Running Head: POSITIVE IMPACTS OF VIDEO GAMES

Positive Impacts of Video Games on Adolescents

Graciela Marie Zamora
University of Texas at El Paso
Shuv Raj Rana Bhat
RWS 1302: Rhetoric & Composition 2
 2

Positive Impacts of Video Games on Adolescents

Video games have always been an activity that many use to pass time, but many have had

different opinions on it, both positive and negative. For example, there have been several

controversies that have increased in popularity such as the belief that video games lead

adolescents to engage in aggressive behavior and become violent. However, there are positive

impacts of video games such as relieving stress, improving learning abilities, and engaging in

more physical activity. These reasons are proven through two different types of genres. The first

genre is an article known as, Video Games and Health: Video Gaming Is Safe for Most Players

and Can Be Useful in Health Care, written by Mark Griffiths. This article provides and explains

different reasons in which video games have improved health care such as beneficial for pain

management, physiotherapy or occupational therapy as well as focuses the attention away from

discomfort. The second genre is an infographic titled, Gaming is Good for You, written by

Jason (Frugal Dad), which shows how scientists and therapists discovered that gaming can

change an individual for the better. This is proven with examples of video game benefits on

therapy, socializing, education, and the body. These genres not only better describe the positive

impacts of video games on adolescents, but they will also be discussed throughout the paper.

Audience and Purpose

The first genre known as, Video Games and Health: Video Gaming Is Safe for Most

Players and Can Be Useful in Health Care, written by Mark Griffiths, a Professor of Gambling

Studies, wrote this article for the British Medical Journal to inform his readers of different ways

on how video games have benefitted the health care system. The second genre titled, Gaming is

Good for You, written by Jason (Frugal Dad), which shows how he arranges information

regarding the benefits of video games by using pictures and numbers to engage the audience into

believing that video games benefit therapy, socializing, education, and the body.
 3

The main audience that the first genre focuses on are individuals who have a high

understanding of the health care system as well as therapies that fall within the health care field.

This article appeals to this type of audience due to the fact that these individuals do understand

the examples and scenarios that are stated within the article in which helps them agree with the

fact that video games do make a difference in pain management as well as in physiotherapy or

occupational therapy. The second genre focuses on a variety of audience, especially individuals

who have children. The genre focuses on this type of audience because simply by searching for

this type of topic any individual is able to find this graphic and understand the message coming

across. This genre also focuses on individuals who have children because many parents want a

better understanding on what their children are engaging with on a daily basis. This genre better

explains this by providing the parents with many different types of benefits such as improvement

on socializing, education, and their overall bodies.

The author, Mark Griffiths, wrote the article, Video Games and Health: Video Gaming

Is Safe for Most Players and Can Be Useful in Health Care, to inform his audience of the

benefits video games have on the health care system. The audience this purpose was presented to

played a significant role since they had previous knowledge in the health care system and they

could agree with the evidence that the argument presented was true. The second genre titled,

Gaming is Good for You, written by Jason (Fugal Dad), focused more on presenting different

facts, statistics, and information to persuade as well as to inform his audience about the positive

impacts that video games have on adolescents. The audience was presented with this purpose not

only to gain more information regarding the topic, but also for them to understand that video

games can be beneficial for adolescents in several different ways such as for therapy, socializing,

education, and their body.

 4

These two genres also differ in many ways such as the way the information is presented

to the audience. The first genre was presented through an article in the British Medical Journal

compared to the second genre which was presented through an infographic. The second way in

which both genres differed are through the use of language. The first genre used a more

experienced language since it was intended for an audience with knowledge in the health care

field. The second genre used a simpler type of language, but did not use as much words. Instead,

the second genre used images, colors, and numbers to make it easier for the audience to

understand. This genre also focused more on an audience who would just want to know the main

points of the topic instead or reading in depth about why they topic is beneficial to adolescents.

