By: Leilani Bruce
This week I read the article, “Turning life into a game” by Jordan Firth. This article talks about how location-based mobile games can impact people's experiences of their surroundings and mobility decisions. Location based social networks can be referred to as mobile applications that persuade people to form social networks and share their locations with friends or family. In simpler terms, it can be described as games/apps that allow people to “turn life into a game.” (Firth, 2013) There are many examples of games and apps out there that have made this a reality throughout the years, but there is one that I can relate to the most.
Technology has dramatically improved throughout the years and even more so with the creation of real life events through a mobile device. I have come across many apps and games that have been developed that made a lot of people question reality. For example, there was a mobile game introduced in 2016, that had a huge impact on technology and the people that used it. Pokemon Go is a “reality mobile game developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android devices.” (Masuada, 2016)
When this game came out, it was a huge success because it was something the world had never seen before. People were allowed to connect with the world through their mobile devices and play on their phones while having the physical surroundings.
Although the game was a big hit, there were some complications that surrounded the game. There are countless articles, and statements from users of the games who reported injuries and overwhelming consumption of the game because people would play this game, unaware of their surroundings and run into traffic, injure themselves on landmarks, and run into traffic due to not paying attention.
This game is a great example of how location-based mobile games did impact people's experiences of their surroundings negatively. People lost sense of reality and were too wrapped up in the game to defend themselves from everyday harm. There have been many cases and reports made where people have complained about the game because it was “too real,” and people, especially kids, had a hard time navigating the difference between reality and VR.
With technology continuing to improve and AR technology growing, it is going to be very hard for the public to remain safe and differentiate between AR and real life. Games are becoming more real and people cannot keep up with the similarities. For example, I know my younger cousins are not allowed to play more graphic games like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty, because of how graphic and realistic they are. The more games become real-life-like, the harder it is for people to form that line or real vs.fake.
Overall, life is not a game, and there is no way to 100% replicate what life is like. However, game developers have found a way to connect real life events in game forms and contrast a false perception of reality resulting in impacting people's experiences and surroundings. Yes, these developments can be very cool, new, and exciting, but they can also be damaging and increase our chance of losing our sense of reality.
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