Violent video games

The computer is a big part of almost everyone’s life. Adults, young adults, and children spend hour after hour in front of computer screens every day. Much of this time, people are playing computer games. The writer of this article discusses one kind of game: violent video games.

Violent video games: cause for concern

Entertainment companies make more money from the sale of video games than from the sale of movies. This is because young people all over the world spend a lot of time playing video games, and many of them are violent video games. Many parents, teachers and psychologists are very concerned about the effects of these games on the players. Some games encourage violent behavior against other people such as women, police officers, and people with different political views.

Some people believe that violent video games may be very harmful because they are interactive. That means, the player takes part in the action of the game. The player becomes an aggressor, the person who plans the attack and causes the violence. Many people worry that children will become too aggressive in real life. They believe the children will learn to find solutions to problems only through violence.

Some researchers are studying the effects of violent video games. One study included 210 college students. Some of the students players violent video games like “Grand Theft Auto” and some played non-violent video games like “Myst” .The study showed that students who played more violent video games showed more aggressive behavior.

In Washington State, there is law against sailing violent video games to young people under age 17. Storeowners who sell these games to children must pay a fine of $500. Other states are considering such a law. Many people want to completely ban, or forbid, the sale of these violent video games.

We need to understand the possible dangers of violent video games. The question is: what can we do about this serious problem?

Violent video games

1. Thinking about the topic

Why are video games so popular? Do you enjoy playing video games? Which games do you play? Where do you play? If you don’t play video games, explain why not.

1. General understanding of the article.

1. Identifying the issues.

Read the questions. Choose the correct answer(s). discuss your answer with a partner.

1. Why are some people against violent video games?

1. Some games encourage violence against police officers.

2. Violent video games make college students more aggressive.

3. All aggressive people like video games.

1. What are people doing now about the problem of violent video games?

1. Researches are studying the effects of violent video games.

2. In Washington State, only people over age 17 can buy video games.

3. Some states ban violent video games.

1. Drawing conclusions.

Work with a partner. Which statements support, or agree with, the ideas in the reading? Express your own opinion about each statement, say why you agree or disagree with it.

1. All the worry about violent video games is silly because video games are unimportant.

2. Young people may think aggressive behavior is exactable.

3. People get used to seeing or hearing a lot of violence. They stop thinking that violence is a bad think.

4. Violent video games let people express their aggression in play instead of in real life.

5. Violent video games are exciting; everything goes fast.

6. Boys who treat women badly in video games will not grow up to be good husbands and fathers.

1. Open for discussion.

Think about the following statements . Do you agree or disagree? Why? Discuss your opinions in small groups.

1. Girls like video games as much as boys do.

2. The games of our childhood affect our adult behavior.

3. Sometimes in life it is important to be aggressive.

4. A person over age 17 can make better choices than a young child.

After your discussions , choose one statement and write your opinion. Remember to write complete sentences.

1. Writing Focus. Stating opinions and giving reasons.

Step1. Getting ideas.

Read the questions below, express your opinion.

1. Should we protect children under age 17 from dangers of violent video games?

2. Should we let the government, rather than parents, decide what is right and what is wrong for children?

Step 2. Organizing the Opinion paragraph.

Read the following paragraph. It expresses one student’s opinion about children and TV.

Pay attention to the key parts of the paragraph.

Topic sentence

I am against letting children spend too much time watching TV.

First of all , too much TV is not good for their health. Children become overweight because they spend more time watching TV than exercising.

Their eyesight also gets worse.

With bad eyesight, it is hard to read and do homework. As a result children lose interest in school.

Watching TV for hours also affects children socially. They don’t learn how to get along with other people because they don’t have to talk to anyone. This hurts their social development. TV is often educational and fun, but too much TV causes problems. That is why I think we should limit children’s TV time.

(opinion)

Reason 1

Reason 2

Reason 3

Concluding

Sentence

Step 3 .Writing a concluding sentence

A concluding sentence repeats the main idea of the topic sentence, but a writer uses different words.

Now write your paragraph. Be sure to include all key parts.

Step 4. Revising.

Work with a partner. Read each one’s paragraphs, and write comments in the margin. Use the checklist below.

CHECKLIST FOR REVISING

1.Does the writer express a clear opinion in the topic sentence?

2.Does the writer give reasons?

3.Does the concluding sentence have the same message as the topic sentence? Does it use different words?

Review your writing. Do you want to change any part of the paragraph to make it clearer? Do you want to add any ideas?