tim

Video games have become an increasingly prevalent form of entertainment in today’s society. Almost every child has a game boy, Nintendo or computer to play video games, and even adults have become entranced by this hobby. There are both positive and negative aspects to the phenomenon known as gaming, and both sides have been researched and studied by people in the entertainment industry as well as psychologists, teachers, parents and consumers. Video games can provide children with an outlet for play but also can become an addiction. They can teach children important skills such as math, reading and spelling, as well as teach dangerous behaviors like rape and murder. In addition, video games can be either a sedentary activity or an interactive form of play. As with most social phenomenon, there are two sides to the issue of the effect of video games on society. Video games can be tools for learning and development, while at the same time they can be detrimental to the well being of gamers.

Works Cited

“Best Children’s Software of 2006”. Education Kids. December 2006. 2 Apr 2007. http://www.educatingkids.com/bestchildrenssoftware2006.html.

“Childhood Obesity”. American Obesity Association. 2002. 14 Mar 2007. http://americanobesityassociation.com/childhoodobesity/2002/html.

“Educational Video Games”. Science Education Center at Carleton College. 14 Mar 2007. http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/games/digiglsl.

Gudmundsen, Jinny. “Software game takes aim at Childhood Obesity”. Usatoday.com. 27 Apr 2006. 14 Mar 2007. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/junnygudmundsen/2006-04-27-healthy-eating-x.htm.

Thompson, Jack. “Out of harms Way”. Wikipedia. Tyndale House Publishers. 2005. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_attorney.com

Ubermeister. “Violence in Video Games Debate Continues to Rage”. Slashdot. 2 Apr 2007. http://www.games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid.com

“Video Game Controversy”. 14 Mar 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/video-game-controversy.com

“Video Game Simulates Learning”. BBC News. Sportwall International, Inc. 18 Mar 2002. 14 Mar 2007. http://www.news.bbc.co.uk.com

“Violent Video Games Can Increase Aggression”. APA Press Online. 23 Apr 2000. 14 Mar 2007. http://www.apa.org/releases/videogames.com

After reading over my paper a few more times and focusing on what Dr. Sherwood commented on I realized I actually have to change and add a good bit of information. I want to come up with atleast 2 more solid sources that I can pull a good amount of information from. I want to add in a few more important statistics to show the reader a little more info on my certain topic. I know I need a little more support to go off of what I am saying. I also want to show the reader some more facts about my topic. By showing these facts and prooving that they exsist it will be easier to indentify the point I am trying to get across throug out my entire paper. I also want to switch around a paragraph or two to help the paper come together more then it already has.

Over the next few days I need to work on a little more revising on my draft. Dr. Sherwood gave me a few suggestions for my final paper. I want to organize my paper a little more and make sure it has a better flow to it. Also I want to find another good source to get some more information from. My paper is comin together but just needs some more work so its complete.

