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What Is Online Gaming?
Online gaming is quite simply the act of playing a video game online with other people. Many online games are based on the computer, such as World of Warcraft, Everquest, or Halo. However, with the introduction of online gaming through platforms such as the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, the world of online gaming has been greatly expanded. The video game industry had already been booming, however, their popularity has soard since the introduction of online gaming. Noticing the increasing amount of time people spend playing video games, many people have resorted to criticizing. However, this has excited several defenses for online gaming as well.

Above is the classic Red vs. Blue multiplayer action encountered in Halo 3.

What Is Online Gambling?
Another business that has gone online is the gambling industry. Nearly a decade ago, the first online gambling website opened and changed the face of the industry. People are now able to gamble their money online rather than having to go to a casino. People can now use real money to buy credits online, which they can use these credits to gamble, playing a variety of games against people or computers. Several of the issues associated with gambling are also associated with online gambling. Cheating and addiction are a few issues that are present in both types of gambling. However, a new issue concerning the legality of online gambling has risen. Gambling is illegal in most of the United States, however, it is extremely difficult to persecute someone is gambling from their own home without seriously invading their privacy.



IT Systems
Internet
Internet access is one of the key factors in online gaming and gambling. After all, it wouldn't be very much an online application if it didn't relate to the Internet in at least some way. Internet access allows people to connect to others, whether they may be gambling or shooting each other's heads off.

Modelling and Simulations:
Modelling and Simulations play an extremely huge role in videogames. In fact, most games are created using simulations and modelling. An example of Sims 2 is shown to the right; it's not too hard to see how modelling and simulation is used in video games. Buildings, people, environments, and so much more may be created using models, while the actions of the sims are done usnig simulations. The same concepts are used for gambling as well, such as a random number generator or dice rolling simulation. These form the backbone of the games and activities and are what we as players find most appealing.




Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
+ Some people argue that playing games and gambling online keep them from doing other more harmful things
+ Studies have shown that certain types of games develop different areas of the brain:

• Action Games: Increase motor and cognitive skills
• Logic Games: Stimulates activity in the left half of the brain
• Games may also increase focus and attention

+ There have been several studies linking the development of several real life skills to video game usage. For example, you may develop motor skills required for Robotic Surgery, through playing some video games.

Disadvantages:
- Video game addiction has grown to the point where it is an actual medical condition that people must go to rehabilitation for.
- Both online gaming and gambling has lead to illegal activities, such as gambling in the wrong states or pirating software

Social/Ethical Issues
Privacy and anonymity
Usually using online gaming and gambling, one must create account that uniquely identifies a person and use that to log in each and everytime. This would become quite an issue if anyone were to get their hands on someone's account information. Usually phone, numbers, addresses, and perhaps credit card numbers are stored on accounts (for the online billing), so privacy and anonymity are major issues in almost every online aspect. This situation is no different.

Equality of Access
Of course, when dealing with the Internet, one must understand that not everyone is able to access this type of technology. It may be due to the country, or perhaps even just the area. Limited Internet access or simply having the technology being inaffordable are all reasons that access is not equal.

Policies and Standards
This topic has become quite a hot issue for the gambling portion of this article. Although it is illegal to gamble in almost all of the states, all a person has to do is visit a site and create an account to gamble. This is a direct violation of state law, and there are little to no ways to stop the gambling, even though these laws are put into place.

People and Machines
And of course, as people begin to use and rely more and more on technology, the relationship between people and machines shift. Although not nearly as serious as robots replacing workers, the increasing popularity of online gaming and gambling is increasing human reliance upon machines.

By: Paul Bui

Sources:

• Howstuffworks: Online Gambling
• Howstuffworks: MMORPG's
• Bio-Medicine: Video Game Addiction to Be Termed as a Medical Condition
• ABC: Video Games May Boost Cognitive Skills