Pros of Video Games: Debate Prep for Class

[unggio]

i'm doing a debate in class next week on video games

i'm arguing for video games

i need to present the benefits of having video games and positive effects that i has had on society as well as possibly preparing for attacks by the other team.

can you guys help me out?
give me starting points that i can use to defend my argument

anticipate what the other side might say and how to counter it

 

[hypnagogue]

This topic seems to hinge primarily on psychological and sociological factors, so I'm moving this thread to social sciences.

 

[gerben]

I think this article has some interesting points that might help you:
http://economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=4246109

Also, I think that computer games demonstrate the relativity of good and bad. Critics often just focus on one individual game, but gamers do not play just one game. They play many games and they certainly understand that in certain games they play the "bad guy". They still do have a very clear conception of good and evil. Their conception of morals and ethics may even improve, because they learn how easy it is to switch to the evil side when that is profitable.

 

[iansmith]

You might want to look at this presentation
http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/dgentile/MMVRC_Jan_20_MediaVersion.pdf
http://www.medpagetoday.com/tbindex.cfm?tbid=629

 

[Serene_Chaos]

When People say that they cause violence you can reply that they do not *cause* people to be violent, they only unlock already violent people.

Also you can say that they can be intended to show the horrible effects of that violence (which they don't but you can try it anyway)

 

[Pengwuino]

I think video games really blur the line between reality and fantasy. I mean its such a cliche thing to say but I think its incredibly true! They make things seem to easy... its like watching a movie that you control (and there's a reason they use stuntmen in movies). So many stupid people go off and try to do these things themselves.

On the good side however, people with a decent head on their shoulders get the ability to experience so many things they normally have no chance of even experiencing outside of a cinema. As long as you have an IQ over 5, you can take great enjoyment out of driving around a city doing drivebys adn opening up on gang members and the sorts... kinda like watchen a movie. But as long as your not one of these idiots who goes out and really does it, its a fun experience.

 

[TRCSF]

I think video games really blur the line between reality and fantasy. I mean its such a cliche thing to say but I think its incredibly true! They make things seem to easy... its like watching a movie that you control (and there's a reason they use stuntmen in movies). So many stupid people go off and try to do these things themselves.

On the good side however, people with a decent head on their shoulders get the ability to experience so many things they normally have no chance of even experiencing outside of a cinema. As long as you have an IQ over 5, you can take great enjoyment out of driving around a city doing drivebys adn opening up on gang members and the sorts... kinda like watchen a movie. But as long as your not one of these idiots who goes out and really does it, its a fun experience.

Yeah, they used to say the same thing about Dungeons & Dragons. Kids who play that won't understand the difference between fantasy and reality, so they go out and sacrifice a virgin and worship Satan. It was baloney then, it's baloney now.

As for an argument to the contrary, I think this guy brings up some good points:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-johnson27jul27,0,1432940.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

"The great secret of today's video games that has been lost in the moral panic over "Grand Theft Auto" is how difficult the games have become. That difficulty is not merely a question of hand-eye coordination; most of today's games force kids to learn complex rule systems, master challenging new interfaces, follow dozens of shifting variables in real time and prioritize between multiple objectives. "

 

[Kerrie]

it keeps kids off the streets and out of trouble, the most obvious to me...my children are allowed time to play video games, but i do limit that time also. my son is especially addicted to them. many times i use video gaming time as incentives for other things.

 

[Pengwuino]

Yeah, they used to say the same thing about Dungeons & Dragons. Kids who play that won't understand the difference between fantasy and reality, so they go out and sacrifice a virgin and worship Satan. It was baloney then, it's baloney now.

Well i don't think its really balogna (god how do you spell it anyway) because I've personally seen people exhibit traits that probably came from video games. The problem is we can't really tell if a certain criminal has been influenced or not because we can't really tap into their minds to find out after the fact.

 

[EnumaElish]

Here is a "classic" media studies response to the line "mass media/film industry/video games/etc. have real negative consequences": has anyone studied violence before vs. after such technologies or products became widely available or consumed? Has anyone studied countries in which such technologies or products are more widely available or consumed vs. other countries? If anyone ever did study any of these, do their results indicate that "negative consequences" (however defined) show a significant increase in those periods and/or places in which these technologies or products are available or consumed vs. those in which they aren't?

I don't know the answers to these questions. But then, I don't pretend to know the answers to these questions, either.

 

[loseyourname]

Being fun isn't good enough any more?

 

[neurocomp2003]

if your thinking of companies $$$$$$

for parents/child: like someone mentioned- good incentive to do other things like chores/study, fun, they develop a lot of skills including strategic planning(military) and mental imagery rotation(go tetris), and reflex action.

