By Kate Kitova, Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Video games are becoming more and more popular, and not just among young people. Although some may say this could be a problem, others have created programs to help change that narrative.
Michael Aguilar, the director of eSport & co-curricular innovation at the University of Oklahoma, has been with the program since 2016. Back then, fewer than 25 universities in North America had eSport programs. Now, more than 400 that offer eSports.
Jody Farmer, the assistant director of intercollegiate eSports, said OU has the largest student organization on campus at 2,800 members.
The world has always had different problems, ranging from social to political issues. With an increased interest in video games, many people now use them to cope with stress.
“(Video games are) a means to escape the very real and sometimes harsh nature of the world,” Aguilar said.
Farmer, who served in the military from 1999 to 2010, uses video games to help relax.
“Finding people to play with online and talk to was a big help,” Farmer said.
While playing against people from the United Kingdom, she was able to learn about their culture and has created friendships with them.
“I was able to learn from watching and listening to them because they looked at it differently,” Farmer said. “It’s just opened my mind to other possibilities. Learning from their perspective, as well as learning from their differences of where they grew up, or where they’re living, and how they do different things. Or we’ll talk about food. Like, here in the U.S. we would never even think of it like beans on toast, but they do, but then we like syrup and pancakes. So, it’s just great to get to know people from other areas. It gives you a better worldview.”
The language barrier can sometimes be a problem when playing with people in different countries, but players often find ways around that.
“I have international students who compete in our League of Legends teams,” Aguilar said, noting that one of his international students is from China and has very limited English.
Around the world, there are many groups of people who love to play and create friend groups. It helps a lot to communicate with people not only from one specific country, but all over the world.
The problem with the language barrier is that it can interfere with players in the vast, open world of video games.
“At first, it can be hard to understand each other,” Farmer said.
However, it may inspire players to develop and learn foreign languages. People like Aguilar and Farmer are trying to solve this problem at OU. The solution could be the videogames themselves.
“Videogames seems to be like the language,” Farmer said. “So, when they get to playing the game, they get more comfortable. And it seems like the language barrier seems to go away. So, the game is kind of like the bridge that connects them.”
Videogames can also inspire people to learn about the past.
“I look at my son, who is a high schooler. He has a love for history because of the video game Assassin’s Creed,” Farmer said. “Because of the history it showed him, he wanted to know more about it.”
Many players are inspired by video games, as they can help people learn programming, which helps a lot to move the technological process. Many players are starting to create their own location and games inspired by virtual reality, or VR.
“I think video games are helpful in society with critical thinking skills,” said Farmer. “It helps people to think before they react.”
Thanks to games, people can travel around the world. The innovation VR is a big advancement for humanity.
“Specifically, VR is a huge transformation, I think for society, because it allows you to experience things in 3D, anywhere in the world,” Farmer said.
Some people believe that video games make society worse, but other develop themselves and develop the world through video games and make great strides.
