A Research On Online Games From The Perspective Of Anthropology

Online games have gone through three stages since its emergence in late 1960s (respectively, non-commercialized stage from 1969 to 1977. initial stage of commercialization from 1978 to 1995, maturity stage of commercialization from 1996 till now.) Now, we can see thousands of excellent online games in growing numbers are flooding into our life. Although online games businessmen make big money from it and the masses are entertained by it, it causes negative effects to the daily life of players.Online games have been highly paid attention to since it exerted negative effects on daily life of players. Most of the masses consider its disadvantages outweigh its advantages, but I argue that the masses should adopt a reasonable attitude toward such a new culture. It's known to all that everything, online games making no exception, has its disadvantages and advantages as every coin has two sides. Therefore, it is not reasonable for us to focus just on the advantages of online games ignoring its disadvantages and vice verse.On the basis of fieldwork, in-depth interviews and questionnaire survey, the author try to figure out the essence of online games, reasons why undergraduates are fond of playing online games and its influences on daily life of undergraduates. The research results provide the masses with a deep insight into online games and a better understanding of it.The author illustrates culture of online games and players'behavior by functional theories, and hold the opinion that online games could meet the following 8 requirements, which are for aesthetics and enjoying gorgeous music, interpersonal interaction, substituting for reality, obtaining success, experiencing various roles in life, killing time, experiencing exciting and novel things, pursuit of the realistic interests. The author considers the undergraduates are fond of online games because it could meet their requirements mentioned above. To prove it, the author conducts in-depth interviews and questionnaire survey. In the sane way, the author figures out various influences that online games exert on undergraduates. Moreover, interaction theory (sociology) is adopted to analyze the online games.In the thesis, the author puts forward two viewpoints. One viewpoint is that virtual world composed of online games and real world composed of undergraduates'life, relationship of which is unity of opposites, consists of dualistic structure. On the basis of this dualistic structure, the author puts forward another viewpoint that networking-structured virtual world and social-structured real world, relationship of which is unity of opposites as well, consists of dualistic structure world that we live in. In the end of thesis, the author proposes respectively policies and suggestions for coordinating two relationships.