Essay 2 Video games are the place to be bad 4c PDF

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Pre – Reading Watch “Do videogames make us smarter?” https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=OOsqkQytHOs OR

STUDY FINDS CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM PLAYING VIDEO GAMES

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/08/04/study-finds-that-children-benefit-from-playing-video-games Video games are the place to be bad By Crispin Sartwell 1 ON DEC. 25, my wife and I presented our innumerable children with a PlayStation game system. They love Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder and Grand Turismo. Perhaps the most popular game, however, is Grand Theft Auto. 2 I sat for a few minutes and watched our 11-year-old play, even though the game was not rated for his age group. He stole cars. He got chased by police. He hopped out of his car and beat up a police officer, leaving him lying on the street in a pool of his own blood. Then he stole the police car and went on a rampage, killing pedestrians, doing drugs, picking up hookers, beating people with a baseball bat and taking their money. I am not kidding about this. Once you picked up a prostitute, you pulled your stolen vehicle over and it started to bounce. Once you did your drugs, everything seemed to move in slow motion. You scored extra points for gratuitous, berserk violence directed at innocent bystanders. 3 Did I take this game and complain to Sony? Well, hate to admit it to you, but no. Actually, watching the kids play this thing was extremely entertaining, as they did all sorts of things we aren't supposed to do. The more they played, the better they became at escaping from or destroying the authorities in their violent rampage through town. And the better they got, the more I laughed. 4 What did Vincie think of the game? "Awesome ... the best." Why? Because Grand Theft Auto is about the most transgressive video game it is possible to imagine. He was doing every possible thing he is not supposed to do, and loving every minute of it. 5 What we call "education" bears a striking similarity to what we also call "oppression." We concentrate children into large buildings, install surveillance cameras, post a guard at the door and demand their continual betrayal of themselves and one another. And we do that because we want what's good for our children. Our children might be forgiven, however, for thinking that what we call "good" is really pretty bad, and that what we call "bad" is pretty good. 6 That's why I don't think Middle School III - the game in which you sit quietly with your hands folded - is gonna sell. It's no fun to do what everyone expects and intends and constrains you to do; it's fun to do what you're not supposed to do. That is adventure, rebellion, individuality, truth. And making people do what we all know is acceptable is really a road to boredom, redundancy, resentment and, finally, backlash. 7 It is essential to remember that this adventure is taking place on a big-screen television and not downtown. It is essential to remember that no child has beaten up a cop, had sex with a prostitute or done drugs when the game is over. They're simply playing with the idea of doing harmful things in a harmless context. 8 So as we think about Grand Theft Auto and in general about much media aimed at children, I say to you: Lighten up. Think a bit about why pretending to do bad things is fun. And be grateful if the bad things children do are contained by a flickering, flat screen. 9 And perhaps I had better come clean: Grand Theft Auto III corresponds very closely to my own fantasy life. Vincie. Dude. It's my turn.

Video Games are the Place to Be Bad transgressive redundancy -

oppression resentment -

1) Clarifying: Name three bad things Sartwell’s son did when he was playing GTA? 2) Inferring: What does Sartwell mean when he writes “I don't think Middle School III - the game in which you sit quietly with your hands folded - is gonna sell”? 3) Inferring: What place is Sartwell comparing school to, at the beginning of paragraph five? What words make you think this? 4) Summarizing: What is the main point of paragraphs seven and eight?

Answer any 2 of the following in detailed paragraphs A. How did the Sartwell feel when he saw his son doing these things? How do you feel about his reaction? Does his reaction worry or bother you? Do you think he is a bad parent? Explain your reaction in at least 8 sentences. B. Do you agree with Sartwell when he writes that school “demands [students] continual betrayal of themselves and one another”? Do you think you have to betray who you are to do well in school, or can you act like yourself in school? Explain with a specific personal story in at least 8 sentences. C. How does Sartwell define fun, in paragraph six? According to him, what is the result of this kind of fun? Do you agree with him? Is this the only way kids can have fun? Explain with a personal story in at least 8 sentences. D. According to Sartwell what happens when we “making people do what we all know is acceptable”? Do you agree with him? Can we do acceptable things all the time and not feel angry? Give a personal story of at least 8 sentences to support your point.

FINAL EXPLANATION Which essay do you think is more convincing this one, or the other one “Video Game Killing”? Explain in a one page double spaced response by connecting to yourself, the world, and other texts.

"Video Games Are the Place to Be Bad" Personal Response 5 - 10 min Write a personal response to the following questions. You do not have to answer each one. Just use them as a base to start from. What background do you bring to this article? Give reasons for each of your answers. Do you like games, movies, music or any kind of entertainment or art that is violent or "transgressive?" Why or why not? Do your parents think it is OK for you to enjoy 'transgressive' art or entertainment? What are their reasons? If you had children would you want them to enjoy this entertainment? Why or why not? Finally, what is the author's thesis? Do you agree or disagree with it? Why or why not? Group Questions: 15 - 20 min Give each group a question or two to work on. With chart paper they can post their answers and ideas on the sides. Then share an idea or two with the whole class. Given the same set of questions one group has to agree with the author's statements and another must disagree.

Final Discussion Questions What assumptions is the author making when he says that "transgression" is fun? Is it fun for all of us? The author says that the game Middle School III is not going to sell. What does this mean about learning? Is learning always boring? Does education really "bear a striking similarity to oppression"? Can going against the rules have positive effects? If so when is transgression positive? How is it positive? What does individuality mean? How do we become individuals? Is it by following others, and doing what they say, or is it by making choices and transgressing other's opinions? Can you really be yourself if you have never transgressed and broke away from other's opinions and ideas? If you have never transgressed do you really know your whole self or the truth about yourself? If something is never tested can it be true?

What are the implications of this article? Is he telling you that you should go out and do whatever you want? Does he mean you should go do drugs, steal, hurt other people, and break the law? If not this then what does he mean? HMWK Writing Through this article and its thesis what do you think the author implies about human nature? Do you agree with his seeming view of human nature? Is there another way to deal with the 'transgressive' side of human nature? Give reasons for all your statements. 1a) In the third paragraph. The author thinks that "what we call 'good' is really pretty 'bad'" and "that it's fun to do what you're not supposed to." Think of arguments to support his argument.

1b) In the third paragraph. The author thinks that "what we call 'good' is really pretty 'bad'" and "that it's fun to do what you're not supposed to." Think of arguments to counter his argument.

2a) "Making people do what we all know is acceptable is essentially a road to boredom, redundancy, resentment, and finally, backlash." Think of supporting arguments for this reasoning.

2b) "Making people do what we all know is acceptable is essentially a road to boredom, redundancy, resentment, and finally, backlash." Think of arguments which counter this reasoning.

3a) The author says that "this adventure is taking place on a big screen television and not downtown." What does he mean by this? Think of supporting arguments for this idea.

3b) The author says that "this adventure is taking place on a big screen television and not downtown." What does he mean by this? Think of arguments which counter this idea....