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Game Over

The Benefits and Risks of Playing Online Games

The creation of games proved that science was not just about war. In October 1958, a physicist called William Higinbotham created the first video game and became a global phenomenon. Esports, streaming and the competition for money are just a few examples. Nowadays, about half the world's population plays games.

What makes the games so fun?

This is triggered by dopamine, the chemical that gets expelled into the brain when we succeed or achieve something and it's the same thing that triggers alcohol addiction. People play games because it gives them the freedom to experience the excitement. Some of us use them to get away from our boring lives. The feeling of competition has been just truly fun as more the sense of accomplishment when you finish or win the game. Playing video games allows for creativity, socialization and fun. It allows us to try many different things that we cannot do in the real world and without caring about the consequences it has for the virtual world.

Does playing games help you become smarter? I would say yes. It helps improve your decision-making skills, problem-solving and increases brain intelligence.

As a student, I have noticed that my teachers use strategies to make their class fun by making their class competitive by integrating games in the lessons. For example, the group with most correct answers or points wins. It encourages team work, creativity and problem solving. It also helps the student to be more engaged in learning.

What are the downsides to playing games?

While playing is fun, it might also lessen your motivation to do other things. It may also cause depression due to losing against your opponents, sleep problems, and loss of concentration on education for students. Without proper self-control and discipline, it can severely reduce your academic performance. For example, if you sleep late at night, your brain cannot function properly. You could sleep in class or lose your concentration on lessons.

It is hard to deny that online games have become a part of our daily life. Games come with a lot of benefits and risks. If you can control yourself and not spend too much time playing games, you will not experience the drawbacks of the games and you will surely enjoy them.

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Silver lining

The Positive Effects of Pandemic

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused significant global disruption, loss of income and death. With the stress, anxiety and uncertainty that surrounds us all, maintaining a positive outlook can be difficult. People have a tendency to quickly worry about the negative consequences of the threat. Attention to adverse effects is often fed by misinformation and exaggerated news through social media and other channels. While we have valid concerns, we must remain hopeful and optimistic about the future.

Although most of the impacts are bad, there are still a lot of positives, or "silver linings," that people have experienced during the COVID-19 crisis. People are becoming more resilient with a better understanding of how to deal with similar issues in the future.

One of the "silver linings" is the positive impact to relationships. Most individuals spend more time with family members who no longer need to spend their days at work or school. Through regular video conversations, it was easier for people to connect with their families than before the pandemic. The Jollibee advertisement, "Sarap Kasama Ang Pamilya" best describes the "gift of family" amidst pandemic. I was moved from this commercial when I first saw it.

Another positive impact is a good and healthy environment. Lockdown and travel restrictions have reduced both pollution and carbon emissions. Unnecessary travels have been reduced. Wildlife has also benefited from pollution reduction sincere industry and manufacturing have decreased.

Lockdown and travel restrictions have forced people to stay in their homes. Many of them have taken advantage of the Internet and digital technology. Imagine a world without the technologies that we have now, no video chat, no calls, no emails and no social media. There could be a huge emotional impact on you. These advanced technological capabilities help us maintain social interaction digitally. There is also rapid adoption of technology in other areas such as banking, online shopping, and tele-consultation. These make our lives convenient in so many ways.

Let us not forget that the COVID-19 pandemic remains a serious problem. I strongly encourage us to continue safety practices such as observing social distancing, wearing a mask in public, and disinfecting hands to help reduce transmission of the virus. But there are many encouraging stories to share with the public for awareness and raise their spirits as well.

I want to close with a saying from Martin Luther King Jr that goes like "Only in the dark, can you see the stars". Just because, it is difficult to find the "silver linings" during dark times, does not mean that there isn't any.

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Friend Zone

Image source: Canva

Virtual Or Real Friends?

The pandemic has made a significant difference in our lives. Social distancing is necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but it can lead to isolation and loneliness. It can cause anxiety, as well as mental health problems.

This restriction, forced us not to go out, meet our friends and speak to them face to face. As a result, many of us turned to social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter and much more. The same goes for making new friends, most of us have turned to online friend search apps like:

• Humble BFF

• Wink

• Peanut

• Atleto

• Meetup

• Friended

• Twitch

• Skout

• Nextdoor

• Games

So what's the difference between making friends in person and online?

