My attempt at an outline

I believe this is pretty self explanatory

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The Effects of Video Games

Introduction- Do video games affect us as negatively as we’re told?

I. What does the “Media” report on the effects of video games on people?

A. “Murder Training Simulators”

B. “Affects students grades”

C. “Caused College Shootouts (NIU, VT)”

II. How do violent video games affect people negatively and positively?

A. Presents Inhumane Ideas

B. Vents frustration

C. Builds Reflexes and Tolerance of Fear

III. How do non-violent video games affect people negatively and positively?

A. Builds Reflexes, Physical and Mental Fitness

B. Can be used as Rehab Tools

C. Preference of Video Games over Real Life

IV. What is the difference between the effect of playing videogames on adults, and on children

A. Adults tend to get less frustrated with games

B. Children more likely to obsess

C. Adults don’t get new ideas from video games

V. How do the negative effects compare to the positive effects of videogames?

A. Negative effects aren’t proven in studies, unlike Positive effects

B. More positive effects

VI. How many video game players of each age, are affected negatively? How many positively?

A. Statistics of total video game players of each age

B. Scientific Studies

C. Cases in which negative or positive effects took place

VII. What percentage of the population chooses violent video games over non-violent video games?

A. Statistics of video game players

B. Statistics of M rated games sold

C. Statistics of E rated games sold

VIII. How reliable are the studies on the effects of video games on people?

A. White Sound Blast Study

B. Several Studies Showing Positive Results

C. Underfunded Studies

IX. How do studies and reports compare to what statistics show about the effects of video games?

A. White Sound Blast Study

B. Similarities

C. Differences

X. How does the amount of teenage crimes change in comparison to the amount of teenage video game players?

A. Timeline, Teen Violence goes down, Video gaming goes up

B. Statistics

Conclusion – Claims that video games are the cause of problems are inane, but they can still have some negative effects. However, they can be harnessed correctly to unleash the multitude of positive effects in store.

Introduction

Here I have the latest version of my introduction, This isn't final though, and it is very subject to change, but here you go anyway

“Video games are murder training simulators.” Most of us will ignore the newspaper when we see lines like this, but then the question comes to mind: Is it true; do video games affect us as negatively as we’re told? There have been recent events that may seem to support statements like that given above, but statistics are showing that even though there are negative effects, there are also positive effects that may outweigh them.

Update after much busy-ness

I have FINALLY finished my webliography, which took quite a bit of time due to having to wait for newer articles, typing up long descriptions, etc.
I'm currently working on my introduction and will work on notes which I need to restart due to corrupted files >.<
I might have the introduction up by the end of today
Here's a copy of my Webliography:

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Webliography

1.

Donatelli, Elizabeth. "Video game system helped teen quickly recover from paralyzing car crash injuries." Wave 3 27 feb 2008 28 feb 2008 <http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=7931844&nav=0RZF>.

• This website has plenty of ads scattered through it, meaning they probably expect a lot of their income to come through advertising. The article seems to be confined to a smaller space on the left side, but they have several relevant pictures to the right of the article. They have several links to relevant articles, main parts of the website and some contacts located on the page, including a hyperlink to contact the author.
• There are no sources, but information in this article appears to come directly from interviews, as it has specific quotes from relevant people.
• On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this article an 8, because it is a reliable source of information, but it’s just a little bit hard to read and is over-advertised
• This article is related to my topic because it provides answers to some of my main questions such as showing positive effects of video games.

2.

Banerjee, Preeta. "Video Games Aren't a Waste of Time." BusinessWeek 19 feb 2008 28 feb 2008 <http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/feb2008/bs20080219_935082.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_business+schools>.

• This website has an easy to read layout, the main website banner is at the top, there’s some links to related articles on the right, a few advertisements towards the bottom on the right, but it gives plenty of room for the article. The only image is a picture of the author of the article; she seems to be selling herself out or just trying to gloat about how she looks or something. The picture is slightly relevant to the article because the article is an editorial. There is also a section at the bottom of the page for comments, and there’s a link to the author’s bio, and her contact information.
• She uses quotes from other articles, but not all information is cited.
• On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this article a 4 because it provides some decent information, but the author seems to be trying to sell out the college that she went to.
• This article is related to my topic because it explains some positive effects of playing video games, answering my foundation questions a bit.

3.

Walker, Melissa. "Libraries hook teens through video games." DesMoinesRegister 21 feb 2008 28 feb 2008 <http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080221/NEWS/802210405/-1/SPORTS0806>.

