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Published: 15th Jun 2019 | Last Updated: 19th Nov 2020 | Views: 10346
Academic writing
Essay paper writing
Scientific and technical progress, which gained a dizzying speed by the end of the twentieth century, led to the emergence of computer technology. The invention of computers was a turning point in the development of many industries. Provoked a progressive change in the work of the media, communication systems, qualitatively changed the principle of operation of banks and other institutions.
Computerization exceeds the pace of development of all other industries. Today, even a small company can't cope with everyday routine without computer networks, not to mention large corporations. The human interacts with the smart machine all the time: at work, at home, in the car and even on the plane. You can describe the impact of modern technology on the educational sphere in “What video games can teach us?” essay.
Rapid penetration of computers in the lives of people and took a significant place in their minds. But users often do not realize that they begin to largely depend on the performance of these expensive pieces of metal. Psychologists and psychotherapists increasingly face the adverse side effects of the information technology: phobias, addiction to gaming and the Internet, narrowing of the range of interests. Also, it results in the lack of communication in the real world as a consequence of the pathological obsession with the use of electronic equipment.
With the development of computers, games were improved too. They attracted more and more attention. To date, computer technology has reached such a level of development that allows programmers to create very realistic games with outstanding graphic design and sound. With each step in the field of computer technology, the number of people that are popularly called "computer fans" or "gamers" grows.
The main activity of these people is connected with the use of a computer. The circle of social contacts is very narrow. All other activities are aimed only at survival, the satisfaction of physiological needs, and most importantly - the satisfaction of the need to play on the computer.
Of course, this characteristic is entirely suitable only for persons who are fanatically interested in computer (video) games, when enthusiasm is close to pathology. One way or another, there is an undeniable fact that the phenomenon of human dependence on computer games is becoming more common. Because the number of people falling into this addiction grows every day, this issue needs to be studied. That’s why your argumentative essay about video games will be very relevant.
There is a class of gaming fans in society. Many of them experience significant difficulties due to computer enthusiasm and need psychological help. Most gamers have such problems as the absence of personal life, dissatisfaction with own personality, and, as a result, the loss of the meaning of life and normal human values. The only important thing is the computer and everything connected with it.
Your essay on video games should not necessarily explain the above problems with all possible carefulness. It is enough to express your own opinion about the issue of human-computer interaction during gaming. You can consider the psychological specifics of video games and the dynamics of the addiction formation.
Recently, there has been an interesting trend in the sphere of research of gaming addiction. Experts try to consider its features by analogy with the psychological aspects of narcotic, alcohol and other more "traditional" addictions.
Usage of such parallels is the very convenient method for scientific research. You can push forward the following video games addiction essay thesis: in the case of confirmation of the equivalence of these types of addiction, it will be possible to use the entire knowledge accumulated in the field of "traditional" habits in studies of serious gaming. However, it should be noted that not all peculiarities coincide in the comparison of different types of addictions.
It’s worth describing a certain specificity of harmful gaming revealed from empirical research in video game addiction essay. It is evident that the strength of narcotic addiction increases with time. That is, in the absence of a particular therapeutic effect on a person, his psychological dependence on narcotic substances continually increases. A spontaneous decrease in the strength of drug addiction or its complete disappearance can be regarded as a rare exception to the general rules. Such cases occur instead due to the individual characteristics of a person that due to the mechanisms of addiction itself.
You may consider dynamics of dependence development in addition to video games essay. Statistics are based on the words of people who dedicated 5-10 years of their lives to games. According to the subjective opinion of 80% of the respondents, they passed the "peak" of enthusiasm but continue to play. If several years ago, in the period of maximum enthusiasm, they could play 30-50 hours a week, and the duration of the game could be up to 14-18 hours, recently they play 20-30 hours a week, and one game lasts not more than 4-5 hours. And if this amount of time spent confuses you and you need help, then TV and video game timers will help you significantly reduce these hours.
Also, 88% of the respondents claim that they have become more selective in the choice of games and did not buy every novelty as before. Besides, 66% of the respondents have a special affection for a particular game, mostly from the "old" ones, whose release fell on the "peak" of their enthusiasm.
Based on these results, you may assume in research papers on video games that the dynamics of the development of computer addiction has the following form:
The decrease in the degree of addiction may happen due to various factors. The gamers themselves regard this as something related to the process of maturing, formation of independent personality, increasing the educational level and life experience. Most skilled players say that, along with growing up, there has been an internal fracture, a reassessment of values.
As one can understand from their words, the computer helped them to compare a virtual world where "everything is permissible" with the real world where there are other people, norms, laws, and morals in which they have to live and work by themselves.
However, there is an exciting fact about video games which can be described in the college essay about video games. Even after realizing the uselessness of gaming, a person can't completely abandon it, which speaks in favor of the rather high stability of psychological addiction, although its depth and the power of influence is already not so significant after passing the "peak."
Thus, we can compare the mechanism of the formation of drug and gaming addictions only at certain stages. In the periods of increase and stability, the gaming is very close to the narcotic addiction in psychological aspects. However, in the case of gaming, the recession follows after the "peak," which is not inherent to the drug addiction.
From the proposed dynamics, five stages of the development of psychological addiction can be distinguished in the essay about gaming. Each of them has its specifics.
After a person played a game once or several times, he begins to like computer graphics, sound, the very fact of imitation of real life or fantastic stories. Someone dreamed of shooting a machine gun all his life, someone - of driving the Ferrari or even a warship. The computer allows realizing these dreams with a rather high approximation to reality.
An unconscious need to play a role begins becomes real. A person enjoys computer games. Positive emotions accompany this hobby. The nature of human is such that he or she seeks to repeat actions that bring pleasure, satisfy needs. As a result, a person begins to play no longer finding himself near the computer accidentally. The desire for gaming activity acquires some purposefulness.
However, the specificity of this stage is that the gaming has somewhat situational than precise nature. A stable, constant need to play is not formed here. The virtual reality is not a significant value for a person.