A Second Self

A phenomenon is known as something remarkable or extraordinary that is observed or is observable and can be perceived by our senses. It could be significant or insignificant, but overall it is prominent and/or prevalent in some way or another. Video gaming has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. Video game consoles are present in over 36 million homes in the United States today (Assorted Gaming Statistics). Video games sales produced over 9.8 billion dollars in 2001 alone (Assorted Gaming Statistics). As you can see, video gamers are a prevalent group in our society. They serve as a subculture and have many interesting characteristics. Video games along with technology serve as an impact on society and effect culture worldwide. Some people feel that video games create an addiction to gaming and increase the time spent wasted on this activity. “Gamers” see only positive views on video games, while others see both the positive and negative aspects. In this paper, I will provide information on the behaviors, rules, rituals, language, artifacts, and traditions of this video gaming subculture, and interpret and reflect on my data and observations to provide accurate knowledge and unbiased views on this unique subculture.
Rumor has it that a man named William Higinbotham created the very first video game in 1958. This game was called Tennis for Two and could only be played for twenty minutes at a time before it would blow up due to over heating. Back then, most people did not even know this game was even created because they had more important things to tend to. So of course this game did not have much of a social impact on society. Since then we have come a long way in the gaming industry, and more and more people have turned their attention to their favorite game or system. From Pacman to Halo, Atari to Xbox 360 this industry is constantly changing and coming up with new ways to occupy the lives of many. There are several different aspects of life that can affect a human socially. Some can be minor and others can be major occurrences. Many people across the world spend a majority of their day in front of the TV screen, with a controller in their hand playing video games and blocking out what’s going on in the rest of the world for the time being. These gamers only have one thing on their mind and that is how they are going to make it to the next level or how they can beat the computer.
Since the time I arrived here at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the spring of 2006 semester, I have taken notice of the subculture of gaming. The behavior of video gaming is well known to many college students and something I have experienced on a week-to-week basis. For my fieldwork observations, I visited a friend of mine, Chris Furyk. Chris is a 6’1” male, with long shaggy hair, who is a video game fanatic. He is the perfect model of a video gamer. He plays night and day, and lives and breathes video games. For this inductive fieldwork, I was able to insert myself in his video gaming atmosphere to observe, interview, and interpret the views and ideas of a true “gamer.”
This was a concept I never really understood. I was never into gaming and felt it was a distraction and waste of time. I believed gaming could become an addiction, and something that was dependent in someone’s life, which would never be a part of mine. I saw the controller as a commanding instrument, not only for the game, but also for the “gamer.” Coming into this interview and observation, I tried to keep an open mind about the activity of video gaming. When I arrived, Chris was already in the middle of a game called “Gears of War.” As I sat and watched him game, I took notice of the intensity and concentration that he possessed as he played the game. He sat hunched over, eyes piercing the television screen, as if he felt he was actually a part of the game. What he was doing seemed to be one of the most important things he would ever do in his life. He was living through the character.
After Chris successfully completed the game, he took some time to answer some of the questions I had about video gaming to try to understand the aspects of this subculture. I had to try to understand what attracts so many people to video gaming, considering I saw all the negative aspects and had such a biased view. Chris explained to me that he enjoys the stimulation and the representations of what he calls the “microworlds” of video gaming. He also appreciates the excitement presented in each video game. He believes that in these games, not only does he get to identify with the character, but he also gets to act through the game by “playing” the character. Scientific studies prove that identification through action presents a special kind of hold on an individual. During my observation, I did take notice of the video game controller, the material object that associates control with video gaming. Chris feels focused and in a highly charged state of mind that causes the impulse to want to “game” quite often and create an addiction. This addiction for gaming is connected to the electronics addiction. Just as some people are addicted to “gaming”, others can be addicted to television and other electronic devices, such as I-pods or Black Berries.
Chris definitely prefers video gaming to television. This was a logical question due to the relationship of technology and addiction with television vs. gaming, especially in the college atmosphere, which presents a lot of free time. He feels gaming “takes skill” and is more exciting than sitting and watching television. In my interpretation and analysis of his comments, video games are more interactive than television. Video games do not involve constructive thinking, just constructive button-pushing. It has been shown through scientific brain monitoring that video games put the brain into a repetitive loop and can cause more negative than positive impact on the brain developmental processes (Sheff 25).
I then wanted to determine whether Chris feels that video gaming plays an important role in his life. Chris explained that video games present great enjoyment and leisure time in his life. He describes that video games do more for a person than what an outside viewer can describe. He said to truly understand gaming you have to be an actual gamer. He believes video gaming has taught him not to give up until something is finished and how to become a good problem-solver. Research has shown that many skills can be achieved by playing video games. It hits on areas such as memory, estimating, logistics, resource management, quick thinking, recognition, creating hypotheses, perseverance, problem-solving, mapping, and inductive reasoning, which are all extremely important areas to improve upon. This information broadened my view on the idea of video gaming.
Chris concludes that video games are “definitely” good for society. He believes that video games fall into the same category as new and improved technology. He senses they are an important aspect in society and will just keep getting better with time. Some video games habituate the idea of social structure, competition, show leadership, and give empowerment, but too much of these things can cause negative impacts on anyone. It has been proven that video games do present violence to the viewer. Gender biases and stereotypes are also evident throughout most video games, which are carried over to the real world. Video games also suggest that most games are exclusive in nature, which effect natural “people” skills and personalities.
I decided to it was necessary to visit Chris again to observe a small group of gamers participating in a game called “Viva Pinata.” It was of great interest to me to see that there were some slight but noticeable similar characteristics among these gamers. Their lingo, attitudes, attire, and feelings towards video games were very alike in many ways. I had already realized this from their demeanor, actions, and words that they felt gaming was stimulating, exciting, and was an important aspect in their lives as it is in Chris’s. I then examined the interaction between the “gamers” as they participated in the video gaming. I took notice that there was more social interaction between players, both about the video game being played and some other just general conversation. They talked trash on each other concerning the game, and then talked about what they were going to do this upcoming weekend. This was encouraging to see because of the fact that I asserted that video games limit interaction and “people” skills. I also noticed more excitement from Chris than when he just played individual setting. There was more “trash” talking and actions of expressions when put into a group setting.
I have determined that video gaming is a huge part of the 21st Century that brings about both positive and negative aspects for society. I looked at both the negative and positive aspects of video gaming that go along with this subculture. Social expectations are reaffirmed through the social contract governing play, even as they are symbolically cast aside within the transgressive fantasies represented onscreen. Indeed the video game industry has become the most active and dynamic merchandisers of culture to the young and some elder. Some say that video games foster a healthy competitiveness, and, in their multi-player Internet manifestations, contain vast new possibilities for community building. Others see video games as isolating and damaging to both individuals and communities. I do not change where I stand about video games, but I now better understand reasons why video gamers do what they do. Video games imply an altered state or “second self” to the “gamer,” but this altered state is what helps attract the “gamer” to the game.

