CU 1000 English for Academic Purposes : Future Development

Introducation: 

Background

(To introduce the topic. May include surprising or interesting facts, a definition, and some background information.)

Video and online games have great psychological, physical, social and emotional impacts on the players specially the children and teenager. Video games have emerged into one of the most important forms of entertainment the tech-friendly children and young teenagers enjoy today. The video games have aggressive and violent contents to make them appealing and engaging to the players. The researchers and psychologists today have proved surprising facts on the video games played online on its players of these two age groups. They have proved that these games engage their players and prolonged exposure to them cause detrimental changes in the bodies, minds, psychology, mind behaviour and life style of these players. There have been reports of young players becoming aggressive, depressed and even committing suicide due to the impacts of online games. The advancement in science and technology towards the end of 1900s had great impact on gaming culture all over the world. The development of information and computer technology led to people playing games using the internet platform as the arena though they are geographically far away from each other. There has been much debate on the impacts of online games on the players.  Researches show that these games have great detrimental impact on their players though there are very few advantageous impacts on their players.

Thesis

(This is a statement of your standpoint or the view taken – the controlling idea of your essay that you will develop in the main body. It should be concise and convincing)

Video games and online games have deep effects on their players among which most of the effects are detrimental or even fatal.

Outline

The essay has been divided into four sections to study the impacts of video games on the bodies, minds, social behaviours and emotions  of the players. The first topic points out the impacts of online games on the bodies of the players while the second section delves into its impacts on their minds and psychology.  The third topic deals with the harm excessive playing of online games causes to their social lives and ultimately the fourth section points out the fatal blow these games give to their emotions and power to react to situations which leaves a deep mark on their future development.

BODY PARAGRAPHS

(add more paragraphs if needed ↓)

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Paragraph 1

Topic One

 Impacts of online and video games on the players’ body

Controlling idea

Impacts body’s physiological position,  hormonal irregularity, insomnia

Supporting sentences

(include the source(s) among the 9 articles you wish to cite from)

Point 1:

Sublette and Mullan(2012)Video games hamper the physiological system of the players who indulge in playing these games for a prolonged span of time. The players playing video games have show tremendous changes in their physical behaviours, both internal and external. The players’ brains start working like a brains of drugged people. They sit and play for long hours in the slouched positions which have detrimental effect on their spinal cords and their disks. This stress on the spinal cord for a long time causes the physical positions to change. Such people start facing problems in locomotion. Researches depict that the people who play games online excessively, show acute insomnia. There have been reports which shows that gamers have lost their lives after playing for excessively long time at a stretch. The lack of sleep develops a restlessness in the human bodies which starts intervening with the normal cardiac functions. This impaired cardiac functions have been known to caused deaths of many young players due to sudden cardiac arrest.

Point 2:

 Prolonged stress on brain due to excessive indulgence in online video games has been known to have caused hormonal imbalance among the players. The video games are more indulging than any other forms of modern entertainment like television and music videos. These are forms of entertainment which do not call active involvements of the viewers. The video games on the other hand are far more indulging than the television shows and the gaming designers use violence and bloodshed in these games which keep on increasing with each level. The players develops a feeling of virtual ‘victory’ and starts playing each level with enhanced engrossment. This excessive engrossment is known to have caused adrenaline surge in the players. They become restless, impulsive and intolerant.

Counterargument

(include the source(s) among the 9 articles you wish to cite from)

De Grove (2014) states that the experts like psychologists in the positive light view online games  as forms of entertainment which do not cause physical damage to children like outdoor activities can cause. They view these games which help children and adults who do not have access to play grounds or modes of outdoor entertainment to enjoy their leisure times. However, it can be pointed out that these arguments to support video games fail to hold good before the devastating impacts online games have on the body of the players.

Summary of the paragraph /

Transition to the next

The online games have dangerous impact on the human body and cause irrecoverable damages both within and outside the body. They are apparently safer modes of entertainment but are actually more fatal in the long run. They cause irreparable damage to the spinal cord, causes  hormonal imbalances, permanent sleep disorders and stress. These interfere with the normal functioning of the heart which often leads to sudden death due to cardiac arrest.

Paragraph 2

Topic Two

Impact of online gaming on the mind and psychology of the players

Controlling idea

Stress, over aggressiveness, withdrawal symptoms, cravings, relapse

Supporting sentences

(include the source(s) among the 9 articles you wish to cite from)

Prolonged and excessive indulgence to video games have fatal impacts on the internal organs of the body including the brain which ultimately impacts the mind and psychological actions. The intense stress on the spinal cord and its consequent distortion exerts intense pressure on the central nervous system which runs through the spinal cord. This in turn causes devastating impact on the entire nervous systems of the players. The players who are excessively involved into playing video games show symptoms of addictions like drug addicts. Their brains also start functioning like drug addicts. They start showing lack of tolerance, conflict with others on trivial matters, experience cravings and serious withdrawal symptoms.

Counterargument

(include the source(s) among the 9 articles you wish to cite from)

Online games and their addictions have been shown to have devastating impacts on the minds of the players but they have their bright sides too. The video games allow the players to socialise and interact with each other while playing games. This company of each other help the players cope up with loneliness and depression. Some studies have shown that online games help the teenagers and young people build and strengthen peer relationship.  The players who are able to socialise through video games have shown improved health and well being. It can be also be pointed out that the limit of exposure to video games should be decided and controlled by the players if they are grownups. The parents of the children should be careful while their children play games online and limit their timings. They should also watch the behavioural patterns of their children and seek expert advices if they notice any unexpected changes.

