Video Games

Shayne Barker Jake Christensen Nikole Rios Lauren Homer Sam Cram

Table of Contents
Biography....... Audience Analysis..... Executive Summary. Proposal... Works Cited.... {2} {3-4} {5-6} {7-8} {9-10}

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Biography
Shayne Barker
From Mapleton, Utah Senior Studying Psychology I make and play didgeridoos.

Jake Christensen
From Grantsville, Utah Sophomore Studying Accounting and Economics I love apple cider.

Nikole Rios
From Provo, Utah Freshmen Studying English Education I was born on my moms birthday.

Lauren Homer
From Kaysville, Utah Freshmen Studying Interior Design I cant whistle.

Sam Cram
From Nashville, Tennessee Sophomore Studying Interior Design I love traveling.

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Audience Analysis
Americans of all ages use video games for entertainment, relaxation, and escape from real world cares. However, the number of gamers that are ages 2-17 increases more per year than any other demographic (Riley). With so many children divulging into video games, what are their parents to do? We intend to answer this question. Primary Audience Today, many American parents are working class citizens that are fairly well educated. Suzanne Rios, the mother-in-law of one of our groups members, embodies this perfectly. Suzanne, like many American adults, has returned to school to pursue a Masters Degree. With her studies, work, and community obligations, Suzanne finds less and less time to devote to her son, Ethan. Because Ethan spends so much time on his own, he resorts to hours of gaming. To make matters worse, Ethan spent several months at home from school after severely injuring his leg. His average daily game play grew to be over eight hours! He has since returned to school, but his video gaming has hardly slowed down. Ethans grades are suffering and he hardly has a social life. This concerns Suzanne, and she often takes her sons gaming systems away. However, limiting Ethan's gaming use seems to simply put a strain on their relationship, and they both become very enraged. These circumstances are similar to parents across the nation. Parents care about their children, understand that video games can be damaging, and simply need to be educated on the effects of gaming and how to use that information to their advantage. Demographics Our target audience is American parents of children that are ages 2-17. These parents have at least some formal education, and are working citizens. The targeted parents value their family relationships and the mental and physical health of their children. We are directing our
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argument to single and non-single parents of both genders. Because we are addressing educated adults, we will be using intelligent, scholarly language. Representation Our targeted audience consists of primarily our elders, and we understand the danger of being viewed as ignorant or naive. However, we believe our intended audience will recognize that technology is increasing at a rapid rate, and the gaming world is more readily understood by the younger generation. In this way, our age actually serves as an advantage. We plan on representing intelligent youth that have created an educated and calculated approach to an emerging problem Values Our argument is directed towards parents that value the quality of life their children possess. Meaning, they consider the physical and mental health of their children to be important. These parents believe that family is significant, and they cherish their personal family members. Although the children of our audience value video games, our target audience themselves are less inclined to do so. Audience Expectations With our audience yearning for a solution to this gaming problem, many may feel that incredibly restrictive gaming use or even video game elimination is an appropriate solution to their woes. We do not feel this way, and we understand that our ideas may not be what parents initially look for. However, by using a scholarly approach to the problem and providing specific, related evidence, we know we can successfully sway our audience to our point of view. We believe that although our solution has not yet been considered by our target audience, their initial view will adjust as our ideas are presented to them.

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Executive Summary
Video games are played by more people every year; whether it is the young male sitting in front of the TV on a traditional platform gaming system, or a middle aged woman playing solitaire on her smart phone to pass the time (Riley 1). The gaming industry targets every demographic with specific games that appeal to those specific genders or age groups (1). The concern is that the video game industry currently is adding more teenagers to their ranks than any other demographic (1). So every year teens spend more time playing video games. This project examines the positive and negative consequences of video game use. Parents can then make educated decisions to the usage of video entertainment systems for their teenagers. Negative Impact of Video Games on Teens: Close to 91% of kids from the ages of 2-17 play video games regularly (Riley 1). This number increased 9% since 2009 (1). On average teens spend thirteen hours per week gaming

(Oskin 1); this equates to close to two hours a day spent in front of a TV or computer screen. However there are teens that spend upwards of forty hours participating in video games (1). In a few instances teens have died from sitting and contending with the gaming world (1). All of the extra hours spent playing games are hours not spent engaging in physical activity. This leads to problems such as obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1). 30% of teens in America are overweight or obese (1). One of the causes is excessive gaming limiting physical activity. In a study done by Lorenza Colzato, a cognitive psychologist at Leiden University, showed that excessive video game playing was linked with higher levels of action inhibition. Action inhibition is the inability for someone to not engage in behaviors at inappropriate time. This problem is also linked with drug and alcohol use (Apostolidis, Poulous), higher likelihood
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of gambling addiction (Franken 934), and other problem behaviors. There have also been shown links between violent video games and actual violent behavior in youth (Tahnk 1). Positive Impact of Video Games on Teens: Given that excessive playing of games has a negative impact on youth, games can however have a positive impact on teens from: instructing teens in history (Panotti 39), to the development of different brain cells (Lerner 1), or the increase of spatial ability, which is linked to higher performance in sports and the arts (Okhandiar 1). Dr. Christian Geiser, a professor of psychology here on campus, showed that video games have helped bridge the gap in spatial ability between males and female (Quaiserpohl 609, Feng 850). B. F. Skinner a prominent psychologist in the 1950s to the 1990s developed a teaching machine that resembles our video games today. With it he showed an increase in the ability to learn things like math more quickly than with the common teaching practices of the time (Skinner 969). He states in his article with regards to the teaching machine that learning is facilitated through the machine because of instantaneous feedback. Similarly in the gaming world when a teenager makes a mistake in the game, their character falls to their death, or some other feedback to say the wrong choice was made. In Parenting, a magazine publication aimed at helping parents raise children, an article explores the link between video game usage and creativity levels in adolescents. These articles show that there are positive consequences to the correct use of video games in the lives of our teenagers.

