R-6-18

Player A: Press START

B. B.
When I was seven years old, my father drove me to Frys, a local electronics store, so that
he could purchase a brand new Play Station 2 (PS2) for me and my two older sisters. I will never
forget the pure sense of joy when I was able to bring home that shiny PS2 and kill my first evil
villain and slay my first mystical dragon. The excitement that I felt from the bright, colorful
graphics and life-like creatures turned into a deep passion for video games. As I got older, my
love for video games continued to grow. By the time I was thirteen years old, I had acquired a
Nintendo DS, a Wii, and an Xbox 360, all of which are game consoles that I still play today.
Video games have become a major part of my life because they have provided me a safe outlet to
explore my creativity and express my feelings.
As I have matured, I have realized that video games have not only had a great affect on
me, but on American culture as well. With most of YouTube being dedicated to people who play
video games, and popular movies being based upon famous video games, American culture has
been saturated with the video game world. Advances in video game consoles, such as Xbox Live
and Play Station 4, have allowed people to create social networks with people who live all
throughout the nation and even the world. In general, video games have become a major
phenomenon in the United States and appear to have had the greatest impact on American youth
culture.
Given the enormous impact of video games, my interest in video games has vastly
increased over the last two years. As a teenager, I have become more curious about the history of
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video games and how they affected American culture over the last fifteen years. I also want to
understand what video games will possibly look like for future generations because I want to
become a professional video game designer. In order to have a stable and successful career in
video game design, I must gain the proper knowledge about this field and learn about how video
games have shaped our society. My inquisitiveness in video games has led me to pose the
question: In the last 15 years, how has the advancement of video games affected American youth
culture?
R. R.
In 1972, the earliest well-known arcade game, Pong, was released to the public, marking
the beginning of the gaming phenomenon. Since the release of this popular arcade game,
numerous video games have been released that have shaped and revolutionized American
culture. In general, video games are considered to be a modern art form of interactive
storytelling and entertainment. According to Arthur Berger, author of the book Video Games: A
Popular Culture Phenomenon, video games are probably best understood to be similar to the
novel in that there are many different genres of video games; both novels and video games are,
from my perspective, art forms (5). In essence, video games are labeled as an interactive form
of art that can be equivalent to novels because they have various genres, such as action
adventure, science fiction, sports, role-playing, and simulations. Nevertheless, Berger believes,
we need to analyze video games and try to understand their impact on the people who play them
and on society at large (6). Berger alludes to the idea that the American people need to
recognize the biological, psychological, and social affects that video games have had on people
and society as a whole. According to Berger, video games are created and manufactured in
some society and often reflect, in subtle and sometimes not easily recognized ways, the beliefs
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and value systems of the society in which it is made (7). This strategy employed by the video
game designers make the video games relevant and interesting to the people who purchase and
play them. Overall, Berger asserts that we as a society need to analyze the video game
phenomenon and certain important video games in order to see what they tell us about ourselves.
B
Originally, video games were targeted towards the youth population, especially children
under the age of fourteen; however, it has been found that video games are now mostly played by
people who are over the age of eighteen. In general, Berger thinks video games are mostly
played by adults because they represent an emotional reality that generates the desired fantasies
in the minds of players (14). Additionally, Berger suggests that games are psychologically real
in the same way that fictional stories may be made up but can reveal profound truths about
human beings and the human condition (15). Given the profound messages deeply engrained in
video games, it is understandable why adults would be more inclined to play video games than
adolescents and young children. Nevertheless, the video game industry is larger than the film
industry, so more and more youth under the age of eighteen are growing up with this interactive
form of art as a normal part of their home. A study of video game and computer game players
found that 80 percent of North American gamers are between sixteen and thirty-four (57). This
high-percentage of gamers leads Berger to believe that American culture is living in a global
village where everyone is interconnected and everything happens all at once (38-39). This
change in entertainment for children has had beneficial and harmful effects that need to be
discussed in order to truly understand the impact that video games have had on American youth
culture.

