Research on “The impact of active listening in resolving conflicts between staff and customer in restaurant industry”.

Topic: The impact of active listening in resolving conflicts between staff and customer in restaurant industry.

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Promoting Communication with the use of Online Games in adolescents.
Student’s Name
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
COMM1101 A10
Instructor’s Name
Date
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
Online Games As A Motivation To Learn ………………………………………………………………………… 6
Acquiring New Vocabulary ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
English As A Foreign Language (Efl) ……………………………………………………………………………… 7
Socialization And Online Games …………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
Adverse Effects Of Online Games …………………………………………………………………………………… 9
Addiction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9
Change In Behavior …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 12
References: …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 13
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Table of Figures
Figure 1. In-Game Preview Of World Of Warcraft ……………………………………………………………. 9
Figure 2. Toxic Behaviour In League Of Legends Chat ……………………………………………………. 12
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Executive Summary
This research paper looked at the promoting communication with online games in
adolescents. The purpose of this research paper was to find out what credible information is
written regarding this topic. Technology has paved the way for improvement in games,
particularly online games, which have become more common today. Online games have seen
much backlash from recent studies and how addiction can adversely affect the user.
However, in recent years, online games have also impacted players beneficially, particularly
its positive results in promoting communication between different players and using online
games as a tool to boost one’s communication skills.
The use of online games in collaboration with vocabulary learning within students has
been shown to help keep students more motivated to acquire new vocabulary. The thrill and
excitement of online games keep learners engaged as the learning process is more enjoyable
than traditional teaching methods. The opportunity to communicate and play with native and
non-native English speakers using in-game chat and audio has benefited learners of English
as a foreign language; playing with other people in a more relaxed and calmer environment
helps in the learning process. The modernization of online games has also opened doors for
making friends online, where players have the chance to socialize and make new friends with
other gamers in the online space, therefore promoting communication in the online area. The
research showed that online games benefit users in promoting communication, but they
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still have disadvantages when misused. Adverse effects such as addiction to online games
and laziness due to dependency on these games can potentially impact an individual’s
communication and social skills. Online games can often not lead to aggression and toxic
behaviours resulting in anti-social behaviour on the player; since studies show that
aggression and toxicity are an inseparable element of online gaming, players may normalize
these kinds of conduct which can severely impact their behaviour in the real world.
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Introduction
The rampant improvement in technology has paved the way for the development of
almost everything digitally, including gaming. The development of games, from traditional board
games to modern online games, has become popular among everyone nowadays. This report will
provide research on how online games promotes communication and socialization among
players—showcasing studies about using online games as a tool in learning English as a foreign
language (EFL), improvement in vocabulary with the aid of online games, and socialization with
online games. This report will also discuss the negative impacts of misusing online games and
their adverse effects on communication. The sources used in this report are journals and
scholarly articles retrieved from online sources. This report aims to provide insights into online
games’ benefits and adverse effects on communication.
Online Games as a motivation to Learn
Acquiring New Vocabulary
Technology has improved significantly throughout the years; it should be used to teach
new vocabulary as technology has become so common nowadays that almost everyone
constantly uses it (Kayaalti, 2018). Kayaalti mentioned that “it is undeniable that vocabulary is
the critical factor in learning a new language” (p. 312). “There is not much value in being able to
produce a grammatical sentence if one has not got the vocabulary that is needed to convey what
one wishes to say … while without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary
nothing can be conveyed” (Kayaalti, 2018, p. 312). Using online games in teaching can help give
learners a different approach to understanding the vocabulary, and teachers might assess the use
of online games to help teach new vocabulary to learners (Mašić, & Tarabar, 2021).
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Online games can be a motivational tool for learners to acquire new vocabulary from
gaming (Kayaalti, 2018; Bawa et al., 2018). It is more common nowadays for children to play
online games than before, and the adoption of “digital games can develop learner’s verbal
capabilities and social skills” (Jassim & Dzakiria, 2019, p. 49). Although male learners have a
more significant result in acquiring new vocabulary by playing online games than female
learners (Kayaalti, 2018), learners who were taught with the use of online games are more
motivated to learn new vocabulary in comparison with the traditional way of teaching (Jassim &
Dzakiria, 2019). The thrill and excitement that online games bring to learners can help keep the
students engaged and motivated, making the learning process entertaining and enjoyable
(Kayaalti, 2018).
