"Games"

Johnson, S. (2011). Games. In S. Cohen (Ed.) , 50 Essays (pp. 196-201). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

In “Games” Steven Johnson highlights the importance of reading books but also the underappreciated benefits of video games.  His purpose is comparing reading and video games as entertainment and educational tools.  Video games improve not only hand-eye coordination and visual intelligence, they also encourage drive and the speed of information exercises the mind in new and powerful ways. Johnson argues that games improve one’s imagination and problem solving abilities. He imagines arguments that could be made against books (such as their linearity and isolating qualities) if video games had been invented first.  Johnson’s essay might help us better appreciate the creativity and intellectual benefits behind both traditional reading and modern video games.

The internet has been underappreciated at times too.  The internet can be used as a learning tool to learn all kinds of new information. It is a good educational tool and includes lots of entertainment. Anything that you’re looking to read you can almost guarantee that you will find it in the internet. There is a huge variety of entertainment ranging from games, videos and blogging. Most people find entertainment through you tube, Facebook, or twitter.

Television: The Plug-In Drug

The essay "Television: The Plug-In Drug" by Marie Winn, elaborates that from the introduction of television to now, the television has become part of our daily life and that it has replaced what families call, "family time." When televisions first came out to the public, the idea that the creators had in mind was that it was going to bring the family closer and that it would be something for the whole family to enjoy. They had no idea that about 20 years later it would have the opposite effect and that instead of becoming a closer family, all the family members would watch the television at different times. Children were affected most by the television because of wanting to watch cartoons and their favorite shows all day long. The cause of children watching television all the time lead to parents having to adjust their schedules to make sure that their children got their necessary amount of television viewing that sometimes lead to missing church and other activities.

Some parents were giving up and excepting the fact that television is taking over their daily life. There are parents who have a set schedule for their kids to watch their favorite shows every day just so that the parents can eat dinner in peace. If the kids don't interact with their parents on a regular basis, the kids will start to feel like the only reason why they are living with their parents is just to have a place to live. Family rituals were always a way to bring everyone together but the television has now made most of those family rituals disappear. It has caused some children to feel that living at home is just for the sake of convenience. Watching television has a lot of negative effects on people such as being able to make eye contact during a conversation or even conversing with one's own family. People use the television as an excuse for not wanting to talk or share one's feelings. Television has ultimately eliminated the chance for some families to have a real relationship with one another.

The same effects that are described in this essay related to the television are the same that are taking affect to college students and most teenagers. The internet has become part of our daily lives ever since it had been introduced just like the television. I’m sure that the creators of the internet thought that it would change our lives for the better and that it would be beneficial to us. It’s true that the internet is beneficial in many ways but it is also becoming a major distraction. For those college students that are living at home, internet is used as a way to escape from nagging parents or to keep themselves occupied. The internet and television are both used for a way to keep people occupied, so that they won’t have to deal with everyday problems.

Where I Lived, and What I Lived For

The essay "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For,” by Henry David Thoreau wants us as a nation to realize that we need to live life independently and deliberately. He goes on to say that the nation is too huge for its own good. The nation is always growing and is filled with many unnecessary items. We get caught up in the flow of the crowd and before you know it, it is too late to get out. Instead we need to step out of the flow and go in our own direction. People believe that all essentials that the nation has to offer are all necessary to have. There are a lot of people who are not working or even sleeping. They are too busy doing other things that are not very important and then none of their work gets done. The question that Henry David Thoreau asks is “Who will do their work that needs to be done". We are always on the go, we never rest not even to eat a meal, we would rather not eat and keep going on with our lives. The author gives an analogy saying that if people were to hear that something tragic was happening that everyone would run to the scene, but not because they all want to see it, but just to say they did.

All we want to hear is the new gossip and what is going on in our local news. The truth is that the news has the same old stories over and over again but it is just happening in new circumstances. When we choose to slow down our lives, everything around us appears clearer. Children enjoy life better than adults do, because children are not caught up in society’s world. We are all capable of living life the way God wanted us to live it. Do not let anything get in the way of living the life that you want to live. There will be difficult situations that one will run into but ignore them like they're nothing. One should never run away thinking that they can’t handle any situation that comes at them. Whatever you decide to do just try to fight through it, look it right in the face no matter what. He concludes with saying do not go through life wasting it doing unnecessary things. Use your head to find your way to the end of the tunnel. Life is short; it is what you make of it that remains forever.

There are a very few college students that aren't in the flow of spending a lot of time on the internet. College students are on the internet during some point of the day whether they are checking their Facebook, email, twitter or doing homework. Henry David Thoreau would not be too pleased if he knew that people spend their time on the internet. College students would rather be on the internet than what they’re supposed to be doing such as homework. This is why they do not get their homework done on time because no one else is going to do their homework for them but themselves. College students are also on the internet because they want to find out what is the latest gossip and news just like Thoreau saying that the first thing people want to do when they wake up is watch television.



Internet Addiction Among College Students

Ko, C., Hsiao, S., Lui, G. Yen, J., Yang, M., & Yen, C. (2010). The characteristics of decision making,  potential to take risks, and personality of college students with internet addiction. Psychiatry Research, 175(1/2), 121-125. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2008.10.004

Link: http://sz3sa6ce8r.search.serialssolutions.com/?genre=article&issn=01651781&title=Psychiatry+Research&volume=175&issue=1%2f2&date=20100130&atitle=The+characteristics+of+decision+making%2c+potential+to+take+risks%2c+and+personality+of+college+students+with+Internet+addiction.&spage=121&pages=121-125&sid=EBSCO:Academic+Search+Premier&aulast=Ko%2c+Chih-Hung


The article "The characteristics of decision making, potential to take risks, and personality of college students with internet addiction," by Chih-Hung Ko, Sigmond Hsiao, Gin-Chung Liu, Ju-Yu Ken, Ming-Jen Yang, and Cheng-Fang Yen emphasizes that internet addiction is a dangerous mental health issue because of the many different impaired aspects of one's behavior. These aspects include social interactions and academic performance. This Psychiatry research experiment states that the number one recreational activity among college students is the internet which is free on any university campus. According to the authors, internet addiction is estimated to occur in 8-13% of college students (Ko, Hsiao, Lui, Ken, Yang, Yen, 2010). It is hard to try and stop college students from using the internet all the time because it is used for homework, social communicating, emailing, research and other things. The article states that college students with an internet addiction tend to have poor decision making skills and are more prone to taking higher risks which can lead them into horrible situations. These behavioral acts can cause these students to do poorly in their classes and can cause them to eventually drop out of school.