Rhetorical Issues: Ethos

The article, Video Games and Health: Video Gaming Is Safe for Most Players and Can

Be Useful in Health Care, established credibility starting with the author Mark Griffiths. This is

credible because, as mentioned earlier, the author is a Professor of Gambling Studies which

makes the argument credible since the author has had experience with the topic. The author also

uses real life examples throughout his article which again shows credibility because there have

been individuals who have been impacted by video games. The second reason as to how the

article establishes credibility is by publishing the article for the British Medical Journal which is

read by many individuals with a health care background. The infographic titled, Gaming is

Good for You, written by Jason (Frugal Dad) also established credibility because the author was

the founder of the website where he published the infographic. This is considered credible

because the author obtained both experience and knowledge in the topic well enough beforehand

to help others understand the benefits as wells as to provide advice for those individuals who

may be engaging with the topic.

 5

Rhetorical Issues: Pathos

The first genre emotionally appeals to the audience by providing examples of real life

scenarios of individuals who have relied on video games to help them get back to their regular

lives. For example, as mentioned in the article (2005), Video games helped a 13 year old child

with Erbs palsy train to learn different movements (p. 122). Another example as mentioned in

the article (2005), The use of a handheld video game helped an 8 year old boy stop picking at

his face (p. 122). These examples appeal to pathos because it uses real life scenarios to move

the reader to agree that video games are beneficial in the health care field. The second genre

appeals to pathos more so than the first by using colors and pictures to prove its point. For

example, the colors mainly used in the infographic are yellow, green, and orange. The

psychological meaning for the color green symbolizes growth and hope which is used in this

topic as a way of stating that video games are beneficial for adolescents. The psychological

meaning for the colors yellow and orange symbolize happiness, positivity, and energy which

shows the enjoyment that video games bring to individuals who interact with them.

Rhetorical Issues: Logos

The first genre established logos by providing several reasons as to how video games

have been beneficial for the health care system which overall persuades the audience into

believing that the argument is correct. Another form of appealing to logos, as mentioned before,

are the real life scenarios because it persuades the audience into believing that video games have

improved someone elses life. The second genre appeals to logos by using statistical information

such as numbers to help state the facts of the argument. These numbers help establish persuasion

because once the audience sees the different percentages and ranges of numbers they believe that

the topic is proving its argument by backing it up with evidence.

 6

Structure and Delivery

As mentioned earlier, both genres presented the topic of positive impacts of video games

on adolescents in different ways. The first genre presented the information in an article and

mentioned how video games impacted the health care system. It also used examples such as the

real life scenarios and also mentioned how video games overall benefitted the individual. After

mentioning the positive impacts, the author also briefly stated some negative impacts of video

games. This article did have more freedom to explain the topic in detail because unlike the

second genre, it did not have limitations for images and numbers. The second genre focused its

information in a very organized manner by providing the main points that the video games would

benefit and within those points there were pictures, numbers, and examples describing them

better for the audience. These not only were much simpler to read and understand, but they were

also made to persuade the audience into believe the topic presented. However, this type of genre

did have more limitations than the article simply because it presents the topic using graphics,

images, numbers, and minimal word usage.

Conclusion

Overall, the two genres discussed the topic of positive impacts of video games on

adolescents well. The first genre, Video Games and Health: Video Gaming Is Safe for Most

Players and Can Be Useful in Health Care, focused the topic more on a health care setting

versus the second genre, Gaming is Good for You, which provided more information on the

main point to persuade its audience. Given this explanation, the genre that was more effective in

describing the main topic was the second genre. However, each genre explained the main point

of why video games are beneficial to adolescents. Video games, regardless of the opinions, either

good or bad, have become beneficial to humanity.

 7

References
Griffiths, M. (2005). Video Games and Health: Video Gaming Is Safe For Most Players and Can

Be Useful In Health Care. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 331(7509), 122-123. Retrieved

from http://0-www.jstor.org.lib.utep.edu/stable/25460165

Williams, L. (1970, January 01). Context of Practice. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from

http://l-williams255729-cop.blogspot.com/2016/02/creative-response-infographic-

research.html