The factor that indicates the transition of a person to this stage of addiction formation is the emergence of a new need in the hierarchy of values - gaming. However, it should be mentioned in the essay about computer games addiction that it is only the generalized idea of new value. Its structure is more complicated. Its true nature depends on the individual psychological features of the person. In other words, the addiction to games is instead a motivation determined by the need to escape the reality and to play a specific role.
If a person does not have constant access to a computer, i.e., the satisfaction of the needs is impossible, there may be actions to eliminate obstructing circumstances.
According to psychologists, only 10-14% of players are "addicts," i.e., reach the stage of psychological dependence on computer games. It is characterized not only by the shift of gaming to the lower level of the hierarchy of needs but also by other, no less severe changes in the value system of the individual.
There are changes in self-esteem and self-awareness. Addiction can take one of two forms: socialized and individualized. The socialized form of game addiction is distinguished by the maintenance of social contacts with the society (although mainly with the gaming fans). Such people are very fond of playing together via the computer network. Competition serves as a motivation.
It’s worth stressing in the negative effects of video games essay that this form of addiction is less detrimental in its impact on the human psyche than the individualized form. The difference is that people do not go away from society. They do not hide "inside themselves." As a rule, social environment, although consisting of the same fans, still does not allow a person to forget about reality completely, to get lost in the virtual world, to face mental and physical disorders.
For people with an individualized addiction, such prospects are more real. It is an extreme form of addiction, when not only the standard human features of the worldview are violated, but also the interaction with the surrounding world. The primary function of the psyche is changed – it begins to reflect not the impact of the objective world but virtual reality.
These people often play alone for a long time. The need for gaming is at one level with the basic physiological needs. A computer game becomes a kind of drug. Addicted people begin to feel dissatisfaction, experience negative emotions and fall into depression when they don't "take a dose" for some time. That is a clinical case, psychopathology or a way of life leading to pathology.
This stage is characterized by the weakening of human gaming activity, the shift towards the norm in the psychological content of the individual as a whole. The relationship of a person with a computer can be compared with a button which is sewn not firmly but still quite reliably.
A person "keeps distance" with a computer, but can't completely break away from psychological attachment to games. That is the longest of all stages. It can last a lifetime, depending on the rate of extinction of attachment. Often, computer games have a short history. However, the cases of destruction of addiction are sporadic.
If a person can stop on one of the previous stages of addiction formation, the addiction will fade out faster. But if a gamer goes through all three phases and develop a dependence on computer games, he or she will stay at this stage for a long time.
The level to which the addiction will drop after passing the maximum is decisive here. The stronger recession is, the less time is needed to eliminate the habit. However, there is the reason to assume that the dependence will never be eliminated, but we can't confirm this experimentally.
It should also be noted in the computer addiction essay that a short-term increase in game dependence is possible. That happens due to the emergence of new exciting games. After the game is tested, the strength of addiction returns to the initial level.
The mechanism of "dragging" a person into the game dependence, although it seems to be visible, is rarely mentioned in works on similar topics. Much has been done in the field of studying gaming motivation. But it is not a primary factor in the mechanism of addiction formation.
It is based on partially unconscious aspirations, the need for distraction from reality and the formation of a social role. These mechanisms work regardless of a person's consciousness and the nature of the motivation for gaming activity. They come into force immediately after acquaintance with computer games, when the person starts to play more or less regularly.
Regardless of what the person is guided by and what motivates him, when he starts playing computer games at the first time, the mechanisms of dependence formation are turned on. In the future, the necessity on which the general arrangement is based becomes of importance in the motivation of gaming activities. You may consider such tools in the research paper on video games addiction.
The basis of this mechanism is the person's need to "distance" from everyday worries and problems, a kind of transformation of the need for energy conservation. Researchers use the term "avoiding reality" not accidentally. The fact is that they do not mean simply the environment, surrounding people, but the objective reality as a whole. The person can escape from society in a variety of ways. But all of them are connected with "immersing" in another reality – virtual.
It may be written in the benefits of video games essay that the psychological aspects of this mechanism are based on the natural desire to get rid of all sorts of problems and troubles associated with everyday life. A computer game is a simple and accessible way of modeling another world or such life situations in which a person has never been and won't be in reality. A gamer could live another life where there are no problems, no everyday work, no hassle connected with making money for living, etc.
It may be written in the benefits of video games essay that the In this sense, it may seem that computer games are a means of relieving stress, reducing the level of depression, i.e., a kind of therapeutic method. However, the use of gaming for these purposes is in question, although it seems entirely possible. You can develop this topic in the essay on using video games to reduce stress.
In practice, people often abuse this way of avoiding reality, lose the sense of balance and play for a long time. As a consequence, there is a danger of not temporary but complete detachment from reality, the formation of extreme psychological dependence on the computer.
The beneficial influence of gaming is manifested as follows: for a while, a person immerses himself in virtuality to relieve stress, to get distracted from problems, etc. But in pathological, clinical cases, the opposite happens: sometimes, a person goes out from virtuality and spends a little time in the real world in order not to forget how he looks and to meet physiological needs. The rest of the hierarchy of needs is shifted to virtual reality and is satisfied there. The real world begins to seem alien and full of dangers because a person can't do all that is allowed in the virtual reality. This difference should be stressed in the essay on video games positive effects.
One gaming addict said: "When I leave the computer and go out into the street, I have no weapons that I have in the game. Without them, I feel defenseless, so I try to quickly come home and sit back to play again." We see that the permanent withdrawal from reality leads to the strengthening of this desire, to the emergence of a sustainable need for virtual attributes. Write about it in “Negative long-term effects of video games” research paper.
It’s possible to trace analogies with drug addiction: with each dose taken, the strength of dependence increases; with every hour of the game, dependence on it is amplified, and soon it becomes impossible for a person to live without a computer game.
