video games along with the vastly improved quality of graphics has led to an overall increase in the numbers of gamers.

    “You can go to college and major in video game design,” senior Peter Englander said. “It’s hard to overlook gaming.” In 2009, 254 of the nation’s colleges and universities offered video game degrees, and according to the ESA, video game design is the fastest-growing industry in America.

    “In the media you’ll see ads for video games, and video game releases are now often highly anticipated,” freshman Chris Henn said.

    “If you bring up any video game, probably fifty percent of the guys around you are going to start talking about it,” senior Taylor LaPlant said.

    The growing popularity of video games is not often disputed, but their alleged addictive qualities are quite controversial. Senior Brennan Bertram considers himself a serious gamer but is able to manage his time wisely.

    “If I have too much homework then I won’t play… It’s a source of entertainment; sometimes it will distract me, but not too often,” Bertram said.

    “[Games are] meant to be a reflection of some aspect of life that we can't perform ourselves, and I think it's a denial of what you're capable of to pretend all day to be a war-monger or virtual sport player,” junior Travis Powell said. “I view them as a bad thing. They’re just a way to escape from a sad reality.”

    “[Games] are more of a stress reliever for me. Usually when I have too much work to do, I play for like an hour or so and then get back to work,” senior Julian Demegillo said. “Games are just another pastime like bowling and watching movies.”

    Other students have not been as fortunate in their attempts to evade addiction. “Video games have really affected my performance in school,” senior Gavin Zerbe said. “I often have to stay up late finishing my homework because I keep procrastinating by playing video games. The lack of sleep that comes from this often keeps me from performing my best academically.”

    “Back when Halo 3 was released, I played it nearly every day when I got home from school. My grades dropped from As to low Bs, so I know that games have the potential to interfere with school. By the time I got bored of Halo, I had played hundreds of hours,” Henn said. “But playing MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) is even worse.”

    MMORPGs like World of Warcraft by Blizzard Entertainment are commonly labeled as being highly addictive and particularly damaging to players’ social lives. “World of Warcraft is definitely more addictive than other games,” LaPlant said. “It’s some pretty serious s---,” remarked an anonymous Tam student. “Blizzard is like my crack dealer.”

    Some people view casual games as a kind of gateway drug, on the way to more addictive games like World of Warcraft.

    With over twelve million active players, World of Warcraft (WoW) has become one of the most prominent PC games on the market – in 2007, the original game and its first expansion pack, The Burning Crusade, were the two top-selling computer games in America.

    The word “Warcraft” has become associated with fiendish behavior and lifelong addiction. This is because many of the outlying cases of life-threatening WoW addiction and social instability are exploited by the media for headlines. However, these heavily publicized cases only focus on the most extreme cases. Looking past the mainstream media’s distorted view of the game, the reality is that most of the twelve million subscribers are casual players.

    “There is nothing special about World of Warcraft,” senior Shawn Lee said. “The reason why people say it’s addictive is because it includes more content compared to other games. You can play the game and still have a life, as long as you keep track of how many hours you play.”

    “Video games don’t really affect my social life; I still hang out with friends. Gaming can even be a way to socialize in itself. I've made a few friends while playing video games, and no, they aren't 40-year-old rapists,” Lee said.

    “From what I've seen, every gamer has their period where they get really into it and spend hours playing. My brother was like that with WoW at the beginning; it was all he did for a while. But after that period it really depends on the person. My brother stopped for a while and found other things to do, and eventually started playing again, but not as intensely,” senior Jessica Hodson said. “It’s still possible to play games regularly and have a social life, as long as you play the game – not the other way around. It’s about balance… Just because you enjoy WoW doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy other things.”

    “You can have a social life when addicted to games, but it usually revolves around games and is kind of awkward… I mean, look at WoW addicts, they just sit in class in a caffeine-induced coma thinking about what they’re going to do when they get home,” senior Riley McDonald said.

    “[Games] do have a negative effect on a lot of people. I’d like to praise them for what they do, I mean, they entertain, but they do detract from your life and your well-being overall. They can really turn a good lifestyle into an unhealthy one quickly, and affect your sleep cycle, your habits, and your work ethic,” Barry said.

    Gaming is in a state of transition and has been the subject of much debate and controversy. Although there is still a distinct separation between the hardcore and the casual gamer, the gap is steadily narrowing. As the accessibility and technology behind games continues to improve, the gaming audience will undoubtedly continue to diversify and gaming will become an even more significant part of our culture.

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