Rumor has it that the very first video game was created in 1958 by a man named William Higinbotham. This game was called Tennis for Two and could only be played for twenty minutes at a time before it would blow up due to over heating. Back then, most people did not even know this game was even created because they had more important things to tend to. So of course this game did not have much of a social impact on society. Since then we have come a long way in the gaming industry and more and more people have turned there attention to their favorite game or system. From Pacman to Halo, Atari to Xbox 360 this industry is constantly changing and coming up with new ways to occupy the lives of many. There are several different aspects of life that can affect a human socially. Some can be minor and others can be major occurrences. Many people across the world spend a majority of their day in front of the TV screen, with a controller in their hand playing video games and blocking out what’s going on in the rest of the world for the time being. Can video games affect the social lives of humans? That is one of the main questions asked about these so called gamers. How are they affected from sitting in front of a screen playing the same game for 10 hours a day? This is another good point that many researchers and health care providers have been focusing on for a while now. What are the negative affects and are there any positives? These gamers only have one thing on their mind and that is how they are going to make it to the next level or how they can beat the computer. It takes some of the manufacturers years to create and come out with these games. Most of the companies put a majority of their money into graphics and new ideas that are becoming more advanced by the second. Then, it only takes the gamers a few days or hours to beat the entire game. Is this a good thing? More and more people become obsessed with video games each year and center their lives around this one little disc. Now a day you can even make a career out of gaming. Do you want your child growing up wanting to become a professional gamer? Is video game play socially isolating? This question is another one of the main focal points on this topic. Social expectations are reaffirmed through the social contract governing play, even as they are symbolically cast aside within the transgressive fantasies represented onscreen. Indeed the video game industry has become the most active and dynamic merchandisers of culture to the young and some elder. Some say that video games foster a healthy competitiveness, and, in their multi-player internet manifestations, contain vast new possibilities for community-building. Others see video games as isolating and damaging to both individuals and communities. Well what does the research suggest?