Looking for video game topics to write about in psychology, you can consider the role-playing aspect of this addiction. The desire to merge with a computer character is in the core. It allows a person to satisfy the needs that can't be fulfilled in real life for some reason.
Games, especially in childhood, are part of the human cognitive activity. All children play them, consciously assuming the role of adults, satisfying the unconscious need for knowledge of the world around. With age, role-playing is replaced by intellectual games, and the person very rarely has the opportunity to assume somebody's role, although the subconscious need for this is preserved: the driver wants to look at the world through the eyes of the pilot, the man - to be in the role of a woman, the loser rejected by society dreams of being a leader for at least a minute.
The need for the cognition of the world is a modified research instinct inherited by humans from animals. Presumably, this need is in the unconscious area. In most cases, it is partially or entirely not realized by a person. However, the unconsciousness of the requirement does not indicate its absence or weakness as a motivating factor. On the contrary, unconscious needs exert a more significant influence on our behavior than we realize it.
Research instinct of animals and cognitive need of humans are sufficiently powerful motivating factors which often completely determine behavior. An animal, if led by a research instinct, forgets about the danger and may die. Thus, the animal's research instinct can suppress even a very powerful self-preservation instinct. The game is a very effective way of cognitive activity in the process of which the unconscious cognitive need is satisfied, as a result of which a person feels pleasure.
It’s should be mentioned in computer game addiction research paper that the very mechanism of the dependence formation is based on the need for role-playing. After a person played a computer game once or several times, he or she understands that the computer hero is respected, his/her opinion is taken into account by other gamers. At the same time, he/she is strong and can kill a hundred of enemies at once just like a superman. It is enjoyable for a person to enter the role of this character, to feel the full freedom of actions because the majority of people do not have the opportunity to experience such feelings in real life.
Further, the more a person plays, the more he begins to feel the contrast between his real and virtual image. This comparison attracts a gamer to a computer and removes him from real life. The game turns into a means of compensating for everyday problems. Personality begins to satisfy own desires in the game world. Of course, this entails many serious issues in the development of the individual, in the formation of self-awareness and self-esteem, as well as in the higher spheres of the personality structure. These factors should be listed in the essay on video games negative effects.
Thus, there are two main psychological mechanisms for the formation of addiction on computer games: the need to escape from reality and playing the role of other people. They always work simultaneously, but one of them can surpass the other by the force of influence on the formation of addiction.
Both mechanisms are based on the process of compensation for negative life experiences. Therefore, there is a reason to assume that they will not work if the person is delighted with surrounding reality, has no psychological problems, considers his life to be happy and productive. However, there are very few such persons. So, it may be stated in the negative effects of video games research paper that most people should be considered potentially predisposed to the formation of psychological addiction to computer games.
You may pick an interesting topic “Should video games be considered a sport?” argumentative essay. With each year, more human and financial resources are involved in eSports. The speed of development is impressive: 20 years ago no one could imagine that such separate and independent sphere will appear, and moreover - billions of dollars will be circulating in it.
The history of eSports dates back to 1997, when the first eSports league in Quake appeared. At the same time, in the early 2000s, Korea had a huge impact on e-sports. The country has chosen high technology as a “national idea”. Of course, Koreans attracted computer games in this direction. The state invested money in the industry, and this meant reaching a completely different level for eSports.
Write in “History of video games” research paper that, in Europe and America, eSports developed along the standard path – via organizing small tournaments, with the difference that it was turned into a spectacular and mass show in America: from the very beginning, e-sports was perceived as a potentially scalable business.
In some countries, it all began with a simple and accessible format - computer clubs which developed and paid off very quickly. The unique gaming ecosystem formed inside of them. Over time, these clubs began to host tournaments that were usually organized by the players. Participants made contributions to the general fund (for example, $ 10) and played for a prize. Sometimes, the goal of the battle was just a pack of beer.
The first major tournament - the beginning of rapid development
Of course, people interested in this sphere gradually appeared. They began to develop it. With amazingly small money, activists sponsored teams and held tournaments. Note in your video games vs. sports essay that World Cyber Games with a finale in Seoul can be considered the first major tournament in the history of eSports. Samsung acted as its general sponsor. From that moment, eSports could no longer be stopped: further money prizes were increased up to $ 1 million, $ 5 million, and finally, $18 million.
New disciplines continued to appear in cybersports. They quickly gained popularity among the public. What is remarkable about this sphere? It is quite close to traditional sports, but it is much more dynamic and flexible: disciplines can replace each other, gain popularity, disappear, but still, new ones appear and continue to support the sphere, its stable development.
Scope and potential
Assuming that in each country throughout the world, at least 1/10 of the population is connected with eSports, we will see a considerable scale. Write in “Future of video games” essay that the number of active gamers continues to increase from year to year. Budgets and sponsorship infusions continuously grow. Relatively recently, ventures turned their attention to this sphere: many start-ups began to receive investments from funds and business angels for the development of eSports projects.
Recognition of eSports as a sphere took place at the moment when well-known company Amazon acquired a service for broadcasting games Twitch.tv for $ 970 million. At the turn of 2014 and 2015, it became known that the company ESPN (the most significant television and broadcasting company in the world) wished to be engaged in the display of cyber-sports tournaments. Moreover, it’s worth mentioning in “Should video games be considered a sport?” essay an assumption which, most likely, will become true: very soon, the usual sports clubs will start creating their cyber teams.
All these events show that the eSports market reaches a different level - both in financial, organizational, legal and in "moral" terms. The industry of eSports gives an opportunity to receive a wide variety of professions in this field – not only to become a player. And this means that, perhaps, it's time to stop driving children away from the computer and to look at their hobbies from the other side. Suddenly, in the future, a person may be not a player but an expert in the field of e-sports: marketer, financier or researcher. Highlight these positive aspects in video game industry research paper.
For many people, games are a bit more than just killing time. Such players enjoy the story, the beautiful picture on the screen, the characters that seem alive. The problem is that the projects that can give so many impressions are scarce. Most of them offer one thing, for example, good graphics, but have an empty and banal plot full of clichés. In some game, we may see an excellent story. But it is presented in the form which is inconvenient for the player.
