Generation G: Globalization and Gaming

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Generation Globalization
Generation Gamers
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

In recent decades writers and media personnel are in the habit of creating names for a particular generation that in their mind changed history. The generation born after the Second World War was aptly called the baby boomers and in the latter part of the 20^th century those who were born in that generation were called Gen X or Gen Y. It is hard to keep track until it is your generation that needed some labeling. By analysing the distinctive changes that occurred in my formative years as well as during the time when my generation entered puberty, it can be argued that this generation should be called Generation G.

Generation G is an apt title because it covers two major technological and social development that occurred during my generation. The letter G stands for Globalization and the and the same time it also stands for Gaming for it is the propensity of those born in this particular generation not only to play advanced computer games but to use it to learn and train. Globalization is the shrinking of the world as communication and travel made it easier for people all over the world to connect and interact with each other. While computer based games is changing the way people interact, communicate, play and learn.

Generation Globalization

Today, globalization signifies escalating global connectivity, incorporation and interdependence in the economic, cultural, technological, social, ecological, and political orbs. Globalization has an assortment of characteristics, which influence the world in numerous dissimilar ways. There are various forms of Globalization. It can be called as Industrial Globalization or Trans-nationalization where there the manufacture of goods involved more than one country and more than one company. This can also mean having wide access to an assortment of merchandise for consumers and companies. While globalization can be understood in these terms it must also be pointed out that there is an inadvertent effect of globalization and it is the creation of one global culture which led many to argue that in the end the planet will be transformed into one global village.

The derivation of this conclusion was made possible with the help of socio-political instrumentation and economic influences that directly affect the rise and fall of culture. All these aspects proved that the world indeed is moving towards a one-world culture and what is more interesting is that citizens from various nations are oblivious to these gradual developments. Global monoculture is taking over and there are times when citizenship does not really matter within the context of a global village. (Liebes, 156). For instance, it used to be very important to live in highly industrialised countries in order to succeed. But this time it is possible to live in underdeveloped countries and still be able to secure work from counties such as the UK or the US thanks to outsourcing and the Internet.

Yet another interesting feature of the present generation is the ease of access to information. Information became more easily available due to development of internet and similar communication systems that made it easy for many to acquire knowledge without having to travel or live in affluent cities. Geographical barriers were broken. It is now possible for someone living in Pakistan to access online libraries where the repositories are located in Europe. What was once impossible to obtain because of economic and social barriers is now readily accessible and this is a frightening as well as exciting feature of this generation that was absent in other generations.

Another example of the impact of globalization can be seen in the article that can be found in leading publication. It was published in New York Times on May 5, 1990. It was titled, ‘Open Skies’ Parties Drop Deadline for a Deal. In this landmark deal, the open skies treaty is the amalgamation of 34 nations over a single issue and goodwill. This can be described as another step towards monoculture. In this instance different cultures were able to cooperate and work together for the common good. (REUTERS, p. 1) This is the psyche of the present generation to be one with the world.

In present day society, the destruction of traditional cultures in order to start them into the global monoculture is more subtle than it was in the past. Most corporate and government leaders do not intend to destruct traditional cultures; for the most part, they are often unaware that they are doing so. This lack of realization seems to be nurtured by the cult of specialization, which is ever-present in western society. This allows the tendency to destroy the cultural diversity of the world in an effort to spread and expand the global economy. (Huntington, p. 56) Finally, it would not be irrelevant to conclude that with the advent of information technology and internet it is almost impossible today to stay away from the concept of global monoculture.

Be it Indonesia or western Africa, sooner or later the every aspect of human life and thought process would be included within the threshold of the ‘brave new global village’ obviously nurtured and edited in accordance to the western tradition and the concept of monoculture becomes relevant in these cases. (Schularick, 339) But aside from globalization and the creation of the global village, another significant trend that is affecting the members of Generation G is the advent of highly-advanced games that will transform the way people will live in the 21^st century.

Generation Gamers

Globalization is just one byproduct of radical technological changes experienced by mankind in the past few decades. One effect of technological breakthrough is the creation of highly-advanced games that are not only good for entertainment but are also used to educate and to train people. The first phase is the creation of games that will entertain kids. Then these games began to evolve into something that will be enjoyed by adults as well. Japanese and European game makers made sure to capture the lucrative market of adults craving for high-tech games. This insight is based from the ideas of Richard Van Eck, associate professor in an American university who made the following assertions:

Generation G has experienced more change in 20 years than previous three generations combined;
Use of media and means of interaction has literally rewired the way we think;
Digital game-based learning is the means for engaging learners, teaching content, training for 21^st century skills (Van Eck, par 1-5).

It is interesting indeed to find out that games are now being used to teach and learn. This is also the result of new technologies that arose in the 21^st century. Factories are now being automated, airplanes are being flown via computers, ships are being guided using sophisticated microchips and therefore it is no longer possible to learn new skills without having to use simulation technology and this is where gaming comes into the picture.

It is much practical to build into the learning curriculum serious games for the members of Generation G grew up with computers and game consoles. Therefore when simulation training is introduced they need not adjust because they are used to this type of technology. Moreover, the appeal of using games to teach new skills can also be the result of economics. It is much cheaper to crash an airplane in training rather than to crash a real airplane in actual training using a real aircraft. In factories where everything is automated is very much practical to train new hires using exercises that are similar to computer-based games. In this way new employees can practice in a virtual environment and will feel as if they are in the real world. They can make mistakes without hurting no one or destroying company property.

Conclusion

This generation should be called Generation G because this letter stands for globalization and gaming. There is no need to elaborate what is the meaning of globalization because its impact is felt all over the world. This can be as simple as being interconnected with other cultures and other nationalities but it can also be as serious as losing jobs to those who live in developing countries because it is now possible to ship jobs to them. Aside from that globalization is also creating a universal culture as people from different nations are now communicating using the language of technology.

Gaming on the other hand is simply beginning to capture the imagination of the world. Online gaming for instance allows people with diverse cultural backgrounds to play. And it does not matter if they cannot speak one common language because the rules of the game made it possible for them to interact. Gaming is also being used not only to entertain but also to educate and train. A visual representation of this generation that combines globalization and gaming can be found in Eliane Alhadeff’s site where he discussed the current trends in today’s serious gaming industry.

Works Cited

Liebes, T and Elihu K. The export of meaning: cross-cultural readings of Dallas. Cambridge: Polity Press. (1993).
Huntington, S. The clash of civilizations and the remaking of world order. New York: Simon & Schuster. (1997).
REUTERS; ‘Open Skies’ Parties Drop Deadline for a Deal; NYT.com; 1990; Web.
Van Eck, Richard. “Generation G and the 21^st Century.”
Zhang, Peng, Juntao Ma, Xiaorong Sun; Intelligent delivery of interactive advertisement content; Bell Labs Technical Journal; Volume 13, Issue 3, Date: 2008, Pages: 143-158
Schularick, Moritz; A tale of two globalizations: capital flows from rich to poor in two eras of global finance; International Journal of Finance & Economics; Volume 11, Issue 4, Date: 2006, Pages: 339-354
Image: Alhadeff, Eliane. “Future-Making Serious Games: The Best of Serious Games that Challenges us to Play at Building a Better Future.” Web.

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Generation G: Globalization and Gaming

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