Research Essay

Is there enough literature available to determine whether video game use has a positive or negative affect on youth?

A common debate that is receiving increasing popularity is the argument as to whether or not there is enough literature available to determine whether video game use has a positive or negative affect on youth, or if it has any affect at all. Experts have completely opposing ideas on the topic and most research on the topic shows persuasive and truthful facts. This is where the argument is most prominent. Although there has been extensive research done on the topic, is there really enough literary content available for us to find a definite answer? Or do experts need to delve further into the subject matter to reach a solid, believable conclusion?

There is an extensive list of health issues associated with gaming. One of the most talked about and most common is Repetitive Strain Injury. Otherwise known as RSI. RSI is commonly known as a condition in which the extensive performance of repetitive actions with the any body part, particularly the hands, causes aches and pains or impairs the function in the tendons and muscles involved. Examples of activities that people can suffer RSI from are texting, typing and video games. There for it goes without saying that individuals that use video games on a regular basis are more likely to suffer from RSI than people who do not use video games. People who ritually play computer games or use a computer often in their workplace are at risk of obtaining a Repetitive Strain Injury. According to rsi-therapy.com, if you type 40 words a minute you press 12,000 keys per hour or 96,000 keys per 8-hour day. Approximately 8 ounces of force is necessary to press one key, your fingers daily will exercise almost 16 tones of force. (Reference 2)

Although this is extensive, RSI is easily treated if detected early. It is rarely a permanent injury unless it is a chronic case left untreated for an extensive period of time. Although Repetitive Strain Injury is common among gamers, it is not exclusive to them. RSI is more common among people who use computers for extensive periods of time in their workplace than in the gaming community.

Another medically diagnosed issue associated with gaming is depression. A report by Serena Gordon written for Health Day explains how Depression is linked to gaming and how there has not been enough extensive research done on the area for experts to evaluate if gaming is the sole reason for youth/gamers becoming depressed.

Although it is a fact that gaming can become an addiction, which can lead to depression, anxiety and other social disorders, it might not be the game itself that causes these mental disorders. Serena Gordon stated in the report

“It might be that kids who are socially awkward, who aren't doing well in school, get depressed and then lose themselves into games.” This is a common belief, but is often contradicted by others research on the subject matter. In this particular area of research, more investigation needs to be undergone before we can know the order in which people develop a gaming addiction.

Although the negative side to gaming is often being brought to the publics’ attention, there are companies who develop gaming software that can benefit the health of gamers. The development of the Nintendo Wii has been revolutionary in terms of the health problems associated with gaming. The original Nintendo Wii was released on November 19^th, 2006. It’s initial purpose was to create a new era of gaming in the sense that the buttons on the controls were secondary to the actions of the gamer, as it is motion censored. The physically demanding aspect of the game was always alluring, but it wasn’t until 2008 when Nintendo started releasing games specifically designed to be physically challenging and aimed to get the users fit. The release of the Wii Fit Plus saw a new era of gaming. It’s advertising campaigns makes the claim that the range of sports it offers in the form of a video game is equally as demanding as the real thing. This form of technology can easily counteract arguments claiming that the every form of video gaming is having a negative impact on the health of youths.

Glenda Cooper wrote an article for the telegraph about her experience with the Wii Fit. For the production of this article, she had a personal trainer assess her work out on the Wii fit and give his comments and feedback on the overall work out.

A direct quote from the article states: “Wii exercises are short (one to two minutes, until you have repeated them enough times to be considered "safe" to access the longer exercises), and it takes time to switch between the games. Stubbs is not impressed. "There's no continuity between the exercises as you would get in a class or with a trainer," he says.”(Reference one)

As a professional in the area of fitness, some people would take the advice of the personal trainer. But the spokespersons of the Wii Fit have heavily advertised real statistics that claim prove otherwise. This is another example of more extensive research needing to be done in this area.

Of course at the end of the day, the choice of game the youth wants to play is ultimately up to them. They can opt to play video games associated with health issues, or they can play video games that are good for ones health with proven results.

Although there have been a large number of academic reports, articles and investigations undergone in an attempt to find out if video games are definitely linked to health issues among youths, there are no solid conclusions that can be drawn. The findings in this essay prove that there is not enough literature available to determine whether video game use has a positive or negative affect on youth.

Bibliography:

Cooper, G. (2008). Health and fitness: Getting a Wii bit fitter?. The Telegraph. 1 (1), 1-2.