It’s worth stressing in the argumentative essay “Should video games be considered art?” that, to be called a masterpiece, the game must combine all the parameters. The plot must be full and saturated, not banal, have many branches and be sufficiently non-linear for the game to be played several times. An excellent example is Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. The third part of the famous series perfectly presents the story. The player has the choice, which can radically change all subsequent events.
Music is also important. It creates an atmosphere reinforcing the pictures on the screen, just like in the movie. An excellent example is Ori and The Blind Forest, where the main character, a small fantastic creature, travels the world to return the light. Musical compositions add magic to the fictional world and make you believe that you are really in a fairytale forest. Music should complement the game, adorn the virtual space with vivid colors, show something new to the player.
other of the three foundational points which should be mentioned in “Can video games be art?” argumentative essay is designed. While the plot tells the story and the music emphasizes it, the design should perform one of the most challenging tasks - to show the characters and the world so that the player believes that they are almost real, that they have thoughts and feelings. An excellent example is the game Destiny. Despite the rather weak plot, the stylistics and visual component of this game are on top. Characters seem to be alive, and the individuality of each of them makes you laugh, empathize with the heroes. It is an example of good design.
Team work
Stress in “Evolution of video games” essay that the perfect products are those in which the work of the team is visible, for example, Undertale. This game does not have a sophisticated or unique visual style, but its plot covers all the disadvantages. It is an art to create a product that appeals not only to the ordinary buyer but also to the experienced player. The creation of a good game requires strong team skills in many areas immediately. It is about the work of writers, experts responsible for the visual part, composers, programmers, marketers, sociologists, technical specialists.
The list can be continued indefinitely. Every game can be called a complex work of art which lives owing to the united forces of developers, sleepless nights while writing code or concepts and, undoubtedly, the players' reaction, their delight, and admiration, the enjoyment with the final product. Mention the following thought in “Why video games are good for you?” essay: high-quality developments that do not have a detrimental effect on the psyche can bring real pleasure.
Gamers did not realize that in the late 2000s, video games ceased to be entertainment only for the substantial part of humanity. It’s worth emphasizing in the essay on the difference between women and men playing video games as any modern research shows: ladies are addicted to games no less or even more than gentlemen, especially to those products that are created for social networks and smartphones. But in such games, the sex of heroes is usually either not indicated or is not at critical.
Another thing is a game which has a large budget, claims for high cultural value is intended for computers and consoles. This category is called "core": an outsider will study such games for a long time. Many of them either ignore women or leave the role of an object for them. In one of the parts of the historical adventure series "Assassin's Creed," it's impossible to play for female characters: according to one of the authors, this could "double the amount of work."
A vivid example for the sexism in video games essay is the most popular core series "Grand Theft Auto." This game is disrespectful of women who are portrayed as strippers, prostitutes, grouchy and helpless wives, girlfriends, aunts, and caricature feminists. For the sake of justice, the images of men, many of whom are losers, psychopaths and rapists, are not better, and "Grand Theft Auto" is a satire that should not be taken seriously. But the different characters of men are worked out much more carefully, whereas there is only one negative character feature for each woman - that's all.
The creators of "Assassin's Creed" and "Grand Theft Auto" follow simple logic. Their target audience has always consisted of tens of millions of teenagers, boys, and men. Accusations of sexism do not affect business, and to make games more attractive for ladies, it is necessary to rebuild production: to spend more resources and equalize the gender balance in development teams, which takes a lot of time in studios where hundreds of people work.
But major changes should be made, although men want video games to belong to them, as before. An example of the life simulator «Animal Crossing» for the system Nintendo 3DS shows that the games become equally interesting to both sexes when no less women than men participate in their development.
Mention in “Female stereotypes in video games” essay that gender inequality has come to gaming companies from neighboring industries, primarily IT, where only men worked until recently. During the last years, the situation has improved, especially in big companies such as Xerox. And although the women who head the technology companies prefer not to focus on the problem, the inequality in IT remains. There are four times less female programmers than male. That is why they face discrimination, harassment, and insults from colleagues. Their salaries are 10-20% lower than the incomes of male employees.
Almost always, marketers considered (and continue to do it) that the audience of video games is limited to young men. From year to year, companies hire the models dressed rather frankly. Once, ESA, which organizes the largest video game exhibition "E3", banned some products because of too provocative female images. And this is not to mention the annual cases of harassment that happen both offline and online.
It’s worth writing in college application essay about video games that women are rarely depicted on the cover because the target audience prefers men with weapons. Publishers refused to work on the game "Remember Me" because it is necessary to play for a woman in it. Ladies are not allowed to participate in the championship on popular card game "Hearthstone" in Finland to "avoid potential conflicts." The developers of the horror “The Last of Us” had to ask to involve not only men in testing – the originators of the focus groups did not foresee this.
It may be stated in the essay “Playing computer games is bad for health” that scientists have proved: prolonged sitting in front of the computer leads to various neurological changes in the brain. Such influence provokes the problems with behavior and attention. These conclusions were reinforced by a long-term study conducted by a specialist in psychology and neuroscience Susan Greenfield.
According to the researcher, the technologies used in video and computer games affect the organs in such a way that temporary or permanent deactivation of specific nervous systems occurs. We all know that human, by his nature, is very adaptive to external conditions. The computer game is a kind of new environment. Therefore, the body begins to transform to suit it.
In addition, the authors of magazine PLoS ONE claimed that the computer dependence not only restructures the brain but also causes the desiccation of gray matter. Ten years ago, Japanese scientists told that games stimulate only those parts of the brain that is responsible for vision and movement. However, the areas responsible for behavioral reactions, learning and emotions remain underdeveloped. It can be assumed in “Video games and society” essay that players begin to experience serious problems in communicating with other people because of this.