However gone are the days of many good mental games and dawned are the new violent games...though not the sole cause of some violence but the key to unlocking them if parents aren't there to guide them

for adult: good relaxation and stress reliever if played on few occasions(not being addicted to 24/7-7/week. also good for meeting people online...and gambling apparently. so more strategic learning...also

IMO I think your main argument should be VR and edusoft(educational software) ...
VR if hardware permits could give are paralysed means to do stuff(as simulation warfare has taken strategic plannning/reflex action to new bounds)
and educational software is probably a good argument because it allows students to gain interest which wwere there and keeps them off the TV. i mean what a better way to learn chemistry then to have a simulated lab to make drugs =]

 

[Mental Gridlock]

If your opponent claims that violent video games cause violent tendencies in our youth, tell them that our youth already has these violent tendencies, and the game merely provides a healthy outlet for them. For example a kid gets pushed around all day at school, so he goes home and let's out all his frustration and rage by shooting up cops and gangbangers in a fantasy world. Without this outlet the kid may be more likely to go outside into his neighborhood and start a fight, or bring guns to school etc. Many teenage boys are likely to have violent tendencies, and some may act on them. Do you want them to do this in real life or on their TV screen.

With the ESRB rating system, there is no excuse. You can't blame the game or the manufacturer. You must blame the vendor, or more importantly, the parent. Please parents do your jobs so that the grown ups can play their GTA. It's no different than alcohol, cigarrettes, R-rated movies, porn etc. that get into our children's hands. You can't get rid of all this stuff, so let's just ask the parents to be responsible rather than condemning the game.

And there has been violence all through history. Blaming video games or Marilyn Manson for school shootings or what not can be used as a form of scapegoating.

 

[Spin_Network]

i'm doing a debate in class next week on video games

i'm arguing for video games

i need to present the benefits of having video games and positive effects that i has had on society as well as possibly preparing for attacks by the other team.

can you guys help me out?
give me starting points that i can use to defend my argument

anticipate what the other side might say and how to counter it

You may want to start and explore some positive 'gaming'?..this game is the creation of the musician Mike Oldfield, its called Treslunas and it invite's the user to explore, it has very little or no instructions at all, you are meant to discover the game by participation, it is non-violent and you interact via aviatars, mostly animal and insects.

Try this like for more:http://www.mikeoldfield.com/flash/tr3slunas.html

you get the game by purchaing the music album of the same name, I recommend this game and its content is superb, try a demo and explore the amazing graphic and musical interactive genius of its creator.

P.S The Rebirth Tunnel is quite awesome:http://www.mikeoldfield.com/flash/images/tr3s-lunas/map.jpg

 

[EnumaElish]

The cover story of The Economist's August 6 issue is "the real effects of video games."

 

[devil-fire]

i played a lot of games when i was younger and i think they actualy influcened my moral judgment in a positive way. i say this because in a lot of games, the 'bad guys' are vary much like people in the real world who are generaly seen as a negative influence on society. iv beat lots of slave masters, mob bosses and phycho killers in video games, as well as co operated with many authoritys. there is the rare example like grand theft auto where you play the bad guy, but the rest of the time your character is a positive role model. for every cop that's killed in the game industry there has to be hundreds of bank robers or killer robots or something else.

 

[unggio]

thanks a bunch for the input, without bragging i believed i crushed the debate. not too surprising since it was a English 1B at community college.

yes, i mainly got my info from the economist.

they attempted to argue based on the "findings" of studies, which is very subjective on how they increase aggression in children. i told htme it's b.s. since the rate of violent crime has been cut in half since the 80's as video game popularity skyrocketed.

Then they asked me what are the benefits of games like mortal kombat or GTA. i replied to be successful in GTA one must possesses and practice some skills that are useful in real life. in gta you got to be somewhat familiar with the city, using memory, planning ahead, you must think about how to solve the problem or situation. i told them GTA basically helps develop short term memory, logical thinking, planning, and also increases spatial intelligence.

i also told them games like counter strike practice verbal communication and forward thinking, strategic planning, and teamwork. of course before and after the games there is usually group interaction. many times these counter strike games are played at lan parties in person thus further promoting social behavior among real "living" humans instead of just chatting behind a monitor.

i went onto give some analogies that video games are like the swing dancing of the 20's, first movies, and rock & roll. These cultural phenomenons were all predicted to bring about the downfall of america, turns out they were wrong and to me it seems to be just a platform to boost the image for a politicians who want to "fight" for our children. kind of like the "war on terror".

i also stated that video games are universally indiscriminate, meaning that people of genders, ages, and physical abilities can play.

 

[EnumaElish]

Way to go!

 

[amcavoy]

I play video games very rarely. The only benefit (that I have heard) of playing them is better hand-eye coordination. However, they say this is only in first person shooters, and I don't know if it's entirelly true.

 

[hypnagogue]

I play video games very rarely. The only benefit (that I have heard) of playing them is better hand-eye coordination. However, they say this is only in first person shooters, and I don't know if it's entirelly true.

There seems to be some http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/mindhks/chapter/hack43.pdf (warning, PDF) that playing certain kinds of video games can enhance aspects of visual attention. The page I link to here cites evidence from an article published in Nature that playing video games can shorten attentional blink (the time needed to shift visual attention from one object to another) and improve subitizing (being able to tell how many objects are in front of you without having to explicitly count them). These effects were shown to be stronger for subjects playing a first person shooter than for subjects playing Tetris, which I suppose implies that the pace of the gaming action and number of objects on screen that must be attended to are important factors.

 

[neurocomp2003]

what about educational games?

 

[Temporarily Blah]

Educational games are obviously positive, but are not the main flow of games, therefore not a large factor in the debate.