Argument essay

Justin Borges

Holly Pappas

English 101

Video Games and Their Benefits

                I’ve been playing video games my whole life, so it only felt appropriate to explore whether or not video games have any effect on us, whether it be physical, mental, or even emotional. I have many years of personal experience, and for me personally, I feel that video games can have a tremendous impact on us, just like any good movie or book can. A lot of people would scoff at the idea of video games having any sort of benefits, but they would be in for a surprise.

                Something people seem to misunderstand is that video games aren’t just meant to be played alone. While the vast majority of games being released these days are rated M for mature, there are plenty of games that are rated E for everyone, and can be enjoyed by the whole family. As it turns out, the number of families who play video games together have been on the rise. A recent study showed that 45% of parents play video games with their children on a weekly basis. (Steinberg) Thanks to the increase in casual gaming, adults have easier access to the medium, which allows them to spend more time with their kids, and develop stronger family bonds in the process.

                One of the more obvious benefits of playing video games is an increase in manual dexterity. The American Psychological Association helped prove this theory by performing a study on groups of surgeons, those who played video games, and those who didn’t. The study showed that the surgeons who played video games had significantly improved surgery skills, and were less likely to make errors. (Garrett) Apart from that, video games improve our cognitive abilities as well, and are even used by the military to train soldiers to think on their feet, and adapt to any situation. Some high schools and universities even use games as a teaching tool, including games such as Minecraft and Portal.

                I’m sure we’ve all noticed little children playing video games in hospitals. This isn’t meant to simply entertain children; video games can also help them cope with any ailments they may be suffering from. Apart from providing a fun distraction, video games can also encourage kids to stick to their treatment. A fine example of this is the game Re-Mission, a game where the player controls a nano bot tasked with exterminating cancer cells in a patient. According to studies, Re-Mission helped kids battling cancer to stick with their treatment, making their chances of being cured that much greater. (Cool)

                Another benefit to video games is that it encourages team work and social interaction. (Eldridge) Video games such as Halo and Call of Duty require players to work as team to defeat the opposing team and secure victory. The massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft requires players to work together to overcome an obstacle, demanding all members of the group to pool their talents together, and achieve a common goal. These kinds of games demand players to communicate with one another, and to plan ahead in preparation for anything. These skills can easily be projected into real life as well.

                Perhaps most perplexing, and in some ways shocking, benefit of video games are their emotional effects on us. Many games such as Elder Scrolls: Skyrim or Fallout have you interact with a staggering number of in-game characters. Many of these characters give you tasks to complete which you can choose to do, or ignore. Some of the situations these characters are in can cause the player to empathize with said character, or sympathize with them. In some cases, you must choose to either work with or against a character or other player. To do so, you must analyze them, and actively think about what they are doing, and what others are doing. Sometimes siding with one person can have dire consequences for you or others, teaching players that every action has a consequence. Some video games even go as far as to make you right your wrongs, such as the aforementioned Skyrim.

                Video games are so much more than just ways to spend your afternoon when you have nothing better to do. Whether it’s roaming the wilderness in Oblivion, or working together with your friends to defeat the opposing team in League of Legends, or building a house in Minecraft, or even if it’s just fishing in Animal Crossing, you’re benefiting in some way. Whether it’s simply a method of de-stressing, or increasing your hand eye coordination and spatial retention, there’s always something good going on. Now I’m aware that video games do have their downsides, namely video game addiction, but all the negatives are easily counteracted by simply doing things in moderation. As long as your video game habits don’t get in the way of your real life, you’ll purely reap the benefits, and become an overall better person as a result.

Memoir Final Draft

Justin Borges

Holly Pappas

English 101

My Technological Beginnings

It was my first time making this journey; a journey that will, in time, become all too familiar. I was sitting in the back seat of my uncle's old Cadillac, watching the scenery whiz on by as we eventually crossed the rustic Braga Bridge towards Swansea.

"Ti Albert, where's Charlie taking us?" Charlie was the nickname my uncle gave to the jet black Cadillac.

"We're going to see Jeffrey." He told me.

Jeffrey... A name that was familiar, but escaped me at the time. We continued to drive for some time before passing the mall, and pulling into Toys R' Us, a place that quickly becoming a glowing bastion of my childhood. My 3 year old self grew ecstatic at the sight of the colorful lettering and the iconic mascot, Jeffrey the Giraffe.

