To Play or Not to Play?

Video games are one of the many tools industrialized societies use to teach children the technological and intellectual skills they will need as adults. It is argued that playing video games fosters good spatial cognition, visual-spatial organization, executive functioning skills, attention, problem-solving skills, creativity, and the experience of a variety of emotions (Granic, Lobel, Rutger, & Engels, 2013). Many of these areas of functioning have great practical and real-world benefit. Alternatively, there are societal concerns about the violent content of some video games. Violent video games have detrimental effects on children’s behavior and development in a number of ways, which include increased levels of aggression, game addiction, sedentary lifestyle, and isolation (Kirsh, 2003). This information can help you develop your personal framework of play as it relates to video games and your future work with children.

To prepare for this assignment, review this week’s Instructor Guidance and the required readings. Create your assignment to meet the content and written communication expectations below.

Content Expectations

• Introduction (1.5 points): Write one to two paragraphs in which you introduce the scope and organization of your paper.
• Position (5 points): State if you feel the potential gain in cognitive skills outweighs the potential hazard of exposing children to the very realistic portrayals of violence found in many video games using scholarly sources to support your position.
• Conclusion (1.5 points): Write one to two paragraphs in which you summarize the major points of your paper.

Written Communication Expectations

• Page Requirement (.5 points): Two-to-three pages, not including the title and references pages.
• APA Formatting (.5 points): Use APA formatting consistently throughout the assignment as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Syntax and Mechanics (.5 points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics such as spelling and grammar.
• Source Requirement (.5 points): Reference three scholarly sources in addition to the course text to provide compelling evidence to support your ideas. All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of your assignment.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.