Entry 4: Rewards of gaming

Although many videogames are often seen as bad for us, there are some rewarding elements, whether it be accomplishment, fitting in with our peers, or mental/senses (aesthetic) stimulation. By playing Command and Conquer Red Alert during the last week one can relate to these rewards. We all have favorite types of genres of videogames , whether it be action, sports or racing ect, we usually feel compelled to play games we prefer. In my case it's strategy. As a keen chess player, one has often wondered where one's love of chess has stemmed from. It appears to be from the countless hours of playing the original Command and Conquer during childhood. Unlike chess, one doesn't usually know the rules of a videogame before playing, which leaves us having to probe the depths of the game's logic to make sense of it . As well as being aesthetically rewarding, playing complex video games, just like chess, can aid our cognitive development, which is a useful reward outside of gaming.

Johnson (2005,p.112 ) argues that learning the intricacies of a new interface can be genuine pleasure. I can definitely relate to this statement whilst playing C.&C.r.a. because when you discover a new feature such as a nuclear bomb to use, which was at my disposal without noticing for some time, it's like a moment of epiphany in the gaming world.

Similar to TV, which can have a rewarding effect, such as watching a documentary on videogames to help me with this journal, which in turn should help obtain a better mark, some videogames can, therefore, impinge on players in a positive way. Ultimately though, most videogames serve a core purpose, as Poole (2000 p.229) states: "I think the duty of videogames, therefore, is an imaginative one--an aesthetic one".