Blog Assignment #4 - Freedom of Speech in Journalism

Blog Assignment#4 – Freedom of Speech in Journalism

By: Kevin Bloder

This article is a study about today’s youth and video games. Over one thousand one hundred teenagers from the ages of 12 to 17 were surveyed for this study. It says that basically all teenagers play some sort of video game. The study claims that everyone experiences gaming differently. It says that video games create a lot of social interaction and potential for civic engagement. It states that most boys play lots of video games and girls in general play fewer. Everyone plays different games but the most popular are of racing, puzzle, sports, action and adventure games. The article said that teens learn to think about moral and ethical issues, and make decisions about community affairs just from playing video games. Teens who play more games are more likely to be better problem solvers and helpful of others. The main topic that the survey covered was how video games make teens become more civically engaged in the offline world.

The article relates to me because I play lots of video games. Most of the video games I play teach me to problem solve but I don’t get the chance to play with others often. Some video games like Star Wars for example, can have millions of different outcomes as to how the game ends. Every decision you make changes the outcome of the game so you win the game by making good decisions. Another example is NHL 2008 for my PS2. In the game you can actually be the GM for an NHL team. This has a lot of problem solving and organizing to that.

I agree with this article to a certain extent. The survey makes video games look something you should play because they are really good for you, but I don’t think they are that good for you. For the amount of time you spend playing video games, you could accomplish so much more doing something else. If you spent as much time playing a real guitar as you might spend playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero, you could be a pretty good guitarist. I think that the survey is correct that you become more civically engaged, but I think there are so many other productive things you could do with your time.