How soon before video games take over reality?
By: CORY MUEHLEBACH
Opinions Editor
Realism in video games has been one of the many milestones that game creators have been striving for, ever since the conception of video games in 1958. With the advent of “Tennis for Two,” a plethora of games have been created, packaged and sold internationally. Technology is doubling every year; more and more people are becoming acquainted with video games.
Many of the feats of gaming are small in comparison to the realism within the games. At present day, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One can play games so close to realism that certain features are indistinguishable from reality. The recent release of Grand Theft Auto 4 had amazing water textures and it came out for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The splashing of waves against the beach or wooden columns beneath the dock was absolutely astonishing. It is eerie to imagine what next generation video game consoles will be able to muscle.
Video games are used for more than pleasure; they are used for physical skills such as singing, dancing or exercise. They can be used for training in the military or even education among children. With the increase of uses for video games and the increase in technology, how soon will video games take over reality?
In the poorly crafted movie, Gamer, Gerald Butler plays Kable, a video game character controlled by a real person. In this sick society, digital media along with video games are everything. There seems to be little interaction between humans; it is as if life itself does not even exist.
This movie plot, while laughably dumb, has prophetic value. The idea that technology in video games can become so great that it takes over reality is not so absurd as it is certain. Masking oneself behind a computer is already a reality, hiding behind fake Internet Protocol addresses pretending to be Bob Newhart is a reality, if technology can bend what is real or not real, how long before it becomes part of humanity, not just a part of society?
Video games being intertwined with human life seem like a child’s dream, but it certainly comes with grave danger. Will humans be able to decipher what is wrong or right in reality? Will they be able to distinguish between the two realms or will they become the video games themselves.
One way to combat the end to human companionship is to set guidelines and rules for the creation of games or any of the like. Games should be realistic looking, that is a modest goal, but creating artificial intelligence as smart as human beings is not only dangerous, but also pettish. Do people wish to make friends with robots and if intelligent enough, are those robots people?
The strong advance of technology is bringing civilization such bliss, but if humans are to keep climbing the ladder without safety precautions, surely humanity will meet its death at the crippling hand of negligence.