The most dangerous case is when the cause of computer dependence is the age crisis, for example, adolescent. Since an adrenaline rush accompanies any game with an ongoing storyline, a teenager quickly gets used to it and starts continually looking for similar feelings in reality. Since games contain elements that provoke aggression, to calm down, many people consume excessive amounts of food. You may describe this problem in video games and obesity essay.
Spending a lot of time in front of the computer in a sitting position adversely affects the posture. A degradation of muscles takes place. Few obsessed gamers allocate at least half an hour a day for physical exercises. Despite all advantages of cybersport, it does not contribute to physical development.
It may be written in “Board games vs. video games” essay that the first option is much safer for physical and psychological health. The board game has a much more reserved character. In most cases, such entertainment forces players to think, while many computer games boil down to purely mechanical mouse clicks. The presence of other people in the game, live communication with them and the absence of harmful radiation from the monitor are also among the benefits.
An argument regarding the harm of computer radiation can also be given in “Video games vs. books” essay. Literature is a relatively safe entertainment. Even if there are enough wild stories in novels, they do not affect the nervous system as strongly as games.
If 10 years ago it was possible to see happy children playing in the yards, then today, many of them remain at home to kill monsters in the virtual world. As a result, we get a new generation of mentally vulnerable people with weak health. Although many people consider physical culture an unnecessary discipline for schools and universities, it shows to the children that there are other forms of entertainment besides passing virtual quests.
It also should be said in a comparative essay on outdoor activities and playing video games that much depends on parental influence. Hard working adults often do not have the energy, time and desire to play with children, to walk with them in the park. Active and curious kid irritates and deprives the parent of the opportunity to relax. It's much easier to send him to travel alone in the virtual world.
The most interesting is that the father or mother can sit in the next room playing the same computer games. Instead of spending time together, the family splits. It is necessary to indicate in outdoor activities vs. video games essay that long absence of contact with nature, fresh air, sunlight has a depressing effect on the psyche and health.
Even if it is difficult for parents to deal with the child's computer addiction, they should not impose a complete ban on virtual entertainment - the reaction can be hysterical. It's better to choose those products that will have an evolving effect on intelligence. It is necessary to abandon the banal bloody plots and pay attention to logical puzzles, tasks that develop logic. You can describe them in educational video games essay.
Anyone who has seen "Doom", "Quake" or "Unreal" will agree that there is little humanism in these games. And the thing is not even in the terrible monsters — they are not the most aggressive component. Virtual worlds are doomed from birth. They exist only until the player enters them. The cars will be blown up, the monsters — destroyed, and the gamer, sowing death and destruction, will continue his journey to a new "level" or a new game.
You can still say that alone player is interested in riddles of the labyrinth or a fantastic design. But the team play takes place in a familiar space. There is nothing new for the gamer there. It may be written in violent video games essay that he "dies" and "resurrects" only for the sake of aggression. In some parts of "Botmatch" and "Unreal," its level is so great that the beginning player "dies" less than a second after the start of the game.
Almost every moment is hard work. The player is ready for it — to be aggressive. But what does it mean to be aggressive? The word "aggression" came from the Latin "adgradi." The literal translation is close to the word "attack." Usually, this is the desire to spread influence, which applies to both living and non-living objects.
Chemists talk about "aggressive environments" — chemically active substances, the treatment of which requires special attention. Economists use the term "aggressive pricing policy" regarding successful commercial operations to seize the market. Politicians sometimes characterize a foreign country as an "aggressor state."
Most often this term describes the relationship of people. At the everyday level, aggression is a common thing. Previously, it manifested itself mostly in queues and public transport, now — on the roads. At the end of the twentieth century, "state aggression" was so high that it nearly destroyed the biosphere of the entire planet. For some time, the prospect of guaranteed mutual destruction seemed quite reasonable and real.
It should be stressed in “Do video games cause violence?” essay that aggression is a natural feature of a human. In influencing behavior, it may compete with the intellect. When a person loses consciousness, the aggressively-defensive instinct fades away only with the last breath.
The words "aggression" and "life" are almost synonymous. Life on Earth arose and developed under the influence of a single source of energy - the Sun. The radiation of this star provides living creatures with warmth and light. Only inactive or very simple organisms can directly use solar rays for maintenance of the life. All the rest creatures extract energy through the destruction of other organisms. A "food chain" is formed — a system of the accumulation and transfer of energy, valuable substances. Every link is someone's death.
The "predator-prey" relationship is rarely called aggression. A cat hunting and playing with a mouse is very different from the conflict of the two cats. The word "aggression" is most often understood as intraspecific confrontation. Animals of one species rarely kill each other. Usually, the means of attack counterbalance the means of defense: a reliable hide opposes the fangs and claws. Intraspecific aggression is hampered by population-centric instinct. Spring fights of males are instead a ritual than cruelty.
It’s worth describing the sources of human aggression in video game violence argumentative essay. Inventing tools, a human destroyed the natural balance. Bones of the skull are not designed to oppose a stone ax, thin skin — to protect from the knife. The increased intellect has suppressed all the instincts, including the population-centric. Archaeologists proved, for the first time, humanity tried to destroy itself several hundred thousand years ago.
The invention of tools gave birth to the first human-made crisis. People themselves have created such conditions in which it was impossible to live as before. It was required either to abandon the tools or to learn how to manage own aggression. Otherwise, self-destruction could take place.
A constructive response to the anthropogenic crisis was a sharp complication of the structure and volume of the psyche. Weakened instincts were replaced by the protoculture - the mental recognition of objects on the principle of "friend — alien." Aggression is permissible only concerning the "alien." It is especially strong when biological differences are insignificant. This case is called "hatred to a double" by anthropologists.
By directing aggression to the outside world with weapons, humanity has turned all large animals into preys. When many species (mammoths, cave bears, etc.) were exterminated, a new anthropogenic crisis arose.
According to modern estimates, the maximum density of hunters' settlements was approximately one person per twenty kilometers of hunting grounds. When there were three or four million hunters on Earth, a crisis of overpopulation arose.
