Short Assignment #6

In this post you will provide an update on your research in progress. You should provide the following information:

• Discuss the sources you have found so far and analyze their credibility

- This TED conference ‘’Why we are better in games than we are in real life’’ was studied in class. In this short video, Jane McGonigal advocates for more gameplay time. Because of this, I found it to be a useful source to support my idea that games should be played in more quantity particularly games such as the ones Janes has been developing. Jane McGonigal's work is known to be credible and I found that her sources besides being from a well-known individual, they also were found over trustworthy platforms such as TED.

- I have easily found, by using Google, one other source where Jane McGonigal also brings to light a very interesting study on a game she developed called ''Super Better''. In this short video presentation , ''The game that can give you 10 extra years of life'', Jane explains how after she underwent a traumatic brain concussion, ended up stumbling on this creative idea of developing a game that could help with physical challenges and also personal struggles. That video conference effectively supports the main idea in this essay provided me with connections between those two.

• Provide details about each source: how each was found, what makes each viable, and how you imagine each one effectively supporting your ideas.
• Which source do you think will work best in your essay?

I came across a very interesting source over Google – Google Play (BELONGING IN GAMING – Supporting women in the mobile gaming world). Mainly it focused on the female gaming community and inclusion for women in the gaming segment. There is a visible contrast leading often to cyber-bullying or harassment from the male counterparts.  I found this presentation particularly engaging because it touched on many important aspects, as of those of building an inclusive supportive network for women in competitive gaming, one that values and recognizes a woman as equal competitors.

• Identify a source you found while conducting your research but have discarded, and explain why you are excluding it

I decided against an article posted on the Daily Mail - ‘’ Violent shooter video games really DO rot your brain: Frequent players have less gray matter, study reveals’’. After carefully analyzing this study I concluded that the arguments and findings on it did not have enough material to support its ideas potentially misleading the public that reads one such study. British expert Professor Andrew Przybylski, from Oxford University, thinks the same way expressing that the study required statistical power. He said: ‘’The hypotheses tested do not relate to harm and the paper does not provide evidence that 90 hours of play, the 'treatment', leads to harm. Thus, the interpretation of harm, although attention-grabbing, was not peer-reviewed and appears to have been introduced afterward. This framing is a worrying over-reach that could mislead readers. Extrapolating from small-scale and noisy studies like these is extremely problematic.’’ 

• Discuss a source you are considering using, but about which you are still unsure, and explain your uncertainty

I am considering using another TED source. Young video game designer Gabriel Moncau is incredibly creative, credible, and knowledgeable in the art of video game designing. He comes out very inspirational to me. He reveals his passion for video game designing since a very young age, going into detail, sharing insights on the genre of design of video games he likes to play.

• Identify what’s missing in your research, and speculate about the information you are still seeking from additional sources

I am considering the number of studies I have analyzed thus far in support of exposure to more gameplay time. The interview is set for a couple of days and I believe it will bring me valuable insight from a different perspective. I am also taking into consideration the overall amount of information I have gathered to set the context of this research; determining whether there is enough perspective on the negative and positive effects of gaming.