Sample Essay On Critiquing The Article "Why We Need Violent Video Games"

It is believed that violent video games affect the consciousness of a human in a negative way, but there also exist several versions stating that a human needs some invisible reservoir to let out the energy accumulated for some period of time. The issue is pending nowadays regarding the number of recent crimes committed by teenagers or people of older age who underwent the affection to the popular among youth violent video games.
In recent years, the United States saw several publicly committed massive killings by teenagers or people who were older. For instance, the one that happened in November, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut; there were 26 victims of that massive shooting committed by Adam Lanza, a twenty-year-old former student of the Sandy Hook Elementary School where the tragedy took place. The case has been revised and investigated by numerous agencies, police departments and psychologists who tried to find reasons for such shooter’s behavior. A vast majority of the investigators pointed out at violent video games addiction of the killer detected through interviews with Lanza’s father (his mother was the first victim in the morning before the massive shooting) and friends.
One of such journalist’s “investigations” were made by Ethan Gilsdorf, a 48-year-old American writer, teacher, poet, journalist and critic who on a regular base published reports, essays and reviews on various topics in Boston Globe, New York Times, Washington Post, National Geographic, Playboy and thousands of other popular newspapers and magazines of the United States.
The Gilsdorf’s article called “Why We Need Violent Video Games” published in January, 2013, develops the issue of violent video games effect on the behavior of the teenagers, grounding on the past events and experience following them. The “Videogames Return Program” created by a community near Newtown according to the rules of which people could return their old video games receiving gift vouchers for peaceful entertainment in return which was cancelled later, and other actions of the government aimed at curbing violence served the main elements of the article.
In his article, Ethan Gilsdorf bases on the events and measures on further violence prevention between the teenagers taken after the massive shooting. Thus, the writer recollects the useless experience of “Videogames Return Program”, the president’s speech on the topic: “President Obama announced four major legislative proposals and 23 executive actions to curb gun violence”.The topic of the article “Why We Need Violent Video Games” is of big interest in the society caring for their children and for the future of the nation itself; recent experience of massive shooting committed by the teenagers in different times made the issue challenging and, at the same time, controversial which the author tries to stress on in his article mentioning objectionable statements which grounded on the evaluation of real data and information. Ethan Gilsdorf presents the information in the article clearly, topically and in such a way that it contributes to general statement of the issue; it is not redundant or overloaded. The author defines terms not exactly as the article is intended for a reader having background on the topic; Ethan Gilsdorf focuses on the issue itself not explaining or clarifying the events, organizations, except for the “Videogames Return Program” which is clearly and exactly supplemented with the exhausting for a new reader background information. The author’s interpretation of the information is sufficient and the issue is covered in the full volume; the reader gets the main points he can rely on while forming his personal opinion on the topic chosen. The article contains logical argumentation of the statements raised in it basing on the right sequence of events followed by the comments concerning the issue; there are no confusing pieces in the article which are not related to any part, the text is coherent, and such logical order contributes to the reader’s comprehension of it.
Ethan Gilsdorf applies simplified lexicon and writing style, such as “scapegoat”, “remember rock’n’roll?” in the article with the purpose of gaining reader’s trust and attention; the author also loads his text emotionally aiming at the right reaction of the reading auditory, for example: “[Adam Lanza] liked non-violent games such as Dance Dance Revolution. Yes, a game that teaches you how to dance”. In such a way, Ethan tried to convey his mood as for the issue raised by him in the article. Ad hominem may also be identified within the general argumentation of the issue: the author uses Obama’s statements made after the incident in order to show the attitude of the government to the issue of violent video games addiction and its effect. The author demonstrates his stands clearly and exactly supporting it with the data and events contributing to his position on the issue; though, he doesn’t give arguments in support of another side of the issue, with the help of which he persuades the reader in his vision of the situation giving faulty questions which give the reader fallacious grounds for thinking he has a choice.
Violent video games has never been so realistic as they are nowadays, some of them even exaggerate the reality, for example, when the gamer kills a person from a virtual world, his blood splashes on the computer screen. Teenagers do not have completely formed psyche and the experience of playing such games will only negatively affect it as violent games cause cruelty and unnaturally emotional behavior. The author also mentions rock’n’roll and comic books in the aspect that they might influence the humans’ minds but the science wasn’t so developed to determine whether the music and the books had negative effect on the people who committed crime, so such comparison cannot be the grounds for arguing the position.
The reviewed article “Why We Need Violent Video Games” was meant to persuade the reader in the stands that violent video games influenced good mood and natural behavior of a person who needed an output for accumulated emotions. In the article, the author took for the basis the example of massive shooting which took place in Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 and argued his position mentioning taken by the authorities measures after the event and their useless results. Also, Ethan Gilsdorf used comparison of the current situation concerning the issue with that of the previous generations to support his views on the problem.

Works Cited

Gilsdorf, Ethan. "Why We Need Violent Video Games." (2003). Print.