*Visual Materials*

1) NDS gathering

Source: Ming Pao ( 16-10-06)
Why I have included this?
This newspaper article talks about how NDS penetrate the office. Even in the working place, people like spending time on playing NDS. This can show how video games affect people working ability and interpersonal communication.

2) Online game market

Source: http://www.video-games-survey.com/2004_results.htm
This is the bar chart which shows the online game market. The chart shows that there is a growth in online game market.
Why I have included this?
The increase growth of online game market can be a evidence for me to explain why people spend less time on communication, and how this affects social interaction.

3) Sims 2

Source: http://thesims2.ea.com/
This is one of the most popular online games.
Why I have included this?
This game has attracted so many people and this is one of the most significant online games. When playing this game, players are trying to create their own virtual world. This can be one of the examples for me to elaborate the influence of online game.

4) How much time did you spend playing video games last month?

Source: http://www.video-games-survey.com/2004_results.htm
Why I have included this?
This graph shows the time which people spend on playing video game. The result shows that majority if people spend more than 10 hours in playing video game. This can be an evidence to show the trend that less people spend time on face to face communication.

5) On a scale of 1-5 how interested in video games are you? (1 = minimally interested, 5 = very interested).

Source: http://www.video-games-survey.com/2004_results.htm
Why I have included this?
This graph shows the level of how people like playing video games. This chart shows that large group of people are interested in video game. Therefore this chart can be the evidence to me to explain the increasing influence of video games.

Important Quotes

1) http://www.freewebs.com/pavga/videogameaddiction.htm
Quote: “Becoming addicted to video games can affect peoples social and just their daily normal lives.”
“ People have a lot of emotional stress these days and in these virtual worlds people can let it all out.”

2) http://www.video-games-survey.com/2004_results.htm
Quote: “1 in every 2 of the Korean respondents said they played online games (results published January 2003.)”

3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_language
Quote: “Body language is particularly important in group communications because for large groups it dominates the spoken word.”

4) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/6193462.stm
Quote: “A study of people who play online computer games has found that 12% have signs of addiction.”

5) “Human values and the design of computer technology”
By Friedman, B. (1997)
P.377
Cambridge University Press
Quote: “rather than creating new kinds of communities, this technology often just creates false sense of connection and intimacy”

****Bibliography****

Books:

1) “ Trigger happy: the inner life of videogames”
By Steven Poole
Comment: this book provides a well research on the life of playing videogames. It helps to explain why people like playing video games and help us to understand why video games are so enjoyable.
But when reading several chapters of this book, I found it quite long winded and quite hard to understand.
However, I highly recommend this book to those who would like to know the reasons for the popularity of vide games.

2) “Video games: A popular culture phenomenon”
By Arthur Berger
Comment: this book provides several problems of playing video games in general. It states the relationship of video games to culture, psychology and sociology. Therefore this can help to explain how video games affect interpersonal realationship.
However, I think this book is subjective in some way.

3) “Play between worlds: exploring online game culture”
By T.L.Taylor
Comment: the writer tries to investigate if playing video games is an isolating activities or not. He also tries to find out the reasons for people participate in a virtual world in real time. Finally he also analyzed if playing video games can help to build a closer relationship among people or not.
This book is easy to read and understand the concepts behind it.

4) “Mind at play: the psychology of video games”
By Geoffrey R.Loftus, Elizabeth F.Loftus
Comment: The writers discuss the influence of video game in psychological perspective. This can help to explain the behavior of game players.
In this book, there are many difficult terms which is difficult to understand.

5) “Human values and the design of computer technology”
By Friedman, B.
Comment: This book have covered the impact of computer network on interpersonal relationship. It also includes the impact of online game on the social relationship.
This book contains many information on online game, but it may be difficult to understand.

Newspaper article:

6)http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article553840.ece
This is a news article about the death of a man. The man died after playing computer game for nearly 50 hours.
This news can be an evidence for the disadvantages of playing video game, and how video games worsen working ability of a person.

7) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/6193462.stm
This is a news article stated the percentage of people indulged in video game.
This can be an evidence for the increasing influence of video game.

Websites:

8)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_language
This is a website talking about the importance of body language. Through this website, we can see how body interaction help to get the full experience.
This website is useful in the way that it contains many links which is related body interaction
9) http://www.video-games-survey.com/2004_results.htm
This website provides survey on the time that people usually spend on playing video game.
The survey is reliable.
10) http://www.video-games-survey.com/online_gamers.htm
This website provides statistic on the online game market growth. This can be an evidence for the increasing influence of online game.
The survey is reliable.
11) http://www.aaaoe.com/forum/content.php?doid=102
This website provides a survey results on why people like playing causal game. The causal games include video game and online game. Through this website, we can analyze the reasons for people playing video game.
The information is not very detail, but it provides general concepts on the reasons of playing video game.
12) http://www.freewebs.com/pavga/videogameaddiction.htm
This website tells us the bad consequence of playing video game.
This website is useful to those who would like to know the symptoms of game addiction.

***Research***

1) Why do people like playing video games?

2) The world in vide games is unreal, but why are people willing to devote themselves into those unreal world?

3) Some people claim that video games can only worsen social interaction, but is it true? Can video games help to build a closer social relationship?

4) What can we see from the emergency of video games?

*Why do I choose this topic???

Have you noticed that when you walk around on streets, you can see a lot of people holding NDS or PSP in their hands? You can see it in MTR station, bus station or even in the university campus. Is it really that happy when playing those games?

The price of a NDS or PSP is very high, some people are making joke on this scenario. They said that the increasing number of people having a NDS or PSP can show how rich our city is. But have they ever thought deeply on the underlying consequence on this scenario? The more NDS or PSP on the street means the more distant relationship people is. Why do I say this? You just look around now, and it is not difficult to discover that when the people are playing NDS or PSP, they tend not to talk to their friends. They just concentrate on the unreal world.

Not only in street, has this scenario also happened at home. At home, people tend to turn on their computer and play online games, such as “the sim city”, “rise of nation”. People totally devote themselves into unreal world. Is this good or bad?

With no doubt, all these video game have imposed tremendous effects on people.

I am interested in this topic mainly because I am one of the victims under the influence of all those video game. When I go out with my friend, they just ignore me and play NDS. When I am at home, my brothers just get indulge in “the sims”. I just wonder if they can stop playing it for a while.

Fresh Greeting*

Hello...

This is my first post here...

First i would like to express my excitement of writing here

Second, i want to say i don't know which topic should I choose, they are all new to me...

Do you think so?