Roger...That is Teru from The japanese rock band Glay
ok and here is the paper. Keep in mind I totally BSed this and left this to the last minute so I find it to be a HORRIBLE paper.
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Videogames have long been shunned by the elderly members of society saying that it adds to obesity and other problems like violence. While there is definitely some negative aspects to videogames, the positive outweigh the bad.
Videogames have many positive attributes that include things such as being a hand-eye coordination enhancer, imagination booster, puzzle solving skill builder, and a channeling emotions medium. People who play videogames can gain a whole lot of positive effects to their lives.
Videogames are much like movies, but more interactive. Instead of watching passively, the user is engaged in using his/her brain and body to win the goal. When videogames first arose the technology wasn’t as impressive as it is now. The games were more simple, but required active timed responses of muscles and reflexes. For instance, the cult-classic Pac-Man. As the game progresses, the ghosts that are chasing you become faster and faster and harder to dodge. With every moment you have to pay attention and be ready to make a swift movement of the joystick to change direction away from danger. “Platform and shooting games improved my reflexes and hand-eye coordination a whole lot.” (Zenith Nadir). In an arcade setting, there are games that are modeled after the game of baseball and as the ball is pitched to the player, the player must swing the bat at the correct time. Repetitive play of a game like this would rapidly increase hand-eye coordination technique and reflexes. Just like movies, there are many genres of games. The puzzle solving game is one of the many genres of videogames. These games often present challenging puzzles that provoke the stimulus into rapid motion. These problem solving skills learned from the game can be used and applied in the classroom or at a job.
Another added effect of videogames that many people don’t seem to see is the social benefits of it. “Almost 60 percent of frequent gamers play with friends” (Videogame Revolution). Many videogames are multiplayer whether it is online gaming or playing in the same vicinity of the person. Many fun adventures can be had with two people traversing through a game together working together for a common goal. Even games that are solely made single-player there is still active socialization. Many a time players will have a friend with them to trade off or a person who has already played it giving advice while the other uses the joystick. Gamers sometimes hold parties where a certain game will be linked with everyone’s system allowing many players to be involved. They can have food, talk, make new friends and have a party, but with videogames. “Two players may be fighting to death on screen and growing closer as friends off screen.” (Videogame Revolution). No matter the content, if the player is mature enough to handle fantasy from reality, they will have an enjoyable time with their comrades.
Although there are many positive effects of videogames, there is still the argument of videogames being violent and causing violence. Videogame violence is in fact a good thing. First off, the games are rated by a system known as the ESRB. Parents are forewarned of the rating before purchasing a game for their child. “The more violent videogames, such as “Halo 2,” “Doom 3” and “Grand Theft Auto III,” are rated mature and are intended for mature audiences only. It is then up to parents to monitor what goes into the fragile psyches of their children and to decide what games are appropriate.” (The Whitworthian). A person who is angry can also use videogames as an escape from real life and vent those feelings of anger in a world where no one is hurt and the player isn’t bound to real world values where those feelings must be kept in check. “When used by the intended audience the effect is a positive one. “A report by the American Academy of Family Physicians says that in some circumstances there was an increased level of calmness in subjects after playing violent videogames. The study states this could be attributed to the games being a healthy outlet for aggression or anger” (The Whitworthian). “Parents need to decide whether a child is fit to handle the difference of fantasy and reality. “It's the kids and their darned videogames. Well, the literature, as currently focused, will never produce anything to challenge this view. It will just keep finding a videogame/violence correlation. Over and over. And parents and governments will continue to avoid looking in the mirror, where the real problem lies” (Elsevier.) So, when understood and used correctly, videogames can be a great way to channel anger into calmness.
With all the negative criticism towards videogames, it is hard to see the good. Videogames are a new and misunderstood art. Hopefully when examined more closer in the future, people will notice it isn’t too much different then other forms of entertainment. In a way, it’s advanced. So when all the positive effects are taken into effect such as enhancement in the area of reflexes, socialization, puzzle solving skills, and learning to channel emotions, the positive shines over the negative; completely white washing it out.
Video Games and their effect on you.
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mania-[ker]
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