We entered the store and me, being the dinosaur enthusiast I was, immediately headed towards the first T-Rex I saw. My uncle called me over in the opposite direction towards the electronics section. Confused, and admittedly a bit disappointed at the time, I headed on over to where he was standing. We walked up to the counter so he could make the purchase that would forever shape the person I am today.

As my uncle talked to the clerk behind the counter, I noticed a large colorful poster covering the entire wall. On this poster was a man with a mustache. My eyes immediately met with the mustachioed man's piercing blue eyes. It looked like he was flying around a small planet, perhaps because of his winged red cap. On the planet, there was a castle, and what looked like a weird mushroom shaped creature with big fangs. The man had a gentle smile on his face, a welcoming smile.

Shortly thereafter, my uncle handed some money to the clerk, and received a bag with a big box in it in exchange. We went back to the car, and curiously investigated the contents of the bag. There it was, in a big black box, the Nintendo 64. My heart began to race, I remember hearing all about the legendary N64, and now I had one in my possession. But what's this? Inside the bag lay another, smaller box. I took the precious treasure and examined it. The image on the box was exactly the same as the poster I saw back in the store.

My heart nearly jumped out of my throat; I was simply elated.

           

When we arrived back at my uncle's house, we immediately set up the N64, plugged in the grey controller, popped in the game cartridge, hit the power switch and...Nothing. My demeanor quickly changed from one of anticipation, to one of utter disappointment. The issue was a minor one, my uncle accidentally messed up the inputs, and so after rectifying the situation, we turned the system on and...

Bling!

"It's a-me, Mario!"

The sound of my childhood.

My first time playing Super Mario 64 was rather humorous to say the least. After Mario emerged from the pipe, I wildly ran around the outside of the castle jumping into walls, climbing the trees, and almost drowning in the lake. My uncle had to guide me to the entrance of the castle, and once I figured out how to enter, I immediately ran to the right into a wall and punched it repeatedly. Again, my uncle tried to guide me by taking the controller, but I was far too engrossed in my wall punching to let him interfere. I yanked the controller away from and proceeded to punch the wall a few more times before finally hearing him out.

Eventually, I decided to head left up the stairs and into another room which had a painting of what appeared to be bombs with little legs marching forward. I somehow knew to jump into the painting, which resulted in Mario appearing in an entirely new area. Bob-omb Battlefield, perhaps the single most memorable locale of any video game I've ever played. I still vividly remember being blown up by those walking bombs, getting plastered by water bombs shot from cannons on the summit, being mauled to death by the Chain Chomp, and of course the iconic battle with King Bob-omb on the summit.

My uncle, my father, and I would play Super Mario 64 everyday, collecting enough power stars until we eventually made it to the first encounter with Bowser. My dad and uncle decided to let me face him to see how I would fare. After making it past all the obstacles, and jumping into the pipe at the end of the stage, I finally arrived at Bowser himself. Mario dropped from the sky, landed on a big blue platform, lined with spiked bombs. Suddenly, the camera shifted to show the frightening visage of Bowser. His evil looking eyes, his spiked tortoise shell, his devil like horns, I'll admit I was a bit unnerved. After some dialogue I didn't bother reading, Bowser took a big breath and exhaled a cloud of flames at me, panicking, I ran to the side, and for whatever reason, jumped into one of the bombs, resulting in a tremendous explosion that sent Mario sailing backwards. It was at the moment I realized what I had to do.

Quickly, I circled around Bowser. I latched onto his stubby tail, swung him around, and threw towards the nearest bomb. The first few attempts failed, but sooner or later, my aim was true and Bowser flew directly into a bomb, which sent him soaring into the air and landing on his back, defeated. It was perhaps the most triumphant moment of my life at the time. After Bowser's body faded away, a golden key with horns much like Bowser's was left in its wake. It was the key to the basement of the castle. The adventure had only just begun.

 I spent countless hours playing Super Mario 64 with my dad and uncle, and created countless memories in the process. Of course, that was only the beginning of my video game ventures. As time went on, I eventually played everything from The Sims, to the ever elusive Earthbound. Every game a different experience, and that's what video games are to me, an experience. I feel like people can genuinely learn a lot from them, from simple golf terms, to hard life lessons such as coping with death, and the inevitability of change, I know I have. Video games have played an integral role into making me the person I am today, and it all started with that fateful purchase.