1.)Title: Life Outside of Gaming
The social impact of video games
Tim Ryan
English 202 Research Writing
Dr. Sherwood

2.) My research paper is about video games and the role they play on ones social life. There are many positive and negative effects that video games can have on humans and in this research paper I will cover many of them. My primary research question for this paper is, What effects do video games have on social life?

3.) There are several different aspects of life that can effect a human socially. Some can be little and others can be major occurences. Many people across the country and world spend a majority of their day infront of the TV screen with a controller in their hand playing video games and blocking out the rest of the world for the time being. Can video games effect the social lives of humans? That is one of the main questions asked about these so called gamers. What effects does sitting infront of a screen playing the same game for 10 hours a day? This is another good point that many researchers and health care providers have been focusing on for a while now. These gamers only have one thing on their mind and that is how they are going to make it to the next level or how they can beat the computer. It takes some of the manufacturers years to make and come out with these games. Then, it only takes the gamers a few days or hours to beat the entire game. Is this a good thing? More and more people become obssesed with video games each year and center their lives around one little disc.

4.) Dor my primary source i interviewed one of my good friends, Chris Furyk.
Chris has both ebox360 and ps3 and has over 20 games for each of them. Last weekend i went up to his college West Virginia University to visit him and give an interview. I pretty much watch him play video games and do his normal weekend routine friday through sunday. At one point in high school Chris was alsmot going to make video gaming his career and was going to be sponsered and payed for playing video games. I observed many of the games he played and asked him several questions like:

What would u rather do on the weekend play video games or go out with friends?
What is your favorite game?
What is your favorite system?

How long have you been into video games?
How many good friends would u say u have?
Would u rather play video games by yourself or with some friends?

How long do u play in one sitting?
How many hours a week would u say u normally play?
What kind of games do u like to play?

What is ur favorite game?
Would u rather play them on big tvs or little ones?
When your not gaming what are u usually doing?

Do you have a girlfriend?
How much time do u spend with her?
How often do u guys go out?

What are your grades like?
How many credits do u have?
How often do u go to your classes?

These are just some of the important questions i asked my friend while visiting. There is a lot more information i found through internet sources and a few books. I also read some very good info in the gaming magizine that my friend gets monthly. I learned more by watching him and what he does during the day then i would have if i didnt interview anyone. I felt that chris would be a very good source because he loves video games but also leads a normal life at the same time.

5.) My friend and interview/observation was my main source and gave me a ton of great information. The magizine he receives montly “Gaming” also had tons of good informationthat i found to be very usefull. I also have several internet sources that gave both negative and the positive sides to video games. There were several good internet sources that i found but i onyl chose the ones that focused maily on my topic. There were also 2 books in the library that i pulled some information out of.

6.) http://www.jstor.org/view/10548289/ap050025/05a00080/0

http://www.springerlink.com/content/gnv838g7r2316776/

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/155/1/17

http://abs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/45/3/456

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=I1P8zLtmC8YC&oi=fnd&pg=RA1-PR15&sig=Vyn0T_bLZoWgMDWRMX_tglwH5CM&dq=social+impact+of+video+games#PRA1-PR15,M1

http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=958735

http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1031607.1031667

Who is the author? What “authority” or affiliation does he/she have? Does the style indicate reliability or biases? I liked this particular author cause she is also a college student. I just thought it would be easier to relate to her and what ideas she had.

Who is the publisher? What does this suggest about the purpose and trustworthiness of the material? Its published by Palo Altol medical foundation, so in my opinion they would have to be pretty reliable.

Notes: In another study conducted by Gentile, Lynch, Linder & Walsh (2004, p.6) “adolescent girls played video games for an average of 5 hours a week whereas boys averaged 13 hours a week”.

Bushman, B. & Anderson, C. (2002). Violent Video Games and Hostile Expectations: A Test of the General Aggression Model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1679-1686.