Summary of the paragraph /

Transition to the next

Video games undoubtedly have devastating effect on the minds of the players but the effects can be minimised by controlling the exposure to these games. In fact, video games are known to contribute towards socialising of the players, which consequently resulted in their wellbeing. 

Paragraph 3

Topic Three

Online and video  hampers the social lives of the players

Controlling idea

Excessive playing of online games have detrimental impact on the education and profession of the players

Supporting sentences

(include the source(s) among the 9 articles you wish to cite from)

Sublette and Mullan(2012) state that excessive playing of online games hampers the social behaviours of the players. They tend to withdraw from the society and indulge in the games avoiding the professions and education. The players indulge in long hours of playing and tend to avoid their responsibilities. The online games make them aggressive and they exhibit features like withdrawal from the society. These changes brought about by over indulgence of online games hamper the mental and physical health of the players. These deteriorating physical and mental conditions result in players avoiding their professional and education responsibilities. Thus it can be inferred from the discussion that excessive playing of the online video games result in tremendous damaging impact on the profession and education of the players.

Counterargument

(include the source(s) among the 9 articles you wish to cite from)

Ward (2017) contradicts Sublette and Mullan and says that there is no direct relationship between online games and harm to education and profession. He states that video games help the players socialise and get rid of loneliness and depression. Hence, in this light it can be inferred that video games are likely to help the players improve in their professions and education due to enhanced social skills.

Summary of the paragraph /

Transition to the next

Online video games hamper the education and profession of the players if they indulge in excessive playing. However, it can also be pointed out that players can also help video games to improve in their profession and studies due to enhanced social interaction.

Paragraph 4

Topic Four

Online games alter concentration and sensation of the players

Controlling idea

Playing excessive video games alters the concentration and sensation of the players

Supporting sentences

(include the source(s) among the 9 articles you wish to cite from)

Dye, Green and Bavelier(2009) state that playing of excessive video games results in negative alteration of human behaviour and sensation to external stimuli. The players who play video games excessively show change in sensation to stimuli like pain and happiness. They develop a robotic attitude and suffer from lack of emotions. Continuous playing of video games show increase in these lacks of sensation and emotions. It has been found that players playing these games are mostly young children and teenagers. Hence it can be pointed out that these young players are not matured enough to control their indulgence in the video games. The online games influence their sensitivity, lack of emotions and exhibit robotic attitude. They withdraw from social lives and suffer from depression and loneliness. These harsh feelings at tender age leave a permanent deep mark in their minds and impact their future development as well.

Counterargument

(include the source(s) among the 9 articles you wish to cite from)

Chen, Shen and Huang(2016) state that playing of online games are not necessarily hampering to sensation and emotions of the players. People have been known to video games and yet lead normal lives. The players can control and limit the impacts of video games on their lives by determining the time limits of their indulgence. Thus it can be inferred that exposure to video games and online games can be controlled by the players. It can also be stated that the parents, teachers and psychiatrists  have to play important role in counselling and guiding the young players on the online game indulgence.

Summary of the paragraph /

Transition to the next

It has been proved that online games hamper the emotional stability and sensation among the players. However it can also be pointed out that the parents , teachers and counsellors have to play proactive roles in counselling and guiding these players to limit their indulgence in online games and minimise its harmful impacts.

Conclusion

Restate Thesis & Summarise main points

(The main aim of the conclusion is to show that you have successfully answered the question. It does not include any new information, but it summarises the main points made in the body of the essay. It should be clear and draw your argument to a close and ideally, it needs to leave a strong impression on the reader.)

Online video games have profound impact on the players who indulge in these games excessively. These games have fatal influences on the bodies and minds of the players. The games cause artificial adrenaline rushes in the players due to excessive indulgence, which raise their heartbeats. Excessive playing of video games results in depression and loneliness in the players. They alienate themselves from the society and suffer from reduced sensations and emotions. The players suffering from these symptoms hamper their education and professions. The parents, teachers and counsellors have to play proactive roles in educating these players about the fatal impacts of excessive playing of online games. This in the long term can contribute towards these playing leading healthy lives.

References

(at least FOUR sources – APA format)

1. Chen, W., Shen, C., & Huang, G. (2016). In game we trust? Coplay and generalized rust in and beyond a Chinese MMOG world. Information, Communication & Society, 19(5), 639-654.

2. De Grove, F. (2014). Youth, friendship, and gaming: A network perspective. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(9), 603-608.

3. Dye, M. W., Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2009). The development of attention skills in action video game players. Neuropsychologia, 47(8), 1780-1789.

4. Sublette, V. A., & Mullan, B. (2012). Consequences of play: A systematic review of the effects of online gaming. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 10(1), 3-23.

5. Ward, M., McAuliffe, E., Shé, É. N., Duffy, A., Geary, U., Cunningham, U., ... & Korpos, C. (2017). Imbuing medical professionalism in relation to safety: a study protocol for a mixed-methods intervention focused on trialling an embedded learning approach that centres on the use of a custom designed board game. BMJ open, 7(7), e014122.