Rauh, S. (2010). Video Game Addiction No Fun. WebMD. 17 (1), 1-2.

Williams, L. (2005). RSI Statistics. Available: http://www.rsi-therapy.com/statistics.htm. Last accessed 16th Oct 2011.

Wii Fit Spokesperson. (2011). Fitness Game For Nintendo Wii. Available: http://wiifit.com/. Last accessed 18th Oct 2011.

Jones, A. (2010). Computer Games - Health Issues. Available: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Computer_games_health_issues?open. Last accessed 17th Oct 2011.

Unkown. (2011). Video games may fuel mental health problems. Available: http://www.tyackhealth.com.au/node/256. Last accessed

References:

1) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/dietandfitness/3354182/Health-and-fitness-Getting-a-Wii-bit-fitter.html

2) http://www.rsi-therapy.com/statistics.htm

Week 9 - Response to Content

Democracy & The Future
Cyber Politics & eDemocracy

Cyber Politics = politics of the internet that exist predominantly on the internet.
eDemocracy = Internets role in the real world politics that exist predominantly off the internet.

Week 9 - Tutorial Task

Part 1

The essay topic I've chosen is:
Does the extensive use of computer/video games have an adverse impact on the health of young people. What are the most recent papers? Clarify what both sides of the argument claim and only then offer your reasoned opinion based on facts.

I will be taking an open minded position in said argument. But dominantly leaning towards the idea that computer/video games are heavily advertised to seem as if they can be bad for ones health, but there aren't necessarily any facts or hard evidence supporting this.


Part 2
Charlie Pickering:
The 7pm Project is embarking on new ground this week with pollies week.
MP Bob Katter kicked if off tonight sitting on the panel with the usual suspects, while  Greg Combet MP, AM also joined the panel briefly to discuss the newly announced carbon offset package.
While such situations are usually cringeworthy, Bob was somehow engaging with his quirky annecdotes and long stories, that surely pushed the shows original schedule out somewhat.
Other pollies lined up for the rest of this week included Adam Bandt, Tony Abbott and even the PM herself tomorrow night. The full lineup can be seen on the The 7pm Project website.
Somehow I don’t think any of them will be quite as good as Bob, but we’ll have to wait and see. If only the pollies didn’t pop up only when they’ve got some new package to sell us.


My Response:
Clearly the way we view politics in the 21st century has become a joke of sorts. Pickers sarcastic remarks abounding Bob Katter's long winded responses and his excitement over which politics have lined up to appear on the show on seperate nights throughout the week. Pickers use of the sentence "Somehow I don’t think any of them will be quite as good as Bob, but we’ll have to wait and see." Is clearly referencing the fact that he views the politicians as a joke, and implying that their appearances on the show are purely for entertainment. If any of the readers of this blog post did not pick up on Pickerings sarcasm, all they have to do is watch an politically directed episode of the 7PM Project and see for themselves how the politicians are viewed and talked about. Although some episodes are quite funny, I don't necessarily agree with how Australia views the political world. We crave the respect of hard work of out politicians, but with professional news broadcasters like the 7PM project making a mockery of them, how can we expect anything more from politicians?


What is Barack Obama doing today?
Obama hosted the first White House LGBT pride reception

What are the Australian Government's plans to censor the internet (the so-called "Clean Feed")? 
The Australian Government are planning to censor the Internet for all Australians. This is to ensure that they can filter a lengthy list of websites deemed prohibited and inappropriate by the Australian Communications and Media Authority with the agenda of ensuring children are protected from harmful and inappropriate online material.

What place does censorship have in a democracy? 
The concept of relying on an entire nation to do the right thing by simply not looking at websites deemed illegal is ludicrous. There will always be criminals that will purposely do the wrong thing for their enjoyment. This ranges from looking at websites related to the black market to child pornography.  The Government should take action to censor these websites to minimize criminal activity. If they have the power to filter illegal websites, and in term, minimize criminal activity on the web, then it's something that needs to be done.


When will the NBN get to your place? What are the benefits?
The National Broadband Network will get to my area of the second release. The benefits of this are a faster broadband internet connection. The NBA is capable of providing broadband speeds of up to 1 gigabyte per second.

Week 8 - Response to Content

Part one
Free Culture and Free Software

One of the major players of this concept is web 2.0, where the general public and put our own info on the web for the benefit of others.

The best example of free software is social media websites. These began with blogs/weblogs then slowly progressed into social networking. i.e Facebook/myspace/twitter

With the technology of free culture of software online, anybody with over 6 months experience on a specific social networking website considers themselves a social media expert. Although they do to refer to themselves as such.

