#seventhpost

They had built a world together, brick by brick, a masterpiece of shared dreams and silent promises. It was a world painted with hues of laughter, where the symphony of their hearts was a constant melody. But now, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long, ominous shadows, the colors were fading, replaced by a monochromatic canvas of silence and solitude.

It wasn't a sudden storm that had ravaged their paradise; it was a slow, insidious creep of indifference. Like the gradual retreat of the tide, their love had ebbed away, leaving behind damp footprints of what once was. There were no dramatic arguments, no earth-shattering revelations. Just a quiet, almost imperceptible shift in the undercurrents of their affection.

He would come home, tired from the day's battles, and she would greet him with a smile that felt more like a practiced routine than a genuine expression of joy. They would dine together, a forced camaraderie replacing the once-intimate sharing of stories and dreams. The nights, once filled with whispered secrets and stolen kisses, now stretched into endless voids of silence, punctuated only by the ticking of the clock.

Photoshop Image Adjustments Part 2

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Hey all, welcome back! I’m a gamer, are you? I play PUBG and Mobile Legends. Today, let’s talk about some of the gaming communities; The PUBG community, The CSGO community and The Sims. Does these games benefit us or harm us?

What is Social Gaming?

According to Collins Dictionary (2019), social gaming is defined as the activity of playing online games with other members of the same online group.

The Positives

Social game brings benefits to an individual when adequate amount of time is spent and when there is self-control. It helps to release stress, decrease loneliness, create teamwork and strengthen the bond between friends or family when online mission is accomplished. Esports is providing a lot of job opportunities nowadays. For example, it is required to hire announcers, location sponsors, TV broadcasts and online live-streaming channels to organize a CSGO world tournament. Refer back to the previous blog on fan as in fandom, I am also a fan to Team Liquid that is professional in playing Dota and CSGO. Team Liquid has earned total prize money of $24,448,847 in 1430 total tournaments (Top 10 esports teams, earnings, and salaries 2019). It is clearly shown that playing games provides job opportunities and by playing professionally, it is possible to earn income.

The Negatives

On the contrary, an individual that is addicted and obsessed with social game leads to negative impact like violence, social replacement and bankruptcy (Bartholomew 2019). Violence occur when an individual is obsess with violent video game or shooting game such as Dota, CSGO and PUBG as they can just simply shoot anyone in the game where he or she will just bring it to reality by shooting anyone in the real world just like the case where a Kurdish man accidentally killed his friend with a shotgun when role-playing PUBG (Subarno 2019). Besides, social replacement happens when an individual that is addicted to social game lock him or herself in the virtual gaming world where the actual face-to-face interaction will no longer needed. According to Jansen (2010), there are 19% of the online users paid for digital games and 5% of them have paid for tools or materials to use in computer or video games. This has shown that gaming communities are growing towards monetisation rather than playing leisurely which means when players get addicted, bankruptcy happens. 

The PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG) community

My experience in PUBG with my brother and my boyfriend:

PUBG actually helps strengthen my siblings relationship as we communicate and coordinate better when playing together. Furthermore, PUBG helps me to understand and trust my boyfriend as well. I remembered there was once my phone is lagging while swimming halfway through the river until I almost lost my life in this game, but my boyfriend was actually there for me and keep healing me with the ‘first aid kit’ and ‘bandage’, so that I can be alive and continue to play the game. Hence, I think PUBG is a game that benefits me as long as I surround myself with the right people. 

The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) community

On the contrary, when you are not surrounded by the right people, gaming can be toxic. It is sexist and racist just like the example in the video below. In the video, the Chinese girl is being boycott by the other three male team members through their words and actions in the game. 

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur3J_AKlfAc) 

The Sims community

Also, some games promote LGBTQ, just like The Sims 4. In The Sims 4, players can now form same-sex relationships to get married and even male can get pregnant that encourages gay intercourse and gay parenting (Duffy 2016). This may be reflected to the real world as well. In my opinion, I am strongly against it as we are not told to have same-sex marriage even some of the countries such as Australia, Brazil, and United Kingdom have recognized it. 

References

‘social gaming‘, 2019, Collins Dictionary, viewed 23 November 2019, <https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/social-gaming>.

Bartholomew, J 2019, Video games: pros and cons, Utah Valley Pediatrics, viewed 24 November 2019,<https://www.uvpediatrics.com/topics/video-games-pros-and-cons/>.

Brain, E 2019,  The Sims 4’ gets pride month update & island living expansion pack, Hypebeast, 11 June, 20 November 2019, <https://hypebeast.com/2019/6/the-sims-4-pride-month-lgbtq-game-update-gender-neutral>.

