Dhanusha
What would you like to do when you go online? The question seems a little odd when the options available for a user in the World Wide Web are countless. A recent report on online gaming in India says that in India the numbers of online gamers are increasing far above the ground when compared to the percentage of internet users.
The world of gaming is so exciting that it fascinates people from around the globe, be whatever the age group. These virtual worlds are otherwise known as Meta verses or Massively Multiplayer Universes that gain attraction among students. These virtual worlds offer you options to play simple card games to 3-D games.
Most of the browser based games demand only a basic Adobe Flash player software. Websites such as Zapak.com, Yahoo! Games, miniclip.com etc… The other kinds of gaming include downloadable single player games, downloadable online multiplayer games and so on. These multiplayer games allow you for interactive gaming, which let you, connect with others.
The rise of social networking sites has offered game developers a new platform and gave way to ‘social gaming’. Socializing and gaming go on hand in hand in ‘social gaming’. Popular social network sites like orkut, facebook, iBiBo and BigAdda offers a number of games online. Farmville, Mafia wars, Poker and Café world are popular games in facebook.
Farmville’s popularity will be confirmed when we find people sitting in the hostel corridor late night plowing and harvesting their virtual farm.
II MA English student Vishal, quipped ‘who does have the time to spent online?’ when asked about the gaming mania in campus.
But Aswini, II MA Political Science says, “Some of my friends are even mad at playing games and come to the class late, saying we were playing games online. One of my classmates is so addicted to games that he even plays sitting in the reading room the day before exam.”
“You can even write a feature on ‘World of Warcraft ’or ‘Age of Empires’ or ‘Counter Strike’” says an active gamer.
There are active players, ex-gamers and budding gamers among the students here. Abhijith, an II MA Communication student, is an active player. He used to play Farmville. But now he is concentrating only in Mafia Wars. ‘‘I update it every day and plays at least one hour,’’ says Abhijit.
Some of them gave up gaming when they find that it affects their studies. “I felt ‘Age of Empires’ quite interesting and used to play late night. But when I find it affecting my studies I gave up,” says a second year student from Political Science.
Many people find online gaming as a way to engage themselves, when there is no one to chat with or to do some serious work. But some it is a part of their routine. “My roommate is a diehard game player and he inspired me to become an active player, though I started gaming two years before”, says Amardeep, IV year IMSc Mathematics student.
Some research scholars find gaming as a way to relax. Some likes listening music, or to paint, some likes gaming. We talk, chat, see each other, plays in virtual world, being present in different parts of the globe. Here technology rules.