There were many crises in the history of civilization: the replacement of bronze weapons with steel, the emergence of cities and the industrial revolution. One of the most noticeable anthropogenic crises began in the twentieth century. Many people estimated the likelihood of the death of humankind as a result of nuclear war or disintegration of the habitat as very high.
In response to the threat, the human has changed. The increase in the volume of the psyche allows him to calculate the consequences of own deeds, reflect and take into account the more significant number of connections and relations in the world.
One of the most visible indicators of mental changes is related to the evaluation of favorite aggressive computer games. For teenagers, they are a fashionable and exciting pastime. The older generation treats them critically. Some people even compare themselves to the parents from Ray Bradbury's story "The Veldt" which may be mentioned as a demonstrative example in “Violent video games should be banned” essay.
The time of action is the future. The characters are an ordinary family: two parents and two teenage children. They live in a house filled with intelligent household appliances. One day, parents notice that children regularly play "The Veldt" — a special machine which creates the illusion of being in a group of hunting African lions. After consulting with an expert, parents decide to ban the game. After this, children lure their mom and dad into the game room, where animated lions attacked them. It turned out that the meaning of "The Veldt" was the following: the children killed their parents every day in the game before realizing this goal.
It should be noted in an essay on computer games advantages and disadvantages that differences in the evaluation of video games are due to subjective complexity of the picture of the world in the field of aggression: some people can distinguish gaming behavior from real life, while others — no.
Adulthood usually increases this ability: a small child brings an emotional relationship that has arisen during role-playing into reality. The adult sportsman demonstratively shakes hands with his opponent after a tough fight. The further development of this skill is manifested as the ability typical for modern people — to kill each other in virtual space and to be friends in reality.
The more criteria for analysis a person has, the more aggressive his behavior may be while remaining within the framework of generally accepted moral norms. A respected member of society often differs from a criminal not by what he does, but by how. The complexity of the perception of the world allows people to choose ways to achieve the goal more flexible, reducing damage to the interests of individuals, society or the entire environment.
This characteristic is typical of all kinds of human activity, especially for creative thinking. Often people talk about the life of a famous scientist or artist with military terms: "revolution of the outlook," "struggle of ideas."
You may conclude in positive effects of video games essay that, if not to oppose the virtual reality to the real world and to consider them as parts of one life, then computer games become a simulator for learning how to control aggressiveness. When the player changes the game for some other activity, the skill remains and becomes quite useful.
Another attractive feature of video games is the use of a computer. The role and significance of operator's work steadily grow: more and more people control something or anyone using a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Although many parents oppose such entertainment, for their children, this is a good way to obtain valuable knowledge.
The relevance of “Do violent video games cause more aggression, bullying, and fighting?” argument essay is connected with the fact that the world is divided by the abyss which has become more rooted in recent years. Children say that computer games are lovely, great, cool, and so on. They always want to play. Parents can punish kids not getting to play or encourage them by allowing such pastime. Adults talk about Veldt syndrome. A generation obsessed with aggression grows in their homes.
The Veldt syndrome hides the problem of the generation gap. The computer became the most cherished childhood dream. And parents faced a question "What to do?" Not to pay much attention to it or to declare war on computer games? Since they "conquered" the world, humankind has divided into two camps: supporters and opponents of virtual reality. Each time, researchers from different countries find more and more arguments for and against games. But, probably, it will be most accurate to write in an argumentative essay on video games and violence that the scales are still in an equilibrium position.
According to forecasts, in the coming years, the market of video games will steadily expand. It is a business area with a turnover of about 10 billion dollars per year. More money is earned here than in the American film industry. However, experts are concerned that there are antisocial elements in many games: violence, sex, and profanity. Unfortunately, these games are especially popular among children and teenagers of 8-15 years old.
According to one study conducted in the US, almost 80% of video games, most beloved by young people, are brutal. Games have ceased to be just games. They have become a means of learning. Their producers teach children to enjoy shooting at the other person without thinking about what consequences such actions lead in real life.
Are there many brutal games on the computer market? The lively attention of gamers was attracted by the product "Grand Theft Auto 3" which may be considered as a negative example in an argumentative essay about violence in video games. Its primary goal is to increase the status in a criminal organization by participating in various crimes, for example, engagement in prostitution and to commit murders. Each action has its consequences. If you knock down a pedestrian on a stolen car, law enforcement officers will start chasing you. If you shoot one of them, you will be searched for by the FBI. Killing one of the employees of this organization, you will deal with the military. Although the game is intended for users at least 17 years old, it was sold to younger kids too. Even 12-year-olds play it with enthusiasm.
It's worth describing in detail so-called "first-person shooters" aimed at a speed of reaction in “Violence in video games” research paper. They are often criticized for excessive cruelty. The game, as a rule, boils down to choosing the weapons and killing the enemies, whether they are people or someone else. Of course, "shooters" are only a part of the computer world.However, visiting any game club, you may have the impression that there are no other games.
Let’s assume that you decided to buy a personal computer. As soon as you start considering its characteristics (it does not matter where: in special magazines for buyers or on thematic websites on the Internet), among the numerous and contradictory features of the certain component, you may meet "the number of frames per second in Quake 3 Arena". Suddenly, the suitability for "shooters" has become one of the hallmarks of the "modernity" of the personal computer.
In general, when the media write about the dangers of computer games, they usually mean "shooters," which should be stressed in “Do violent video games contribute to youth violence?” essay.
In the spring of 1999, in his televised appeal to America, Bill Clinton stated that it is necessary to think twice when it comes to "first-person shooters." The reason for his speech was a shootout at school. Two teenagers killed more than a dozen classmates. One of the shooters was not only a DOOM player but also a developer (at the amateur level) of the new "levels" of this game.