Gentile, D. A. & Anderson, C. A. (2003). Violent video games: The newest media violence hazard. In D. A. Gentile (Ed.), Media violence and children. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing.

Gentile, D. A., Lynch, P., Linder, J. & Walsh, D. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 5-22.

Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children: Congressional Public Health Summit. (July 26, 2000.) Available: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/ releases/jstmtevc.htm, Accessed 9/2004

Walsh, D. (2000). Interactive violence and children: Testimony submitted to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate. (March 21, 2000.) Available: http://commerce.senate.gov/ hearings/0321wal1.pdf (Acrobat), Accessed 9/2004

http://www.jstor.org/view/10548289/ap050025/05a00080/0

http://www.springerlink.com/content/gnv838g7r2316776/

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/155/1/17

http://abs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/45/3/456

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=I1P8zLtmC8YC&oi=fnd&pg=RA1-PR15&sig=Vyn0T_bLZoWgMDWRMX_tglwH5CM&dq=social+impact+of+video+games#PRA1-PR15,M1

http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=958735

http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1031607.1031667

Author: Andrea Norcia, college student writer

Title: The impact of Video Games on Children

Publisher/Site: http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/videogames.html

Public. Date: september, 2004

Access Date: march, 2007

Other

1. Relevance
How closely does the material address your research question? The material in this article takes a very close look of the impact that video games have on children. This article also looks at many different aspects about how a child is affected by video games.

Does it provide background or address a central issue? It adrresses the dominance of video games on certain children and in many cases how it can take over their lives.

Notes: The most widely used “positive” impact video games are said to have on children is that they may improve a player’s manual dexterity and computer literacy. Ever-improving technology also provides players with better graphics that give a more “realistic” virtual playing experience.

2. Evidence

Are the ideas and information presented persuasively, with support (i.e. strong argument, relevant facts)? Ya there are several strong argument made by the author and other sources she used throughout her article.

Is the presentation seemingly fair and informed with appropriate sources credited? yes

Notes:
Because of the popularity of video games, completely eliminating them from your child’s life might be difficult. But there are a number of suggestions for decreasing the negative impact that they might have on your child

3. Source

Who is the author? What “authority” or affiliation does he/she have? Does the style indicate reliability or biases? I liked this particular author cause she is also a college student. I just thought it would be easier to relate to her and what ideas she had.

Who is the publisher? What does this suggest about the purpose and trustworthiness of the material? Its published by Palo Altol medical foundation, so in my opinion they would have to be pretty reliable.

Notes: In another study conducted by Gentile, Lynch, Linder & Walsh (2004, p.6) “adolescent girls played video games for an average of 5 hours a week whereas boys averaged 13 hours a week”.

Bushman, B. & Anderson, C. (2002). Violent Video Games and Hostile Expectations: A Test of the General Aggression Model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1679-1686.

Gentile, D. A. & Anderson, C. A. (2003). Violent video games: The newest media violence hazard. In D. A. Gentile (Ed.), Media violence and children. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing.

Gentile, D. A., Lynch, P., Linder, J. & Walsh, D. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 5-22.

Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children: Congressional Public Health Summit. (July 26, 2000.) Available: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/ releases/jstmtevc.htm, Accessed 9/2004

Walsh, D. (2000). Interactive violence and children: Testimony submitted to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate. (March 21, 2000.) Available: http://commerce.senate.gov/ hearings/0321wal1.pdf (Acrobat), Accessed 9/2004

What do I need to know about my topic?

-some statistics
-understand the gaming life
-codes if any
-any kind of slang language use
-most popular games
-most popular systems
These are just some of the themes that will help me understand a little bit more about my research question and will make my paper easier to right.

Where can I expect to find it?

-best source may be to actually sit down and watch a few kids play videos games for a well
-magazines
-newspaper
-internet

What is my dominant research question?

What impact video games have on humans socially and physically?