Reading Journal 7

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

This isn't an article per say, but instead a rather inspirational speech by the late Steve Jobs, founder of the Apple corporation. In his speech, he recounts three major events in his life he contributes to his success. There appears to be a common element to his stories, notably how each event resulted in a new drive to press forward, and never to back down. Perhaps his most powerful story was his retelling of his run in with cancer. The doctor told him he had but a few months to live, but upon further investigation, the cancer was in fact curable. Jobs goes on to say that death is perhaps life's greatest invention. It clears out the old, and makes room for the new, going on to say that today's generation will soon be the old, and that they should live their lives in the most fulfilling way possible. He puts in a much better way than I ever could:

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

That. Is beautiful. And also very true. He ends his speech by saying "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." Which is a quote by Stewart Brand, author of The Whole Earth Catalog, and appeared in the very last issue. As for what it means, well...I'll let you figure that one out.

Reading Journal 6

World War 3.0

I stumbled across this rather interesting article that spoke about the Internet, and the on-going war for control over it. This article discusses members of the U.N. gathering at the World Trade Center in Dubai, to debate and come to a decision on the topic. We all remember SOPA and the upheaval caused by it's existence, and how it was consequently shot down thanks to all the Internet goers who spoke so vehemently against it. That being said, it's easy to see what the majority of people who use the Internet want. They want it to be free, to be considered a source of media where people are free to speak their minds, and present their thoughts and ideas to the world. Sounds good on paper, but there are plenty of ways to abuse the system. Identity fraud, cyber bullying, hackers, pirating, among other things that pose an ever present threat that must be taken into consideration as well. There are a lot of problems with both side of the agrument in question, and a happy medium would be difficult to establish. I for one believe the Internet should be free. The way I see it, it doesn't matter how many regulations you put in place, people will ALWAYS find a way to bypass them. There are always going to be hackers, there are always going identity thieves, there will always be people pirating movies and music, it's inevitable. We Internet goers are fully aware of the risks that come packaged with the Internet's rewards, but we use it anyway. What I'm saying is, it's wrong to let a few bad eggs ruin the whole dozen, and we should allow people to use the Internet as they see fit, as long as they are aware of the potential dangers that lurk ahead.

Reading Journal 5

Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?

I ran across this article here (it's a long one!), asking an interesting question. Is Facebook making us lonely? It makes one wonder; Facebook was always considered a bastion of community and connectivity, bringing long lost friends together, and making it easy to keep in touch with those you associate with regularly. So why would one think something such as Facebook makes you more lonely? Well, as the article pointed out, (and admittedly I found this a bit surprising.) loneliness and solitude aren't the same thing. Solitude is a physical thing, as in having nobody around you. Loneliness is a psychological condition brought on by continued seperation from people, and a sense of disconnectivity between you and others. The main concern here is that people interact with each other far to frequently via Facebook. An interesting quote from the article, "It's the quality of the company, not the quantity" brings up a very good point. Ultimately, it's not how MANY friends you have, contrary to most Facebook user's beliefs, but how CLOSE you are to your friends. What it boils down to, is you need a more direct way to connect with people, not just "liking" their comments, or posting a silly picture for them all to see. This isn't a fulfilling, or satisfying, way of interacting with people, and as such, people feel more lonely as a result.

Argument Proposal

For my argument essay, I'd love to discuss video games and the impact they may or may not have on people, particularly children. As somebody who grew up playing video games, and still plays copious amounts on a regular basis, I can assure you I have a lot to discuss on the topic. Some topics that could be covered would be: Do video games have an affect on a child's mental, or emotional growth? Could playing video games possibly improve cognitive processes? Does playing violent video games make you a violent person? What role do video games have in society? Should video games be considered a form of art? Those are some topics that I immediately thought up, and I'm sure a few others may present themselves eventually. What I hope to accomplish here is to set the record straight once and for all about a form of media that has been both villified, and lauded by society.

Memoir Rough Draft

It was my first time making this journey. A journey that will, in time, become all too familiar. I was sitting in the back seat of my uncle's old Cadillac, watching the scenery whiz on by as we eventually crossed the rustic Braga Bridge towards Swansea.

"Ti Albert, where's Charlie taking us?" Charlie was the nickname my uncle gave to the jet black Cadillac.

"We're going to see Jeffrey." He told me.

Jeffrey... A name that was familiar, but escaped me at the time. We continued to drive for some time before passing the mall, and pulling into Toys R' Us, a place that quickly becoming a glowing bastion of my childhood. My 3 year old self grew ecstatic at the sight of the colorful lettering and the iconic mascot, Jeffrey the Giraffe.