In my opinion, making friends has become a way for people to communicate among themselves online. It's much easier to talk to people, to chat, and to call them. You can engage with anyone on social media even if you are shy. You don't have to worry about stammering or acting weird because it's easier to be humorous without humiliating yourself in front of everyone else. I find it easier to make friends during group activities in our online classes. These are based on my first hand experience and it has helped me make connections with others in many different ways.

For me, making friends face to face is quite difficult, if you don't have the social skills to begin a conversation. It takes a lot of confidence and social skills to begin with. Sometimes, when you're struggling to make friends, you need to get out of your comfort zone to meet different types of people.

Having friends or someone you can talk to during a crisis helps us deal with our mental and emotional health challenges. Whether it's in person or online, some friendships will work and others you'll find are just not right. Don't stay with people who make you feel bad, unhappy, or put you down.

What are your thoughts on making friends online?

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Forward Button

Resilience During Pandemic Hardships

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the creative industry. Theatres, cinemas and concert halls were shut down and television and film production ceased for months, resulting in massive job losses, including cultural and craft artists and performers. Not only those working directly on the production line have been affected, but also those supporting the industry, such as caterers, makeup artists, event coordinators, drivers and others.

On the other hand, as our lifestyle changes, the broader impact of these changes has begun to turn out to be remarkably positive. What was once temporary work is now expanding to how creative industry generates its content. Digital technology plays a significant role during the pandemic. There is a growing demand for movies and streaming video. Consumers at home are looking for digital content to meet their entertainment needs. A wide range of streaming services has emerged, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV Plus and more. According to NY Times, Netflix alone has logged 16 million new subscriptions to the service over the first three months of lockdown and continuously growing.

Along with consuming creative content, creativity through the creation of own content is one of the obvious responses during this pandemic. A lot of people have benefitted from the increased use of social media, people are on their phones/devices all the time nowadays. The use of the app is also increasing as people browse on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and a lot more. The need for social distancing has forced people to stay away from face-to-face events, so they spend more time on video, live streaming, and more. The development and use of content has helped people cope with the stress and uncertainties of the pandemic.

In this time of forced social distancing, creative sectors cannot continue to be resilient, unless they adapt and transform their businesses through digital innovation, from content creation, production, to distribution to their consumers. Resilience can help us overcome challenges; however, digital literacy is still rare and numerous face-to-face events are still recovering from financial losses. Developing digital literacy models for artists and creative organizations will be critical to the short-term survival and long-term restoration of the creative economy. Obviously, the future depends upon a modern and dynamic model, and we should prepare for that now. The adoption of digital technologies has never been more important during this pandemic.

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Talking Boxes

How Pandemic Affects Our Educational System

Lockdown has changed a lot of things with my day-to-day life and some things may never be the same again, including my learning experience. I'm sure students at all levels have gone through the same change since COVID-19 started.

The disruption to education caused by the current situation has provided educators around the world with an opportunity to reflect on how learning is delivered. Lockdown and travel restrictions imposed changes that needed to be implemented. This meant that all those responsible for delivering learning had to fully adapt to an online and blended approach. There was literally no other way.

Technology has been the most important enabler of distant learning. Various learning management systems and platforms have been developed quickly over the past two years. Most educators quickly came up with the right platforms, technologies, and tools to make sure students get the learning they need. Many schools rely on Google Classroom, Schoology, Google Meet, and Zoom to simulate the old familiar environment, but not even close.

It's like a grid of boxes with faces talking to each other.

Class participation is a challenge, especially for students who have unstable internet connections. Classes were sometimes shortened because of rotational blackouts. On the positive side, blended learning is certainly an opportunity for motivated students to work at their own pace. A lot of learning materials have been put online, so students can access them quickly too.

COVID-19 is not going to close schools, of course, because schools are so important to society. But this virus is so disruptive that almost all aspects of the learning experience have been drastically changed, more or less against our will. One of the things we've learned as a result of the pandemic is that most things can be done remotely. Of course, there are exceptions, but overall, learning can now be done online.