English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
Students can increase their language capability and rational thinking through online
games as they continuously engage and rationalize throughout playing (Darihastining et al.,
2019). Online games can nurture receptive and expressive skills. The two specific kinds of skills
that online games help create in a user —receptive skills, which are listening and reading, and
expressive skills, which are writing and speaking (Da Silva, 2014). Da Silva also points out that
online games help nurture these skills through the players when these players enter the games
and need to perform a specific task to progress through the game; these would eventually lead to
the improvement of the comprehension of the player as they encounter new vocabulary and
communicate with other players in the game which then leads to the advancement of the player’s
vocabulary skills (2014).
Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) can operate as an
academic tool for educating English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in a calm and peaceful
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environment (Azman & Dollsaid, 2018; Szell & Thurner, 2010; Toufik & Hanane, 2021). The
authors explore the use of World of Warcraft (WOW), a popular MMORPG, as a kind of
competitive game that can induce learning potential for non-native English speakers; where they
produced evidence that the WOW game design “induces language learners to be active
generators of information, knowledge and language” (Azman & Dollsaid, 2018, p. 4).
Socialization and Online Games
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) also promote
socialization between players (Vella et al., 2019; Hussain & Griffiths, January, p. 51). Players
need to communicate with a global community, which can significantly impact the development
of the “personal and interactional functions of language” (Da Silva, 2014, p. 164). A study where
the game World of Warcraft (WOW) was used as a basis to determine the effects of MMORPGs
on language learning; where participants, Malaysian students, were interviewed with various
questions about how WOW aided in the language learning process and socialization of players in
the MMORPGs (Azman & Dollsaid, 2018). Results showed that the game design of WOW
induces a proactive language learning environment where multiple players need to communicate
via chat or audio to have a better playing experience (Azman & Dollsaid, 2018, p. 10).
According to Azman and Dollsaid (2018); Szell and Thurner (2010) online games such as
MMORPGs can help non-native English speakers learn the language as they play; have better
communication and socialization skills as they play with different players to achieve a common
goal of winning. In addition, Azman and Dollsaid also reveal that virtual online games aid in
socialization and learning EFL by allowing the users to collaborate and communicate with native
and non-native speakers of English (2018). This would ultimately lead the learner to enhance
their understanding and boost their confidence in their communication skills by working together
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in an online game to attain a common objective (Azman & Dollsaid, 2018). A screenshot of the
WOW in-game preview is displayed below in figure 1.
Figure 1. In-game preview of World of Warcraft
Source: Karlsen, 2009.
Adverse Effects of Online Games
Addiction
As stated previously, Online Games have beneficial factors on the player, where players
have an increase in focus, mental capacity, improved comprehension, and English language
skills (Aristoteles et al. 2020). On the other hand, since most teenagers spend their time on the
internet and are entertained through online games and social media, the amount of time an
individual spends online can adversely affect their form of communication as a result of constant
playing, which could lead to addiction, players can also experience psychological and addictive
behaviours (Aristoteles et al. 2020). When misused, online games can lead to more harm than
good, as players who become addicted to gaming can be unproductive and lazy (Darihastining et
al., 2019). Furthermore, online game addiction can have a negative toll on a player’s real social
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life, where “addicted users will [spend] their entire time to play … as a result, they will spend
their social life in the online context” (Darihastining et al., 2019, p. 157).
The addictive feature of online games prompts users to play more frequently, hence
making the user addicted to online gaming, where players become dependent and idle, resulting
in poor productivity and time management (Darihastining et al., 2019). Aristoteles et al., (2020)
said that another factor is the frequency of playing online games, which can influence a person’s
communication, where the duration of the playing time is a significant factor in adolescent
communication. The same study found statistical results based on Malaysian student nurses and
their frequency of online gaming; where players can have passive communication, assertive
communication, and aggressive communication based on the frequency of playing online games;
“the more often the frequency of playing online games the more it will have a negative impact”
(Aristoteles et al., 2020, p. 4). Players addicted to online games may impact the “quality and
quantity of social skills” an individual has; the more addicted the player, the higher the chance of
poor social skills (Zamani et al., 2010, p. 59).
