Video Games: Beneficial or Harmful

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Today's technological society consists of mass media, instant communication, and an infinite multitude of entertainment. Video games are mainly described under the last category, entertainment. Gaming is enjoyed by all ages whether it be a child in elementary school or a well-grown adult in their 40's. Genres of video games range from drama to action, to mystery, to puzzle, and the list just goes on forever—much like how movies and novels are. Margaret Rouse from Whatis.com defines gaming as the "the running of specialized applications known as electronic games, especially on machines designed for such programs." A person who indulges into the video game industry is basically a "gamer" (Rouse). However, the general public has a very biased view of what gaming actually is; instead of viewing video games as a form of entertainment to be enjoyed by any individual, the general public views video games as a distraction or better yet, a waste of time. On the contrary, gaming can also be beneficial to the individual because gaming can provide not just intellectual aspects but also emotional/physical aspects. It is true that gaming also nurtures potentially negative aspects, but personally, I strongly believe that the benefits of gaming outweigh the negative aspects conceived by the public. The history of video games traces back to the early 1970's when the United States was under pressure from the issues concerning the Vietnam War, and it is also the time period where people were favoring outlandish, extravagant clothing styles. In the midst of all of this chaos, a game known as Pong (this title eventually became to be known as Ping-Pong) was released by 29 year-old Nolan Bushnell and his company, Atari (Hansen). Pong was a simple ... ... middle of paper ... ...eekend Edition Sunday (NPR) (n.d.) : Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 30 March 2014. "The Sweet Pong Of Success." Technology Review 103.2 (2000): 116. General Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 30 March 2014 Jones, Tegan. "The Suprisingly Long History of Nintendo." Gizmodo. Gawker Media, 20 September 13. Web. 30 March 2014 S. David Wilson;, Hamilton. "DON'T BLAME VIDEO GAMES FOR VIOLENCE." Hamilton Spectator, The (ON) n.d.: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. Porter, Guy, and Vladan Starcevic. "Are Violent Video Games Harmful?." Australasian Psychiatry 15.5 (2007): 422-426. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Mar. 2014 Willoughby, Teena, Paul J. C. Adachi, and Marie Good. "A Longitudinal Study Of The Association Between Violent Video Game Play And Aggression Among Adolescents."Developmental Psychology 48.4 (2012): 1044-1057. PsycARTICLES. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.

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