Short Assignment #7

[Reflection on Research]

In this reflection about Major Assignment #2, you will have an opportunity  to think through the connections between your sources, the process that our textbook calls “synthesis” (75-76). 

Q: Who is your intended audience?

A: My audience are parents, adults, emerging young adult gamers, and children. Also, I gather people that do not like video games will benefit from this paper, because there’s information that has potential to show them an extremely valuable side into playing video games.

Q: How do you address the needs of your audience?

A: For that purpose I will be listing some of the findings that have come across from this research study, and hopefully they will bring clarity on a few key points such as the potential impact of COVID-19 on loneliness and well-being; furthermore to show how games facilitate the development of social skills.

Q: What is your purpose in this essay?

A: Twenty years ago, games were limited and so required less from players, and as time went by, games improved alongside with technology. The purpose of this essay is to bring reflection on how game technology has intervened in the community even more so in a post pandemic state. Furthermore, to show how games had a fundamental role in connecting people as an alternative means to deprivation of contact with the public.

Q: What did you know about your subject before researching it?

A: I knew very little. In fact, to be entirely honest I had to do a lot of reading and frankly, I also found important to do some field work. I created a couple of accounts for a couple of different game genres and gathered besides experience also some fresh points of view on the matter. I believe that was essential to gather the most accurate information possible.

Q: What new knowledge about the subject have you acquired?

A: I acquired new knowledge regarding the new platforms used for RPG-MMO (role-playing games/ massively multiplayer online) - which connects millions of players in a virtual world,  offering a very visually stimulating experience on a social platform that mimics real life.

Q: What sources were key in providing that knowledge?

A: Google was important. The sources that gave me the most condensed and vital information were the following two:

Sources:

MEADOWS, M. S. I, Avatar, The Culture and Consequences of Having a Second Life, (2008) New Riders.

ATKINS, R. ArtSpeak: A Guide to Contemporary Ideas, Movements, and Buzzwords, 1945 to the Present. New York / London: (2013) Abbeville Press Publishers.