Change in Behavior
Online gaming can change one’s behaviour; a study on Indonesian students about online
games and the adverse effects it brought the students showed that addiction to online gaming
could result in a user’s anti-social behaviour and social deviations (Darihastining et al., 2019).
Anti-social behaviour in relation to online games is when the user plays online games
excessively; they will be oblivious to their physical surroundings, which could severely impact
the user’s social development (Darihastining et al., 2019). Online games benefit the user when
used for education; however, when online games are misused and overused, the adverse effects
that are brought to the user would outweigh their beneficial effects.
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Due to the intensity and mental strain of most online games, toxic behaviour has become
an inseparable element of competitive gaming (Beres et al., 2021). Aggression and hostile
behaviours are typical results of anti-social behaviour associated with online gaming (Beres et
al., 2021) Aggression in Video Games, about 66% of gamers have been said to have participated
in harmful behaviours, while 43% have said that toxic behaviours from other players have
victimized them (Zsila et al., 2022).
Zsila and the other authors also revealed in the study that players who were victims of
constant toxic behaviours in online games are “associated with symptoms of Internet gaming
disorder and depression,” it has also been revealed that players are more likely to be annoyed,
unhappy and anti-social when they lose more than they win games (Zsila et al., 2022, p. 4; Kuss,
2013, p. 129). As toxic behaviour and aggression have become more acceptable in the gaming
space, more players are being victims of other player’s aggression toward the game; it is,
however, unlikely that players will become less hostile in the gaming culture as “negative and
abusive behaviours, justified as being simply part and parcel of the gaming context” (Beres et al.,
2021, para. 5).
Normalizing behaviours such as toxicity and aggression in gaming could lead to severe
problems in the change in behaviour and communication of players. As these behaviours are
normalized in the gaming culture, the higher the chance that players will tolerate anti-social
behaviour in online games (Beres et al., 2021), and these could affect their attitudes and
behaviours outside the online space. As stated by Griffiths, there are adverse psychosocial effects
of online games when overused “increased stress, an absence of real-life relationships, lower
psycho-social well-being and loneliness, poorer social skills … and aggressive/oppositional
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behaviour and hostility” (Griffiths, 2014, p. 2). An example of a toxic and aggressive
conversation in League of Legends is displayed below in figure 2.
Figure 2. Toxic Behaviour in League of Legends Chat
Source: “League patch,” 2021.
Conclusion
Studies have shown that online games can promote communication in various ways,
whereas online games can benefit the user in terms of communication and socialization. Online
games have been shown to aid learners by motivating them to acquire new vocabulary; the use of
online games to teach vocabulary is more exciting and entertaining compared to the traditional
way of teaching. Online games can also help learners of English as a foreign language to
improve their English skills and socialization as they play with native and non-native English
speakers and have the chance to communicate with different players via chat or audio. However,
it is also important to note that online games can severely impact the user: addiction, laziness,
and behaviour changes. Changes in behaviour, such as toxicity and aggression during online
games, are associated with anti-social behaviour, which can affect the development of the
player’s social skills. Although online games have beneficial impacts on communication when
used correctly and in moderation, online games can also do more harm than good when misused.
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online games and teen communication on nursing students in Stikes Muhammadiyah
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Azman, H., & Dollsaid, N. F. (2018). Applying massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs)
in EFL teaching. Arab World English Journal, 9(4), 3–18.
https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol9no4.1
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Beres, N. A., Frommel, J., Reid, E., Mandryk, R. L., & Klarkowski, M. (2021). Don’t you know
that you’re toxic: Normalization of toxicity in online gaming. Proceedings of the 2021 CHI
Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
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Da Silva, R. L. (2014). Video Games as Opportunity for Informal English Language Learning:
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to improve students’ speaking skill. Journal of Intensive Studies on Language, Literature,
Art, and Culture, 3(2), 156-168.
http://journal2.um.ac.id/index.php/jisllac/article/view/10223
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Note: This paper is used just as an example in the classroom with modification to APA 7th
Standard (just for teaching purpose and not intended to be replicated).
Used only as an example