With so many people using countless free social networking websites, it would see that the owners of web 2.0 wouldn't make any money as there is no usage fee. The reason these websites are so successful and their creators are so wealthy is the money they get from advertising. This is why the people who create and run these websites reserve the right to sell your details to whoever they want. This enables them to published advertisements that would be personalized specifically for each user in accordance to their details and the content that they post.

Part two
Creative Commons
Creative commons is a webstie that allowes anyone to use artworks/anything. It covers everything that copyright covers, but allows people to borrow/alter other peoples creations. It doesn't give people complete rights, but relaxes the rights so people can use images but must stick to the artists agreement.

When uploading something to creative commons, you are required to create a copyright contract that informs other users what they can and cannot do with your work.

A series of symbols shows other users what is and isn't covered in a copyright contract:

Non-commercial. This symbol means that you may not use the work for commercial purposes. The creator of the work has given permission for you to use the work, but not if you stand to profit from the work.

No Derivative Works. This symbol means that you may use the work, but you may only use verbatim copies. In other words, you may not clip or change an image or video licensed under an ND (No Derivative Works) license. The work must be identical to its original in your own work.

Share Alike. This symbol means that you may use the work in your own work, but only if you license your derivative works under the same Creative Commons License. In other words, the creator agrees to share his or her work with you only if you share your work, too. Be careful if you use works licensed under a Share Alike license—the terms under which you share your work must be identical to the original creator's terms. That means if they allow commercial use, you must also.

Week 8 - Tutorial Task

Click here to see my short film highlighting the importance of New Communication technology for an average person.

Exegesis-
I chose to do a short film of a realistic situation, apposed to an educational piece with statistics and graphs to prove a point. The purpose was to take a different approach and produce something different.
The film highlights the importance of technology in modern society. I chose the setting of a job interview as the interviewer can ask the interviewee questions that refer to their knowledge in technology.
Throughout the film, there's shot's of smartphones, GPS', Google Maps, laptops and facebook etc.. I incorporated all of these elements into the clip to present the ideologies of the clip in a realistic way.
One aspect of the clip which was decided a the end of the filming process was the last line in the clip. The interviewer yells at the interviewee "LOL JOKES, Piss off!" It was a concious choice of words because talking in texting/facbook language is becoming more and more common in society.  

Week 7 - Response to Content

The Evolution of Production and Consumption.
"Producage & Produsers"

Wikipedia Definition of Producage and Produsers is:
"In collaborative communities the creation of shared content takes place in a network, participatory environment which breaks down the boundaries between producers and consumers and instead enables all participants to be users as well as producers of information and knowledge - frequently in a hybrid role of produser where usage is necessarily also productive."

A much more basic definition is the way we watch and create creative mediums in accordance with copyright (mainly films) can be further developed with the ideologies of "Producage & Produsers". 

Producers spelled with a C are professionals that maintain heavy copyright on all their work, where as produsers spelled with an S refers to everyday people within the community that can share, edit and produce each others work under less specific copyright laws.

This concept enables
- Continual repurposing of content
- Out with the old, and in with the new concept
- Remix, reuse and recycle
- Celebration of the incomplete
- Democratization of professional production

The key principals of this are
- Open participation, communcal evaluation
- Fluid heterachy, Ad Hoc Meritocracy
- unfinished artifacts, continuing process
- Common property, Individual rewards.

Week 7 - Tutorial Task

Day 1 - Pre-production
Consisted of creating a three column script. It was a rough outline of how i wanted the clip to look.  I also considered different effects and transitions i could use in order to best exaggerate the concept of the clip.

Day 2 - Filming
I filmed all shots multiple times. I experimented with shot sizes and angles so i could have a variety of different clips by the end of the editing phase and i could choose the best ones. I had a few issues with filming. They were all relatively small and easy to fix/change. Lighting was an issue. As i filmed the clip in multiple different locations, the lighting often changed and the aesthetic value of the clips when edited together was weakened (I resolved this issue in day 3). The most annoying issue in the filming process was faults in the three column script. In my experience, I have learned that my ideas for the three column script sometimes don't transfer well to actually being filmed. The ending that i had written was actually quite week after I looked over the footage. To resolve this, I re-filmed an improvised ending which is on the final product.

Day 3 - Editing
The editing phase was much less time consuming then I initially thought it would be. The sound effects I've used in the clip are actually sounds that I recorded myself