We entered the store and me, being the dinosaur enthusiast I was, immediately headed towards the first T-Rex I saw. My uncle called me over in the opposite direction towards the electronics section. Confused, and admittedly a bit disappointed at the time, I headed on over to where he was standing. We walked up to the counter so he could make the purchase that would forever shape the person I am today.

As my uncle talked to the clerk behind the counter, I noticed a large colorful poster covering the entire wall. On this poster was a man with a mustache. My eyes immediately met with the mustachioed man's piercing blue eyes. It looked like he was flying around a small planet, perhaps because of his winged red cap. On the planet, there was a castle, and what looked like a weird mushroom shaped creature with big fangs. The man had a gentle smile on his face, a welcoming smile.

Shortly thereafter, my uncle handed some money to the clerk, and received a bag with a big box in it in exchange. We went back to the car, and curiously investigated the contents of the bag. There it was, in a big black box, the Nintendo 64. My heart began to race, I remember hearing all about the legendary N64, and now I had one in my possession. But what's this? Inside the bag lay another, smaller box. I took the precious treasure and examined it. The image on the box was exactly the same as the poster I saw back in the store.
My heart nearly jumped out of my throat; I was simply elated.

When we arrived back at my uncle's house, we immediately set up the N64, plugged in the grey controller, popped in the game cartridge, hit the power switch and...Nothing. My demeanor quickly changed from one of anticipation, to one of utter disappointment. The issue was a minor one, my uncle accidentally messed up the inputs, so after rectifying the situation, we turned the system on and...

Bling!
"It's a-me, Mario!"
The sound of my childhood.

My first time playing Super Mario 64 was rather humorous to say the least. After Mario emerged from the pipe, I wildly ran around the outside of the castle jumping into walls, climbing the trees, and almost drowning in the lake. My uncle had to guide to the entrance to the castle, and once I figured out how to enter, I immediately ran to the right into a wall and punched it repeatedly. Again, my uncle tried to guide me by taking the controller, but I was far too engrossed in my wall punching to let him interfere. I yanked the controller away from and proceed to punch the wall a few more times before finally hearing him out.

Eventually, I decided to head left up the stairs and into another room which had a painting of what appeared to be bombs with little legs marching forward. I somehow knew to jump into the painting, which resulted in Mario appearing in an entirely new area. Bob-omb Battlefield, perhaps the single most memorable locale of any video game I've ever played. I still vividly remember being blown up by those walking bombs, getting plastered by water bombs shot from cannons on the summit, being mauled to death by the Chain Chomp, and of course the iconic battle with King Bob-omb on the summit.

My uncle, my father, and I would play Super Mario 64 everyday, collecting enough power stars until we eventually made it to the first encounter with Bowser. My dad and uncle decided to let me face him to see how I would fare. After making it past all the obstacles, and jumping into the pipe at the end of the stage, I finally arrived at Bowser himself. Mario dropped from the sky, landed on a big blue platform, lined with spiked bombs. Suddenly, the camera shifted to show the frightening visage of Bowser. His evil looking eyes, his spiked tortoise shell, his devil like horns, I'll admit I was a bit unnerved. After some dialogue I didn't bother reading, Bowser took a big breath and exhaled a cloud of flames at me, panicking, I ran to the side, and for whatever reason, jumped into one of the bombs. resulting in a tremendous explosion that sent Mario sailing backwards. It was at the moment I realized what I had to do.

Quickly, I circled around Bowser. I latched onto his stubby tail, swung him around, and threw towards the nearest bomb. The first few attempts failed, but sooner or later, my aim was true and Bowser flew directly into a bomb, which sent him soaring into the air and landing on his back, defeated. It was perhaps the most triumphant moment of my life at the time. After Bowser's body faded away, a golden key with horns much like Bowser's was left in it's wake. It was the key to the basement of the castle. The adventure had only just begun.

 I spent countless hours playing Super Mario 64 with my dad and uncle, and created countless memories in the process. Of course, that was only the beginning of my video game ventures. As time went on, I eventually played everything from The Sims, to the ever elusive Earthbound. Every game a different experience, and that's what video games are to me, an experience. I feel like people can genuinely learn a lot from them, from simple golf terms, to hard life lessons such as coping with death, and the inevitability of change, I know I have. Video games have played an integral role into making me the person I am today, and it all started with that fateful purchase.