Alamer Hussain Alamer

Kristen Foster

Co150.402

23 October, 2013

Video Games: A Positive or Negative Effect?

An Annotated Bibliography

Over the last few decades, media technology has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry, and at its forefront are video games. Because of the popularity of video games, both parents and government institutions have become curious as to the effects on those who play them, especially adolescents and young adults. I am writing about this topic because although I play a lot of video games, I would like to have children in a few years and have to know how video games could potentially affect them. Also, I notice that some gamers are affected by the games, but wonder why. In my research I would like to find out if video games provide any benefits for gamers, or simply increase the potential for violence. I conducted this research about video games during a ten days, period from October 13th, until 23th 2013. I have included four sources from different authors in my annotated bibliography: an academic article from a peer-reviewed journal, an academic article from a brain research foundation, an opinion piece from a public broadcasting program, and a punctuated informative article. The sources discussed the effects of video games on gamers and helped me make sense of the information about the topic.

Alamer Gentile, Douglas A. Video Game Affects on the Brain - for Better and Worse. The Dana Foundation, The Dana Foundation, 23 July, 2009. Web. 14 Oct. 2013.

This article was an academic piece, as shown by author Douglas A. Gentile's use of expert opinion, psychological studies and academic research to underscore his own views. Gentile reviews the benefits and impacts on people who are playing video games. Also, the author examines the effect of video games on our brains development. Moreover, the authors intended audience was likely parents and educational staff who care about human brain development. The authors article is divided into several portions discussing how video games can influence players minds. First the amount describes the risk's increase as the gamers play more. The second aspect is content, which tells us that children would behave aggressively as they play violent games, but how other games could be helpful for children who have chronic diseases and improve their educational skills. In addition, the structure of video games helps improve childrens imagination skills. The last point mentioned, the attention span of a gamer would be improved by the mechanics of playing video games. The sources credibility is well rated because was published in The Dana Foundation, known as premier brain research foundation and the author, Douglas A. Gentile, is a famous psychologist and professor at Iowa State University. Although, the article was published four years ago and is relatively old, this is still a credible source because the author provides clear scientific evidence for his views. This article was helpful to my research because it answered my initial questions as to the beneficial and harmful effects of video games on gamers.

Keim, Brandon. "What Science Knows About Video Games and Violence." PBS. PBS, 28 Feb. 2013. Web. 16 Oct.2013.

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This article was an opinion piece as shown by the author's use of personal experience, testimony from other sources, and primary evidence from psychological lab experiments. Keim attempts to answer whether or not the use of video games increases the chance for violent acts or aggression. In addition, the author's intended audience was likely parents and curious adults as the piece is informational, and yet personable and easy to quickly read. The author breaks his article into several parts: introduction, background of the question, how science understands aggression, past blames for violent behavior, understanding how violence enters into our subconscious, and finally, the conclusion. Of these five parts, the author only adds his opinion on the findings in introduction and conclusion: that an increase in the use of violent video games may result in increasing aggression, but this is not accurate because there isn't enough science to give is a good answer. The sources credibility is well rated because it was found on the Public Broadcasting Station's website, known for its reliability in answering questions with two sides of an argument. Further, the article is part of the NOVA television series, which focus to scientific understanding of many complex issues. The only concern of the source is that the opinion and exploratory essay quality was not brought to a clear conclusion. This was a valuable source for my research as it points directly to key arguments for and against whether or not violence in video games prevents violence in the real world. This article tells how many parents may feel about the use of video games in the household, especially those with more violence.

Alamer Specter, Dina. "11 Ways Video Games Make You Smarter And Healthier." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc., 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.businessinsider.com/heath-benefits-of-video-games-2013-9?op=1>.

This article was a punctuated article from a periodical's website, as best shown by the author Dina Specter's use of testimony from other sources, primary evidence from psychological lab experiments, and statistics. The author attempts to support the idea that video games are "getting a bad rap". In addition, the author's intended audience was perhaps parents and curious adults, because the piece is a quick and easy read with direct take-aways. Specter breaks her article into eleven smaller parts. Of these eleven parts, the author only adds her opinion on the findings in introduction and has no conclusion. The authors idea is that people should consider video games as helpful thing. This argument is supported by previous research and testimony, illustrating how video games can enhance speed of thought and decision making, hand-eye coordination, and general mental health. The sources credibility is high because it was found on the "Business Insider" website, known for its reliability in articles. Further, the article uses many briefly cited sources to back up its claims. However, this source is not well-organized article, and the non-cohesive quality of eleven different headers with only a brief introduction and no conclusion distracts the reader. This was a good source for my research as it provides a positive side of video games. The article helps the reader understand the second side of the effects of playing video games.

Alamer Ward, Michael R. Video Games and Crime. Contemporary Economic Policy 29.2(2011): 26173.Print Web. 15 Aug. 2013

This article was a scientific journal as shown by the author's use of statistics and primary research from psychological lab experiments. The author attempts to answer whether or not the use of video games by a specific population result increased chance for violent acts or aggression. In addition, the author's intended audience was likely very specific to other peers and those who could interpret the data and findings and relate it to another audience, such as journalists. Ward breaks his article into several parts: introduction, background, empirical model, data description, results, and conclusion. Of these six parts, the author only adds his opinion on the findings in introduction and conclusion: that an increase in video game stores in a specific area actually decreases the likelihood of violent acts in the direct community by those who normally use its resources. This argument is supported by previous primary research showing the direct decrease in mortality rates, robberies and other violent acts with the increase of video game shops nearby. The sources credibility is highly rated because it was found in very impotent journal "Contemporary Economic Policy". Also it was written in a professional and academic manner, having all information from previous studies and using a complete and well-maintained list of sources. The only concern regarding the reliability of the source is the title, Video Games and Crime, not related to the topics usually covered by the journal, "Contemporary Economic Policy". This was a valuable source for my research as it answers my question directly to key scientific data denying the link to video games and violence in the real world, not as it relates to lab experiments. Answering my question helps me to know the effect of video games.

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