• This website has the typical banner at the top, article on the left, pictures and stuff on the right. There are pictures of the article located on the right, and then links to related articles and highlighted articles for the day. They put some ads in the middle of the space with the article, which gets in the way and makes the article not as appealing, but they have a comments section at the bottom of the article. There is no contact information about the author, but there is a link to a “customer services” page.
• I would say that it is an authoritative article because the information they acquired information from direct interviews with the parties involved.
• On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this article a 7 because it has several quotes and references to scientific studies, but no source for the study results.
• This article relates to my topic because it has examples of how video games, both violent and non-violent, affect people’s social lives.

4.

D'Alessandro, Laura. "Video Game proves to be a worthy rehab tool." The Daily Times 05 feb 2008 28 feb 2008 <http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080205/OPI06/80204031/-1/OPI>.

• Again, with the typical online periodical layout, this website has the main banner on the top, article on the left, relevant pictures on the right, however, there’s also a set of main links on the far left, ads below the banner, in the middle of the article, and at the bottom of the page, and there’s a section for comments near the bottom. The author’s contact information, email and phone, are located right above the comments section and there is a “contact us” link at the very bottom of the page.
• I would rate this article authoritative because it uses information from direct interviews
• On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this article a 6 because it’s fairly short, but it gives some useful information that I can use.
• This article shows how video games can be used to help people physically recover from damage, and how they can be used to keep children physically fit.

5.

"For Males, Video Game Rewards Are All in the Mind." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 08 feb 2008 28 feb 2008 <http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/brai/612489.html>.

• Simple layout: banner at top, pictures and links on the right, and the article on the left; not quite as spammed with advertising as the other websites. There is no information about an author or anyone who wrote the article, but there is a link at the bottom of the article to a webpage that relates to the topic of the article.
• I believe that this is an authoritative article because it uses information from a report on a scientific experiment, which is cited, and they interviewed the scientists in question for other information.
• On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this article as 7 because even though it may be kinda short, it provides plenty of factual information and it has information from a scientific study which is useful when writing about well, anything.
• This article relates to my topic because it is about a scientific study that shows how video games affect the minds of two different groups differently, and it provides evidence to back up the information.

6.

Nagourney, Eric. "Patterns: A Video Game, an M.R.I. and What Men’s Brains Do." The New York Times 19 feb 2008 28 feb 2008 <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/health/19patt.html?bl&ex=1203570000&en=263d3103b011973c&ei=5087%0A>.

• This website has the usual banner at the top with links, more links on the right side of the page, article on the left with a picture in the middle of it, and ads scattered throughout. There is a link to articles by the author of this article, but there is no given contact information on this page.
• This article describes the results of a study, as well as the study itself, and I believe that it is accurate to the correct information because I checked the study, which they gave a link to.
• On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this article a 5 because it didn’t really do much other than advertise the study, but the study is useful either way.
• This article provides a direct source of information to my topic, it relates because the study shows some different effects of video games on the human brain.

7.

Smith, Sonya. "Video game proves to be moving experience." Orlando Sentinel 24 feb 2008 28 feb 2008 <http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/orl-wiitherapy08feb24,0,6062765.story>.

• This website really looks like an article thrown in the center of a sea of advertisements. The logo is located on the top left corner, and there are links going down the left side. Aside from the article, the rest of the page is covered in advertisements. There is a section for comments at the bottom of the page and there is no visible contact information for the author of the article.
• This article is authoritative because it’s information comes directly from interviews with people who are taking part in the event.
• On a scale of 1 to 10, I think that I would say this article gets a 9 because it provides good information, doesn’t take sides on saying that people definitely should play video games or not, and it has a decent length to provide a plethora of good information.
• This article relates to my topic because it shows how videogames are being used to affect people physically, positively.

8.

Benedetti, Winda. "Playing the blame game." MSNBC 18 feb 2008 28 feb 2008 <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23204875/>.

• This website has the banner at the top, main links on the left, a small space for ads on the right, and plenty of space to read a good long article. There’s also some links to related articles, but there is no contact information to the author.
• This article contains both facts and opinions, but the opinions are clearly shown to be opinions and are from interviews with authorities on video games. There are also links located within the article to the original source of factual information in the articles. Hence, I think it would be safe to say this article is authoritative.
• On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this article a 10 because it sources its information, has a very good length, contains plenty of details, and still maintains a more neutral position on the subject.
• This article relates to my subject because it is about the argument that video games are bad for people, and it contains information about both sides of the argument about whether games make kids violent.

9.

"Sony scholarship for female video game lovers." AFP 20 feb 2008 28 feb 2008 <http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hZ3fBdCXhg3ywI2CbrORqjI4OxfQ>.