Duffy, N 2016, ‘Feature: how the Sims became the most LGBT-friendly game of all time’, PinkNews, 8 June, viewed 20 November 2019, <https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/06/08/feature-how-the-sims-just-became-the-most-radical-lgbt-friendly-game-of-all-time/>.

Jansen, J 2010, 65% of internet users have paid for online content, Pew Research Center, 30 December, viewed 22 November 2019,<https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2010/12/30/65-of-internet-users-have-paid-for-online-content/>.

Subarno, A 2019, 12 bizarre incidents that happened across the world that were reportedly because of PUBG, Scoop Whoop, 12 February, viewed 24 November 2019, <https://www.scoopwhoop.com/bizarre-incidents-reportedly-because-of-pubg/>.

Over recent years, if measured by the number of registered users, social games have become the largest genre of games. What are social games? Social games are computer games that is played with or against other players, through the internet or social media (Cambridge Dictionary 2019). In their design principles and values, these games are designed to cater for large audiences, a free-to-play revenue model and social network integration that makes them easily accessible and playable with your peers.

Although gamers are widely believed to be socially isolated, many modern video games actually encourage players ' social behaviour. People who plays video games with their peers usually plays it cooperatively or competitively (Granic, Lobel and Engels, 2014). Multiplayer online games can also help players improve their social skills. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (or "MMORPGs") like World of Warcraft and social networking games like FarmVille, in particular, can improve the social skills of players and encourage pro-social behaviours. According to Isabella Granic (2014), There is evidence that social skills players learn in social online video game environments translate into their interactions in the real world. These social benefits of playing video games are greatest when players play games that are specifically designed to reward pro-social behaviours such as effective cooperation, support, and other players ' support.

While it has been shown that certain types of video games have social benefits for gamers in general, individuals on the autism spectrum can benefit from playing video games in particular socially. Children with autism usually have more trouble in understanding the basics communication and social interaction, thus, making friends are more difficult for them than normal kids. Randy Kulman (2019) believes that there are a few ways that playing games can help kids with autism. Firstly, it can be useful for them to practice social skills. Video games provide an opportunity for children with autism to share common things with their peers and shared interests. Studies suggest that children with autism may have a somewhat unique and unusual interest in these games, which differs from their peers but nevertheless provides them with a basis for shared activity focus. Besides that, it can help them practice flexibility and how to handle their frustration. Handling frustration, shifting routines, and getting stuck are core elements of most popular video games, making them a safe place for autism children to expand their ability to practice transition skills, become comfortable learning from mistakes, and expand their range of activities. Moreover, playing video games can also help increase their motivation. Studies done by Christina Whalen and her colleagues, who developed the TeachTown computer game to help children with autism improve their social, emotional, academic and adaptive skills, found that using a computer game increased motivation and attention compared to traditional autism teaching methods.

( Doctor Renae Beaumont completed her PhD and developed a computer game – Secret Agent Society (SAS) - that trains social and emotional skills for children with Autism Spectrum Conditions; helping them learn how to feel happier, calmer and braver and to make friends and keep them. )

In conclusion, despite the negative stigma surrounding gaming, it can be used to help children develop social skills such as enhancing the children's leadership skills, pro-social behaviours and communication skills. In particular, children on the autism spectrum can benefit greatly from playing video games as part of their treatment as playing video games might be able to help them to learn how to communicate with and adapt more easily with other kids. Playing video games in moderation can be a great way to help kids learn how to become well-rounded individuals in society.

 References

Dictionary.cambridge.org. (2019). SOCIAL GAME | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary. [online] Available at: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/social-game [Accessed 28 May 2019].

Granic, I., Lobel, A. and Engels, R. (2014). The benefits of playing video games. American Psychologist, [online] 69(1), pp.66-78. Available at: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0034857.pdf [Accessed 28 May 2019].

Sources have shown that the younger generations have become more spiritual and believe in atheism more than ever before. Therefore, it is not a surprise to find that much of the college community is dissociated from religion. But where do these beliefs begin? Kayla Koslosky discusses in a March 2019 article titled “College Professors Are Predatory: Former Student Shares How Her Professor Convinced Her to Become an Atheist” about Samantha Sullivan’s, a former college student, experiences with a professor that persisted to persuade his students to go atheist. 

According to Sullivan, she was a freshman at a summer program at the University of Texas at El Paso who was true to her Christian religion. Sullivan explains how when she began college, she felt that the student environment was very secular and belligerent about religion. Because of social pressure and the persistent teachings that disapproves the belief in a supreme being, Sullivan decided to go spiritual. Looking back to her early college years, she felt she lost herself and was ashamed for letting go of her connection to her religion. She hopes that her experiences help guide others in similar experiences and motivate them to be confident in their beliefs.