Proposal
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As we have seen, video games can have a plethora of negative and highly problematic consequences. However, it does not follow that, because of these potential side-effects, video games should receive a wholly negative classification. We believe that methods of gaming exist that can produce a positive effect on the gamer. Common sense tells us that too much of anything will lead to a negative consequence, and the same holds true for video games. No one doubts that a gamer that spends 40+ hours a week in virtual worlds represents a negative side of the gaming culture. Such use leads to the negative effects discussed earlier in this document. This proposal, however, will focus on how video games can be properly utilized as a positive influence in a childs life; the key, we believe, is moderation. So the real question is How much is enough? In a recent study conducted by Queen Mary and University College, London researchers examined participants who played video games for an average of 40 hours over six to eight weeks (or about three to five hours per week). The study found that participants who played a fast-paced paced game for a moderate amount of time showed improvement in cognitive tests measuring speed and accuracy. (Adkins) The study also found that participants who played more complex games which utilized strategy, memory, and quick decision making showed greater improvement than those who played a simpler, less in-depth game. From this, we can reasonably ascertain that short sessions of video games, no longer than an hour at a time, three to five times a week can actually improve some of our minds processing powers. Of course, not everyone finds pleasure in a fast-paced, complex strategy game. Sometimes, we just need a break from the fast paced world in which we live, and for many, video games can be that break. There have been many studies showing the effectiveness of

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breaks, particularly for students such as Ethan, the son of our target audience. One of these studies, conducted by the University of Iowa, shows that our ability to learn is highest during the beginning and ending of a given learning period. This is known as the Primacy and Recency Effect. (Gupta). This study shows that studying is done most effectively in 30 minute to one hour long sessions, with 10 minute breaks in between. By utilizing this method, students such as Ethan will see an increase in their ability to recall concepts studied. Inevitably, the question arises, What does one do during those periods of break between study sessions? As would follow from the aim of this proposal, our answer is to fill that short time with a video game. However, rather than a focus-intensive game which requires a high amount of attention, we suggest the use of a simple game, akin to flinging birds at green pigs. Again, we emphasize the importance of moderation. Video games, though potentially dangerous, can be used effectively through the methods discussed above. Whether it be brainconditioning or positive relaxation, the possibility exists for gamers to hold on to their passions in a positive way.

Works Cited

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Adkins, Steven. "Strategy-Based Video Games like StarCraft Increase Brain Flexibility, Study." 26 August 2013. University Herald. Web. 6 October 2013. Apostolidis, T, Fieulaine, N, Simonin, L, Rolland, G. Cannabis use, time persepective and risk perception: evidence of a moderating effect. Psychological Health. 21 (2006):571-92. Web. 17 Sept. 2013 "Childhood Obesity Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 July 2013. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. Colzato, Lorenza S., Wery P.M. van den Wildenberg, Sharon Zmigrod, and Bernhard Hommel. "Action Video Gaming and Cognitive Control: Playing First Person Shooter Games is Associated with Improvement in Working Memory But Not Action Inhibition." Psychological Research. 77. (2012): 234-239. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. Feng, Jing, Ian Spence, and Jay Pratt. "Playing an Action Video Game Reduces Gender Difference in Spatial Cognition." Psychological Science. 18.10 (2007): 850-855. Web. 17 Sept. 2013. Franken, Ingmar H.A. et al. Error Processing and Response Inhibition in Excessive Computer Game Players: An Event-Related Potential Study. Addiction Biology 17.5 (2012): 934947. Academic Search Premier. Web.23 Sept. 2013 Gupta, Pralad. Primacy and Recency in Nonword Repetition. Iowa: University of Iowa, 2003. Web. Lerner, Evan. "Penn Video Game Study Helps Identify New Brain Cell." Penn: University of Pennsylvania. University of Pennsylvania, 8 Aug. 2013. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. Okhandiar, Neha. "Playing Video Games Can Boost Brain Power." Queen Mary: University of London. University of London, 21 Aug. 2013. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.

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Oskin, Becky. "Teens and Video Games: How Much Is Too Much?" LiveScience.com. Live Science, 10 Aug. 2012. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. Pagnotti, John, and William Russell III. Using Civilization IV to Engage Students in World History Content. The Social Studies 103 (2012): 39-48. Print. Poulous, C. X. et al. Impulsivity predicts individual susceptibility to high levels of alcohol self administration. Behavioural Pharmacology, 6(8), (1995). 810-814. Web. 17 Sept. 2013 Quaiserpohl, C., C. Geiser, and W. Lehmann. "The Relationship between Computer-game Preference, Gender, and Mental-rotation Ability." Personality and Individual Differences 40.3 (2006): 609-19. Web. 22 Sept. 2013 Riley, David. "The Video Game Industry Is Adding 2-17 Year-Old Gamers At A Rate Higher Than That Age Groups Population Growth." NPD Group. NPD Group, 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. Skinner, B. F. Teaching Machines. Science. 128. (1958): 969-977. Web. 17 Sept. 2013 Tahnk, Jeana. Screen Play. Parenting. N.p., 4 Nov. 2011. Web. 18 Sept. 2013.

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