• This webpage has the AFP banner at the top left of the page, the Google banner at the bottom, a link to Google News, and some copyright information at the bottom. Other than that, there is a picture display on the left that relates to the article, and the rest of the webpage is donated entirely to the article.
• About every other line of the article begins with a quote, which means that most of the information is with interviews. The information given is legitimate, and can be checked, so it’s safe to say that this is an authoritative article.
• On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this article a 7, because it contains good information, but it is really short, so it doesn’t have a lot of information.
• This article is about how video games are being used to give people opportunities, and increase diversity in gamers, hence it relates to my topic.

10.

McDonald, Greer. "Play away the extra pounds." The Dominion Post 22 feb 2008 28 feb 2008 <http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4411124a1899.html>.

• This website has a small spot in the top left corner for a banner, the rest of the top has an ad; there’s a bar with main links right below those, and there’s the article on the left and related links on the right. There is no visible section for contact information.
• The authority of this article may be in question, but it seems legitimate as it contains information and statistics from recent studies on gamers. It also contains interview quotes. I think it’s safe to say that it this article is authoritative.
• On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this article a 6 because it contains plenty of information, but not all of it is fully cited, and the statistics given only apply to people in the specific area of New Zealand.
• This article relates to my topic because it shows some positive effects video games have on people, and gives statistics about how many kids play some specific non-violent video games, such as Guitar Hero.

Bah

I'm currently finishing up my questions and gonna start with my notes. I have a template set up for the notes pages, which should simplify things for me a lot as far as that goes.
As for my webliography, I still need to find more articles, which I'm also workin on still...

P.S.: Ms. King; I used to have a handwriting class too. I got straight Fs in it because my teachers couldn't read my handwriting.

Grad Project Questions

Main Question: Do Videogames affect people as negatively as we’re told?

1. How bad does the media* say videogames affect people?
2. How do Violent Videogames affect people negatively?
3. How do Violent Videogames affect people positively?
4. How do Non-violent Videogames affect people negatively?
5. How do Non-violent Videogames affect people positively?
6. What is the difference between the effect of playing videogames on adults, and on children
7. How do the negative effects compare to the positive effects of videogames?
8. How many Videogame players of each age, are affected negatively?
9. How many Videogame players of each age, are affected positively?
10. How does the overall effect of Videogames on people compare to what the media* tells us?

* Media refers to news networks such as MSN or the NY Times, or CNN, etc.

Subject to change

My Collage

You can click on the Image to enlarge it and see the whole thing

Key Terms (Gamer Jargon/l33tsp34k)

leet/l33t/1337... - stems from the word Elite, it is sometimes known as gamer speak, l33t uses numbers and keyboard symbols to replace letters

RPG- Role Playing Game, an adventure game in which the player takes control of a character or a party of characters to follow a storyline

MMORPG- Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, an adventure game in which the player takes control of one character and usually goes on adventures, these games connect to servers in which they can play with anyone who has an internet connection to the server.

FPS- First Person Shooter, usually one of the "violent games" in which the player takes control of the gunman and sees things from their point of view

RTS- Real time strategy, also usually "violent" games, usually war games are in this format. The player controls characters or a character and builds bases/destroys the other team's base

pwn- to "own," used in the sense of defeating someone usually with much overkill. This term is commonly used in FPS's.

lag- a term used in online games when the server connection is slowed and the game begins to respond to input late

Platformer- A game type in which a character usually runs and jumps through levels to go through an adventure. ex: Metroid or Sonic.

Puzzle Game- A game which can be beaten by the player using logic to solve puzzles. Can be anything from Tetris to Metroid Prime

noob/n00b/nub- A title given to someone in an online game who is really annoying, or is really bad at the game. not to be confused with newb, which refers to someone who is new to a game

newb- A title given to someone who is new to a game and lacks experience likewise. not to be confused with noob

progress report

I can't really find any good articles on my topic, and I can't find any more vocab words for my list, but I'll keep looking for a little longer, or else I'm going to alter my topic

1/14/08

Today, I looked through articles to find good authoritative articles and my terms. so far I only have 5 terms

• 1337/leet
• MMORPG
• FPS
• owning/pwning/p0wning
• gamer

I'll come up with proper definitions for these soon, and I still need to finish my previous post

Page 14 -_-

My topic idea currently is "How do video games affect people's lives and/or personality?"
(It's still not final; I'm going to improve on it a bit)

I'm supposed to evaluate the topic, so here goes

1. This topic is appealing and interesting to me, because I am a fan of video games and I'd like to find out what people think, and how they're affected by videogames.

to be continued

Initial Ideas

Well, I'm kinda running blindly into this project. I haven't heard too much from people who are already doing this, but the only stuff I have heard was some things from advisory back in 9th grade. I'm considering a few ideas for my topic including videogames, engineering, computer technology in general, and maybe even education. Otherwise I have no idea where I want to go with this. My main concern is whether I'll decide a topic early enough to be able to finish this project in time, but once I have an idea, I think I'll breeze right through this.