Task 1 Critical Essay (30% out of 40%)

(This task aims develop your critical reading and writing skills through the writing of a critical essay)

Choose one topic from the five (5) topics available and write a critical essay in the argumentative style. In this essay format, you must:

• briefly state your position on the topic and why the issue is important;  
• Identify the main arguments or ideas to be discussed in the essay in the order in which they will appear; and 
• use and refer to four (4) readings provided with the topic using either APA 6th edition or Harvard style.

For more information on writing a critical essay go to http://www.sussex.ac.uk/skillshub/?id=256

Two days before the due date, submit your final draft of your essay to Turnitin and access the originality report. This is needed to allow you to complete Task 2 below.

Task 2 TURNITIN Reflection (10% out of 40%)

Using the Originality Report generated by TURNITIN, write a 200 word reflection on your experience of using TURNITIN. Include an interpretation of the score you received and identify any issues in your Originality Report. Explain how you addressed these issues in your assessment. Since you are using a reflective style of writing, you can use 'I' in this paragraph. 

Putting Task 1 and Task 2 together

• • Edit your essay draft if necessary.
  • Insert your reflection into the end of the essay draft after the reference list.
  • Combine the coversheet, your essay and reflection into a single file and submit to TURNITIN.

Video games are an omnipresent part of growing up for most children and is increasingly becoming a part of life for adults as well.  As opposed to common perspective, video games are not “dumbing down the society”, or contributing towards its “aggressiveness”; rather, they are also associated with improved brain activity, increased analytic skills in a being and improved spatial skills for a being (Granic et al. 2014). Played amidst different demographics, video gaming is gradually catching the eye of a wider audience through increased skills and logistics as well as resource planning gaming (Greitemeyer et al. 2009). A change in the prosocial paradigm in the gaming sector has further raised concerns to understand the negatives and positive aspects of the industry on society. The study addresses a need for balance to channelize the competencies gained from this process.

Positives influences of video games

Video gaming and improved neural development 

A video gamer is often expected to master hand-eye coordination, quick reflexes, spatial and motor skills that proposes an opportunity for neural development (Adachi and Willoughby, 2011). Since video games require multiple actions and quick analysis, the neural function of the users can be enhanced; this is further understood through the neuroplasticity theory that reflects upon the changes in the brain based on the environment (Straker et al. 2015). These changes converge in a being with time and often contribute towards increased aptitude. In this sense, it can be concluded that prolong exposure to video games can contribute to the development of the brain and neural functions.

Improved social relations

Studies reflect that games have a positive impact on the social relations competency of an individual. In multi-player games, most gamers are expected to perform in collaboration, which prepares them for the task of social immersion (Straker et al. 2015). Most multi-player games require a gamer to develop a sense of trust and dependency upon the other player, which further contributes towards their strengthening of peer relations and emotional balance (Prot et al. 2014). In addition, the emergence of prosocial games has been known to increase empathy and better life satisfaction in the gamers, which, irrespective of age, contributes towards the strengthened social relations in the real world. In this sense, it is concluded that the increase of prosocial games contributes towards an improved sense of others, and team culture in the individual, thus enabling improved social relations for the player (Wolf, 2008)

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