Berger utilizes the Bio-Psycho-Social Model to analyze the biological, psychological, and
social effects of video games on American youth culture. Berger asserts that while gamers are
playing video games, they intensely concentrate and expend a great amount of mental and
physical energy (56). This use of mental and physical energy oftentimes causes players to
become overly excited and can lead to the continual need of excitement in real life (Berger 57).
Given these facts, Berger firmly believes that video games are contributing to various types of
common behavioral problems that are displayed in school (Berger 59). Additionally, long periods
of play can lead to severe wrist and finger problems from repetitive movements (Berger 56).
Berger states that people who play video for more than sixty-minutes per day tend to spend a lot
of time by themselves and do not interact with their peers and family members as much as they
used to before they played video games (67). According to Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby,
authors of Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame
Revolution, people who play video games on a regular basis are more likely to be obese than
people who play only a few times per week (72). Ultimately, it is clear that video games have
had a serious negative impact on the biological, psychological, and social aspects of American
youth culture.
Although video games have had a negative impact on American youth
culture, they also have made some positive contributions. According to
Chaplin and Ruby, the fame play in video games can be a wonderful vehicle
for teaching children about many different things; video games are always
teaching players something new about life (65). These authors, like several
others, firmly believe that there is an inherent value in video games as long
as they are used for educational and teaching purposes. For example, the
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article titled Cognitive Benefits of Playing Video Games, by Peter Gray, states
that video games may help children develop logical, literary, executive, and
even social skills. Video games can also help improve childrens hand-eye
coordination, fine motor, and spatial skills if they play for small periods of
time (Berger 95). According to the article titled, Video Games Play May
Provide Learning, Health, Social Benefits, Review Finds, by Isabela Granic,
research has established the power of spatial skills for achievement in
science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Video games have also
been proven to help teach children and adolescents how to follow directions,
multi-task and make quick, accurate decisions (Chaplin and Ruby 205).
Lastly, video games can help improve peoples problem-solving and logic
skills (Chaplin and Ruby 206). Overall, the research clearly shows that video
games can have positive effects on American youth culture if they are used
minimally and mainly for educational purposes.
R
In general, I have an enormous passion and love for video games;
hence, I found it incredibly disheartening when I realized that there were
tons of negative facts about video games in the current research. As I
deepened my research, I discovered that video games were primarily viewed
as bad and harmful because most people could not recognize the potential
value they can possess. Video games were not only labeled as bad but
they were also being blamed for childrens poor behaviors in school. For
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example, Berger believes that video games are linked to hyperactivity and
attention deficit disorders because they can over stimulate children. I do not
agree with Bergers argument because I think hyperactivity and attention
deficit disorders are linked to genetics, the overuse of technology, and
consumerism. In general, I believe that most professionals and parents
blame common behavioral disorders on video games because they refuse to
recognize the problems that are deeply embedded in our culture. For
instance, I think the idea of consumerism has harmed human beings because
it makes people want to continuously purchase items that will never make
them happy or satisfied. I believe our society needs more innovative art
forms, such as video games, so that they can act out their fantasies and
connect with their creative sides. Over the years, I have observed that
children have incredible imaginations that allow them to escape the harsh
realities of the real world. I think childrens imaginations begin to dwindle as
they develop into adolescents and adults. Therefore, I think it is essential
that adolescents and adults have creative art forms that enable them to
easily access their imaginations and be free from the daily stressors of life.
Ultimately, I believe the research that I found was biased because it mainly
focused on the negative effects that video games have had on American
youth culture, instead of presenting a more balanced view.
C

In general, I was proud of myself for committing to the topic of video

games, even when people advised me to research a different topic. I learned
that when I enjoy a topic, I am more willing to complete the reading and
write a lengthy paper. The easiest and most enjoyable part of this project
was conducting the interviews with people who have had experience in the
field. The two people that I interviewed helped to solidify my beliefs about
the video game world and made me feel proud to be a gamer. The
interviewees also made me realize that I want to continue to pursue a career
in video game design and create video games that are beneficial to the
world. Nonetheless, the most challenging part of this project was the reading
material because the authors only discussed the negative effects of video
games on American youth culture. Having to read literature that did not align
with my personal beliefs was extremely difficult and aggravating because the
authors did not write about the numerous benefits that video games have
provided for our society and the world. For future research, I would suggest
that researchers conduct studies to see the positive and negative effects of
video games. These studies would provide a much more balanced view of
video games and how they have affected American youth culture.
P. D.
One evening, my sister and I decided to drive around the area and look
for store that we thought were cool. While my sister was driving, my
attention was immediately captured by a large white sign that had red font.
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This captivating sign was located in the back area of a parking lot and said
Phoenix Games. I told my sister to drive into the parking lot so that I could
look around in the store. As I walked into the store, I saw walls full of vintage
video games that I had never seen before. My eyes widened and my mouth
must have been open because my sister chuckled and told me to put my
tongue back into my mouth. As we proceeded to walk around in the store, I
noticed that there were more alls that were filled with modern video games
that I dreamed of playing. At that moment, I knew I had hit the jackpot! The
video game store was covered in game memorabilia that I knew was worth
hundreds and even thousands of dollars. I felt a warm sensation throughout
my body and as my cheeks turned red, my sister asked me, So Sam, do you
like this store? I turned to my sister with a huge grin on my face and replied,
Just leave me here. Ill find a way home later. My sister giggled and told me
that we could stay in the video game store for thirty minutes so that I could
look around. I smiled and continued to walk around the store in awe. I felt
like I was in Disneyland for the first time and all I could think about was how
badly I wanted to open up a video game shop just like this one. My thirty
minutes were up before I know it, and I reluctantly left the store of my
dreams. As I was leaving, I told the store clerk not to worry because this
store was now my home away from home.
I #1

The first interview that I conducted was with Carolyn Moore, a visual
arts teacher at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek, CA. Carolyn Moore
has been a teacher at Northgate High School for over a year now and has
been in the visual arts field for approximately ten years. I conducted this
interview with Moore in a classroom at Northgate High School on February
14, 2016. In general, Moore believes that video games are considered a form
of art that have had both positive and negative effects on our society.
Specifically, Moore said, video games are absolutely an art form. There are
a ton of art video games. I recently went to an exhibit in Seattle about the art
of Indie Video Games. Later in the interview, Moore, mentioned that she
believes video games are not considered to be good or bad, but they are
more confined to a grey area. Moore said, video games can help improve
hand-eye coordination and other motor skills, but they can also lead to
addiction. I think people need to moderate the amount of time they spend
playing video games to avoid addiction. After hearing these responses from
Moore, I proceeded to ask her how video games have evolved over the last
decade. Moore looked ta me intensely and said, The biggest changes in
video games were the introduction of multi-player dynamics and the online
interactive gaming world. One of the last questions that I asked Moore was
whether s she believed video games have had a positive effect on our
American youth. Moore replied, Yes, I think video games have had a positive
effect on children. There are a lot of meditation video games that have been
very beneficial for children. The interview that I conducted with Moore
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provided me with relevant information about how video games have affected
American youth culture.
I #2

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