Conclusion

After looking farther into the culture of video games, I was able to come to a conclusion. By researching the difference between the United States and other countries it was obvious that video games where looked at very differently. In foreign countries, video games are thought to not only be a source of relaxation, but a source of income.

In my research I was able to a store clerk at the Game Room. I specifically asked him about competitive video games, after peers in my class directed me in that direction. He mentioned to me that  in some places, video games are as popular (and in some cases more) than actual sports. This news came shocking to me. I could never see something like that happening in the United States.

Previous to this project, I was aware that competitive gaming was a popular hobby to many in the U.S. And I knew that by winning these competitions, one could make a couple thousand dollars. But that was all it was to me, a hobby; I would have never guessed that people can make a career out of video games.

The conclusion I have made is that video games are more than a source of relaxation in foreign countries, its a way to make a living. And I truly believe that something like this will never be possible in the U.S. After reading and talking to video game advocates, its obvious that a culture like this is frowned upon in the U.S. People look down at people who spend their days playing video games, a deem this lifestyle socially unacceptable; unlike foreign countries where this would be completely normal.

Game Room observations

When I was walking to the Game Room over on 17th & "O" Street all I was thinking about was, really okay, I have to go spend a good amount of my time, watching preadolescences play, loud obnoxious, noise making boxes, while drinking Mountain Dew and eating Cheetos.  This type of environment or community is extremely foreign to me so honestly I was not looking forward to the next couple hours of my life.

As I approached the store I noticed a really cool, very colorful store front, with the name spelled out in what I would probably call "Pac-Man" font.  I thought hey this is kind of cool.  As I walked in I was expecting to experience sensory overload from blinking lights, and various beeping sounds, but what I found was more of a retail atmosphere, somewhat quite, more subdued and patrons focused mainly on playing gaming consoles and not so much on what I would call "arcade" games.  In fact the arcade games were located over in a back, virtually unused.

The people/patrons of the Game Room probably surprised me as much as the atmosphere did.  I found the diversity of the group to be interesting, stemming from UNL Athletes, to dead beat adults, to just a few of my dreaded preadolescences, to what I would refer to as "Gamers".

After a few minutes of observing I decided to make an observation of the general relation between gamers and that community of people to their appearance. I counted; 8 out of 10 people walked in wearing clothes too big for their form. Most smelled like smoke and when they smiled their teeth had been yellowed and worn down. Most of the women had their hair dyed un-natural colors. As for the men, about half of them had long hair, enough to pull back into a ponytail. The other half's hair was greasy and tousled. Overall their physical appearance was not in tip top condition; however, I probably heard them laugh more than the general person. It made me realize a couple things. It forced me to see that people are and can be very content and happy with life without having all the luxuries of a rich man. It also made me see a pattern in the community. The way people dress is very dependent on how the people around them dress. For example most sorority girls will curl their hair, put on a nice dress and a big blingy necklace. That is a commonality for a sorority. For the gamers here, it appeared to be the thing to dress the way they do; oversized shirts and baggy pants, maybe a pop cap and usually some sort of gold.    

The interesting thing was how all of these people interacted with each other, sharing a common interest, and relating to each other through this one commonality Gaming.

-Anneliese Feldner

The Game Room

The first thing that went through my head when I thought of arcades and video games was a stereotypical ‘nerd’, glasses, intensely focused on there game. When I first visited The Game Room, located roughly 17^th and O St. in downtown Lincoln, I didn't know what to expect or what type of people I would find. The first thing when walking in was that it was mainly a store that sold video games, and movies, with maybe a few arcade games.

I noticed that the arcade games were sitting in the corner and no one was playing them. One had a note that said, “Play at your own risk”. They were kind of pushed to the side, with the main focus on PlayStation or X-box games. This goes to show that arcade games aren’t as big of a deal as they may have been back in the day. As our society becomes more and more technologically advanced and more focused on making things smaller and more compact the idea of arcade games is sort of fading in the background.

As for the people that were found at The Game Room the majority of them to me looked like nerds, with the majority of the people wearing glasses, and looking like they would be some hard-core gamers. Most of them were older with a few younger kids looking at movies. What did surprise me as far as the type of people that would be found in a store like The Game Room was an athlete from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. That was a big surprise to me because coming in with the idea of the typical nerd was changed by seeing an athlete from the University because he was the total opposite of what a stereotypical nerd might look like.

True Arcade

These are a few pictures I found of a authentic arcade in Europe. The biggest thing I noticed are that there are no ticket booths, no prize tables, just hundreds of original arcade games for people to enjoy.

Arcade Pictures

One thing to notice is obviously the prize table, but the types of games being played at these arcades. American arcades have been tailored specifically to young children, opposed to more mature culture seen other places.

Champions Fun Center

When I visited Champions Fun Center, on Yolande Ave, I was immediately engulfed in children running around everywhere. The first thing you see is a bunch of rug-rats sprinting on what was obviously a sugar high, to the front desk where they could exchange their tickets for cheap prizes. I watched for while as the kids kept running back and forth from the arcade to the desk, always amazed at what different prizes where available.

Before I came to Champions, I had done some research into what a traditional arcade setting would look like, and realized that this 'Americanized' version of an arcade was nothing like the real thing. Everything I read about took place in ether Japan or Europe, nothing taking place in the U.S. The arcades they talked about never involved young children playing for tickets, but adults playing seriously for pride and high scores. At these arcades men and women (mostly older) have the choice at hundreds of authentic arcade games, enough to spend whole days playing. I read that at most places, one can purchase year round memberships, with access 24 hours to the arcade. Again, I read more about how seriously these games are taken. People will spend hours trying to break their/others high scores, for no prize at all.

As I watched the kids run around, I wondered what makes American arcades so different than other places. When you think of any arcade in the U.S. (Dave & Busters, Brunswik zone, ect.) everything involves prizes. It is rare to find someone who solely goes to an arcade to break someone's high score. I believe it has to do with American's being material greedy; there has to be some sort of prize, otherwise it isn't worth doing. It is obvious that in other countries, arcades are a place of refuge for individuals, a place that they can hang out with friends and be themselves.

When I entered Champions, it was clear that this was not a place of relaxation. Arcades like this are everywhere in the U.S; places for parents to occupy their young children for short periods of time. The U.S. has turned the relaxed culture of arcades, and turned them into a industry, completely taking away from what they truly are meant to be.

Violent Video Game Law Enforced

A new law is set to be enforced in Indianapolis prohibiting children from playing violent and sexually provocative video arcade games. This law requires anyone under 18 to get parental permission before playing violent or sexy video games. Arcades that violate the law face fines and could eventually be closed. A petition was sought to prevent the video game law from going into effect. But in a ruling by the U.S. District Judge David Hamilton, he ruled the law could be enforced. The law does not intend to eliminate violent games but to regulate their access by young consumers. Such games that are violent or sexually provocative must have warning labels on them, and arcade owners must keep them at least 10 feet away from nonviolent games. Violent video games must be separated by a wall or curtain. Underage kids can only play these games if accompanied by a parent o guardian. If a businesses fails to follow the law they could be fined $200 and businesses with three violations within a year have to remove the violent games altogether and could have their amusement machine licenses revoked.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=95401