The cruel category includes games of the genre 3D-Action, like the series Quake, Doom or Half-Life, Counter-Strike, fighting games like Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter and real-time strategies from the family of Warcraft, Starcraft and Command & Conquer. For example, GTA is a game where it is necessary to hit the head of an innocent person with a baseball bat to steal his car. Another example for a persuasive essay on restricting video games is a Postale. Its plot starts like this: a man goes for milk, then he takes a gun and starts shooting at passers-by.
In most countries of the world, such games are not prohibited, although computer entertainments strictly vary in age categories, which should be described in censorship in video games essay. GTA, for example, falls into the 18+ group. In some countries, this game is banned.
Back in 1976, a public protest against aggressive plots was triggered by the console game "Death Race." It boiled down to driving a car and shooting at pedestrians crossing the screen in different directions. The one who crushed most people became the winner. Better graphics distinguishes Modern, more original games and create the illusion that the player commits the bloodiest atrocities. All this creates serious threats to society that must be covered in video games and aggression research paper.
For example, in the game "Carmageddon," by the time the player passes all levels, he manages to catch and kill up to 33000 victims. The annotation to the second part of the game says: "The victims wheeze getting under the wheels of your car, their blood splashes on the windshield, moreover, they fall to their knees begging for mercy or commit suicide. If you wish, you can dismember their bodies." So, are such imitations harmless? You may use this question as a violent video games essay hook.
From the moment when computer games containing elements of violence, aggression, and the like appeared in the life of society, the media periodically reports of tragedies that happened due to fanatical enthusiasm for virtual games. Moreover, with a certain periodicity, the authorities of various countries take restrictive measures concerning the sale, release and distribution of aggressive products. Here are some examples of such cases which should be cited in “Violent video games and the link to violent crime” research paper.
Two American teenagers brought homemade grenades into the school, killed twelve classmates and teachers, wounded several people. Then they sent themselves to the afterworld. During the investigation, a video recorded shortly before the bloody campaign was found. Looking at the camera, one of the "punishers" said that they had planned "something like a Doom shooter."
On the birthday of Hitler on April 20, 1999, at 11:19 in the morning, Eric Harris (18 years old) and Dylan Klebold (17 years old) drove up to their school in Littleton (Colorado, USA) in masks and black overcoats, armed with rifles and pistols. They started shooting already in the parking and then rushed inside.
The assistant to the sheriff Neil Gardner was the first to come to the scene of the accident. Eric Harris noticed a policeman and started shooting at him from a rifle. The weapon wedged. The police opened fire but did not harm anyone. Eric disappeared into the building and joined Dylan. On the way through the cafeteria, upstairs to the library, they killed 12 schoolchildren and teachers in 16 minutes, injured 20 people.
A few minutes after the special forces broke into the building, the teenagers committed suicide. Witnesses justified that the killers belonged to "The Trenchcoat Mafia" gang, boasted that they had weapons, hated blacks, Hispanics, sportsmen, loved Marilyn Manson and Doom - a computer game with shooting.
It’s worth mentioning in violent video games research paper the article “Video games and aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the laboratory and in life” which appeared in the American media in 2000. Authors, psychology professors Craig Anderson and Karen Dill, claimed that children see more and more cruelty in the modern world. Television, cinema, and computer games are to blame for this. The article argued that there is a link between the brutality of computer games and the aggressive behavior of adolescents, which can lead to crimes and killings.
In an appeal to the US Senate, Anderson said: "Although there are many difficulties in the study of behavioral features, one simple and clear thing is to be known to everyone: computer games increase cruelty and violence. Our study showed that the impact of computer games on violent behavior is even more serious than the influence of violent TV shows and films."
Many experts disagreed with this point of view, believing that the conclusions of Anderson and Dill are instead an opinion than a proven scientific fact. But, despite the subjectivity of the approach, the work was widely supported by the public and actively replicated in the media.
Parents of teenagers-killers filed lawsuits against the leading producers of computer games. In Indianapolis, on July 10, 2000, a law was passed that minors can play only with the permission of their parents. On October 30, 2001, the US Supreme Court suspended it. Reason: insufficient scientific confirmation of the danger of computer games, which may be used as the argument in “Video games don't cause violence” essay.
On April 26, 2002, Robert Steinhäuser killed 17 and wounded 7 people in Gutenberg-Gymnasium, Erfurt, Germany. Robert studied not well, did not like his teachers. 14 out of 17 killed persons were pedagogues. When interviewing witnesses, in particular, it turned out that the teenager played Counter-Strike. The official newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published an article in which it was written: "The killer was practicing with the help of computer games." At the same time, it was impossible to find such products as, for example, Quake 3 in stores of Germany. They were prohibited by law.
On September 6, 2002, Greece passed a law prohibiting playing any computer games in public places, although on September 25 this law was canceled.
You may cite one more tragic incident in “Do violent video games cause aggression?” essay. In the summer of 2004, a 14-year-old teenager, Stefan Pakeerah, was brutally murdered by his friend, 17-year-old Warren Leblanc in Leicester, UK. Leblanc lured Pakeerah to a local park where brutally beat and slaughtered him.
At the trial, the accused stated that he was obsessed with the game Manhunt. And although the city court of Leicester considered that Leblanc had murdered for robbery, the mother of the victim believed that the teenager simply imitated a game where it was necessary to collect points for brutal murders.
It is significant that the sales volume of the computer game Manhunt considerably increased after the trial which was widely covered in the media. The game gained stunning popularity in Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Liverpool, Belfast, and Glasgow. Many people who did not know about the existence of Manhunt wanted to buy it. Some large trading networks stopped the sale of the game.
If you want to make your paper convincing, include the description of reliable researches in outline for violent video games essay. Some experts downplay the impact of brutal electronic entertainment, pointing to the fact that, perhaps, it is preferred by those children who already tend towards aggression. However, their opponents ask no less reasonable questions. Even if it is true, do not violent games aggravate cruelty? It would be ridiculous to say that people are not affected by what they see. For the sake of what billions of dollars are spent on television advertising?
