(Reflection)

On my second major assignment in English101, one which was done with great interest and pleasure, I found myself lost in the very fine labyrinth of the modern culture of gaming only to find my way back into this world much richer. For this essay, (major assignment #3) I was asked to compose three genres based on the research of my prior assignment. The knowledge gained is invaluable. One cannot live in a modern world incognizant of this parallel world where people live a second life.

Virtual worlds are also being used to represent and mediate social space, (e.g. second life) and in the current pandemic mode I come to terms in understanding better the strength and value of video games. Hours and hours of many are put into building personae in a virtual world. For a long, long time many voiced against the excessive use of videogames and even the use of videogames. Even today we find people who do so.

In my assignment, I proved through several sources and rational conclusions that we can profit from the so-called videogames. My most esteemed audience was always my number one focus, he is comprised of parents, adults, emerging young adult gamers, and children. Also, I gather people that do not like video games will benefit from this paper, for there is information which has the potential to show them an extremely valuable side into playing video games. Choosing an audience was, due to the nature of the theme, rather straight-forward.  Almost everyone has an opinion about videogames (at least anyone who lives in this century).

(Rational) 

The first genre I am composing is a YouTube Channel script. 

YouTube is now an excellent tool to be able to decipher which videos are most successful in the virtual world.  This such media platform reaches a wide gamer population, one which I also have used countless times. Be it in the film, music or art industry, pursuing of video tutorials for an array of subjects, including video-games, therefore it seemed more than appropriate to use this format for my major assignment #3. 

As for Newspaper article one must realize that reading an article on paper is something else it is a pleasure I must say , it is quality leisure that makes us better, better informed and prepared against “fake news”, manipulations. Meanwhile consumption has changed and digital editions are starting to grow at the subscription level, being aware of this made me even more motivated in the creation of this particular genre. 

Opinions, unfortunately, seldom are based on scientific evidence, empirical evidence, or any other fundamented source. Pre-conceptions, judging without knowing, thinking you know without studying – these are ailments of the society. In order to purge the plague of such manner of thinking, one must research, fundament, and inform. 

In my third composition the Infographic genre - An Infographic can illustrate data and, therefore, simplify moderately complex information in a way that even the less gifted can understand that information. A picture is worth a thousand words, and such is the case with this infographic piece that highlights the benefits study's have shown.

Transmitting a more complex information than the one I used to work on in a clear, concise manner through a visual stimulus was new to me. Due to the format, the infographic forced me to do some “cherry picking”, so all non-essential data was not included. I observed and pondered on color schematics that would be popular with the video-game industry and used the messaging accordingly.

In this assignment, building up on the research and analysis done on the topic which I mentioned, a composition shall be created by the use of three different genres as follows: 

1st genre

YouTube Channel script:

Hi, folks, and welcome to the SoniTech Show - your YouTube channel for daily tech content! It’s finally “next-gen” console season and a review on the hardware inside the new consoles is on the works, coming soon! Today, with plenty of games coming and all the hype around it, to all our fans out there, we have game-related news for you. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 20 years, you must have formed an opinion on video-games by now, so either you like video-games, are a “hardcore gamer”, or think video-games are just bad for everyone and should be erased from the face of the earth. If you are in the last group, I’m sorry to disappoint you. Recent studies have proven that playing video-games can actually improve your reflexes and coordination. More, there are videogame projects that are helping people who are sick to cope and ever recover, and also projects that help children in school through gaming– so there you go, if you needed an excuse to ask your parents for an NVIDIA RTX 3080 or a brand new Xbox Series X, you can argue that it is for study purposes! Also, your brain will improve if you play video-games for a certain amount of time. Video-games improve brain functions – think of it has “brain workout” - and those effects are permanent. So, without further ado, these are the TOP #7 reasons why video-games are good:

• Improves the brain speed,
• Better eye-hand coordination,
• Improves problem solving skills,
• Improves social skills,
• Improves attention and coordination.
• Enhances multitasking skills,
• It is a great source of study.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that bad things can’t come from video-games. Playing too much won’t be good for you, but that applies to everything – if you eat too much fish, it is bad for you. If you do too much exercise, it is bad for you. If you drink too much water, it is bad for you. Face it, the problem is not with video-games but doing something excessively, which is always bad. Also, always respect the age rating of a game, those are there for a reason! That is it for today, guys. Don’t forget to smash that subscribe button and hit that notification bell. It really helps us a lot and helps making more content for you. Thank you so much for watching this video. See you on the next SoniTech Show!

2nd genre

Newspaper article:

Games can help people, studies show.

According to recent studies, video-games may help people in several ways. According to the Spanish Faculty of Health Sciences of the Universit at Oberta de Catalunya, playing videogames can improve cognitive functions. The human brain will become more efficient at solving the kind of challenge that games present to it. There has been some debate over the last decades about the benefits versus the downsides of playing video-games, but this is not the first time science has stood in favor of the gaming community. Researcher, game developer and Ph.D Jane McGonigal has already dedicated much of her life to the video-game industry, but in a different way.     

3rd genre

An infographic: (information graphic) can illustrate data and, therefore, simplify moderately complex information in a way that even the less gifted can understand that information. A picture is worth a thousand words, and such is the case with infographics.

Sources:

• Article from "The Conversation" (UK) 11/13/2020

• Blau S. and Burak K. Writing in the works (2016) Publisher Lyn Uhi
• Grant Tavinor The Art of Video games (2009) PhD Student in Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Waterloo

• GRIFFITH, M. Education and Health. Vol 20.3 (2002)
• GOUVEIA, P. Fiction and Embrodiment Augmented reality, (2008) Phd thesis, University Nova of Lisbon.

• Picktochart 11/12/2020