Inform the readers of your video game violence research paper that four national health organizations of the USA, including the American Medical Association, have issued a document in which they claim that virtual violence is directly related to the real life. According to scientists, whose work lasted about 9 months and contained about 1000 reports, studies, and so on, virtual violence can cause an aggressive attitude, behavior, and increase aggressiveness in a person. Games make violence an attractive and ordinary thing.
The psychologists mentioned above and PhDs Craig Anderson (Iowa State University of Science and Technology) and Karen Dill (Lenoir-Rhyne College) conducted two small experiments. The first of them showed that the most aggressive people regularly play computer games with elements of violence, the second — that any person can temporarily increase the level of aggression owing to such games, even without playing for a long time.
During the first experiment, 227 randomly selected college students were asked to independently determine the level of own aggression using an individual scale. It was found that a higher level of aggression characterized students who liked to play violent computer games compared to the rest.
In the second experiment, 210 students from the same college were divided into two groups and played "cruel" (Wolfenstein 3D) and "peaceful" (Myst) games. After some time, it turned out that the level of aggression of students who played violent computer games was much higher than of those who preferred peaceful plots. Note in “Do violent video games cause behavior problems?” essay that the experiment confirmed this: the volunteers were ordered to "punish" the opponent "processing" his ears with the loud noise.
The results of these studies were published in the "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology." Psychologists believe that the main danger of cruel games is that they generate a 100% aggressive reaction to virtually any conflict situation.
A subconscious conditioned reflex prescribing how to behave in the event of a particular problem is formed. And the more time a person spends in front of the computer playing cruel games, the more likely that any, even just an ambiguous situation that requires analysis and reflection will be perceived as a conflict and solved in the only available way — by force.
It may be stated in violent video games essays that, in terms of impact on the human brain, games are much more dangerous than films and books with harmful content. The person makes decisions independently (identifying own personality with the character of the game), whereas he is only a passive observer when watching the video. In addition, the film lasts a couple of hours, and a child can spend on average up to 100 hours for one video game. In cinema, as studies have shown, people are attracted not by the number of victims on the screen but by the general dynamism and high speed of plot development.
In the book "On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society," military psychologist Dave Grossman wrote that the mechanism of the impact of electronic games is similar to combat training, during which soldiers learn to overcome the natural barrier before committing murder. For example, it was found that many infantrymen lose the feeling of aversion to murder if during the exercises they shoot not at frequent targets but targets in the form of human silhouettes. The same effect, according to Grossman, is provided by violent games: they instill the "taste and skill to kill" in the psyche of children.
It’s also worth mentioning the conclusions of Kimberly Thompson and Kevin Haninger from Harvard in video games psychology research paper. They found that popular products of the E category (recommended for children over the age of six) raise a penchant for violence and cruelty. Gamers need to beat, shoot and kill to get the rewards. In the "action" games, violence takes 91% of the time, and in 27% of cases, cruelty leads to death. Even if the murder and reward for it are not real, in the minds of the growing generation, virtual reality does not differ from real life.
Because about 70% of American kids spend almost all free time with computers or electronic TV consoles, is it a surprise that schoolchildren open fire with pistols and guns in US schools mixing the game with reality?
A classification system has been developed in many countries to identify games that provoke cruelty and are intended only for adults. However, such a system is useful only if it is appropriately applied. As a result of a survey conducted in the US, it was found that 66% of parents have no idea about this classification system.
The essay is one of the primary academic assignments. It is written year after year at the examinations, and new generations of graduates also will write it. Before you start working on own paper, read the information below. We tried to make essay prompts about video games as useful and practical as possible.
Structure of the essay
Is it easy to write essays? You will not face any super complicated task. Author does not have to show creative originality at all costs. It's much more important to know and observe the rules and criteria for compiling such works. A video game violence essay outline, or more simply, an essay plan is well known to experienced writers:
Separate the structural parts by paragraphs. Write the title in the center of the sheet. Video games research paper introduction should be started from a new line. Divide the central part into 2-3 paragraphs according to the meaning of the content. The conclusion should be stated in the last section of the text.
It is worth noting that the algorithm of writing can vary. Many authors work in the following sequence: central part – conclusion – introduction – title for a research paper about video games.
Types of essays
Usually, the exam ticket contains a detailed description of the assignment: the theme and style of the essay. There are three possible styles, and each of them will be considered in detail.
Opinion essays
The main feature of such text is the first-person narration in the course of which you must reasonably defend own point of view. The central task is to demonstrate own thoughts and the ability to substantiate them.
For and against essays
The main feature of such an essay is the presentation of arguments that reveal the topic from different (preferably opposite) points of view. The plan is as follows:
Suggesting solutions to problem essays
The theme of such work may be some global, well-known problem, for example, aggression caused by virtual entertainment. You need to tell how to solve the problem or how to put up with it. The video game violence research paper outline looks something like this:
Even if there is no direct indication of the style of the text in the examination task, you will immediately understand how to write such academic paper depending on the video game argumentative essay topics. For example, the paragraph about the influence of games on the psyche can contain definite (getting rid of stress) and negative (emergence of addiction) arguments. The topic concerning sexism in computer games will be maximally disclosed in the solutions to problem essay.
Speech clichés for essays
There are some phrases that help to write an essay. Their first advantage is that you have certain "points of support", guidelines for constructing sentences, and the second - they let examiners to understand that you own these speech constructs and can correctly apply them in the text. Here are examples of basic verbal clichés for an essay:
Try not to repeat the same options several times. It will be great if you can enrich the synonymic set with emotional words. Even if the sentences are similar in structure, use synonyms. For example, to oppose: but on the other hand, yet; for cases: for example, that is; for additions: similarly, besides, furthermore, besides; for enumerations: then, after that, ultimately; for the conclusion: therefore.
And remember, a pure and concise speech is always preferable to complex phrases which confuse the reader. First, study and structure the information to understand how to write an essay. Then the text on the paper will be understandable and without errors. Good luck!
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