Primary, Scholarly

Anderson, Craig. “An Update on the Effects of Playing Violent Video Games.” An Update on the Effects of Playing Violent Video Games. Sciencedirect.com, Feb. 2004, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140197103000976. Accessed 3 Nov. 2016.

The article shows an analysis of different studies that includes data testing. There are also graphs and statistical evidence to prove the overall thesis of the effects video games has on communication and social abilities. It discusses the potential methodological problems that were examined for each sample during the studies. The studies were heavily analyzed and ended up with the conclusion to the studies suggested that there is a direct relationship between violence and exposure to violent video games. Craig A. Anderson is a psychology professor at Iowa State University. He received his B.A in Psychology from Butler University and then his M.A and Ph.d in psychology from Stanford University as well in 1978-1980. Dr. Anderson has a website that consists of all of his research he has done on the correlation between videogames and violence. He posted interviews, YouTube videos and various articles made by himself as he is very involved with doing research between the relationship between violence and video games.
His article is a primary, scholarly article because he states the facts that he gained from the case studies but also provides a sophisticated analysis to the research. This source is credible because it presents statistical information that is not bias. This is a good source for me to use in my paper because the article shows graphs and statistical evidence to prove the overall thesis of the effects video games has on communication and social abilities. I plan on using the potential methodological problems that were examined for each sample during the studies and analyze it in the portion of the paper where I talk about violent video games.

Secondary, Popular

Diplomats, Montclair. “VIDEO GAMES and THEIR EFFECT on MODERN DAY SOCIETY.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/montclair-diplomats/video-games-and-their-eff_b_9873646.htm. Accessed 29 Oct. 2016.

This article shows the benefits of video games while mentioning how video games have positively impacted society. Ever since 30 years ago when everyone was raving about certain video games such as Pong and Space Invaders. As time went on, people got more interested in Pokemon and Grand Theft Auto. Grand Theft Auto even incorporated historical elements from the 1979 Iranian War into their video game which makes people more interested in learning about aspects about the war. This article argues the fact that video games improve educational abilities because it encourages the players to work towards achieving goal and keep trying to get to certain levels. The Montclair Diplomats published this blog, which are Montclair State University students who post blogs that relate to the era of new media. They have a twitter that has around 20,000 tweets and around 3,000 followers. The credibility is not as strong as other sources, but considering it is a popular source, it is strong enough to use some ideas and thoughts that were said in this article. This is a secondary, popular source because it is on huffingtonpost.com and it presents mostly opinions about video games. This source is credible because it posts blogs that are very recent (2016) and it is a very well-known “online newspaper.”This source will be useful to me because it explains the background information of video games and the history of it, but also goes into detail about how video games, in general, impacts the society as a whole. This article recognizes the arguments and controversial topics regarding video games. This article is also very easy to understand which helps me learn more about my topic.

Secondary, Popular

“How Does Online Gaming Affect Social Interactions?.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 September 2007, . Accessed 6 Nov. 2016.

This article explains how many people are part of computer or video games that involve multiple people playing. Most of the time, the people share an interest in what they are playing which makes them interact and form relationships that way. The way relationships are formed in the 21st century is emphasized in this article and it is viewed as something negative. This article was written by University of Jyvaeskylae which is a university in Finland. Considering it is an article on sciencedaily.com, I believe that the author of this article is credible. It is a secondary, popular source because it is posted on a popular website and it contains information that is providing an argument or critique. This source, sciencedaily.com, is current (2016) and it presents information that is true and accurate. This will be a useful source to use in my paper because it presents a side of the argument that has to do with relationships with other people. It shows a different perspective of the effects video games has on everyday life. For example, playing with other people via computer or video games is something that is not necessarily the right thing to do.

Secondary, Popular

“The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games.” Raise Smart Kid. N.p., 16 Oct. 2016, http://www.raisesmartkid.com/3-to-6-years-old/4-articles/34-the-good-and-bad-effects-of-video-games. Accessed 29 Oct. 2016.

This article gives a list of all the negatives and positives about video games. Also, it gives examples of the benefits of video games and discusses several ways of how to pick the right video game. In regards to the negative effects of video games, many of the effects included violence and how it contributes to violent acts. The positive effects of video games are related to increased mental ability in doing certain tasks. The article talks about the different strategies to figure out which video game to play to make sure you have these positive effects. The author of this site is ChaCha Tumbokon and she studied Psychology and Early Childhood Development. She is in charge of the website www.raisesmart.com and has a Facebook and Twitter page related to raising kids. Due to the author’s experience with education and raising kids herself, Tumbokon would be considered credible. This is a secondary, popular source because it gives an opinion and makes an argument regarding the positives and negatives of video games. The source itself is popular because it doesn’t use any sophisticated language or analysis. This source is credible because it is recent (2015), and the author is willing to provide new and helpful information for parents regarding any child development issues. This source is useful to me as i discuss both sides of the argument regarding the positives and negatives of playing video games. The specific recommendations on what video games to play and not play is also important in my discussion of the effect of video games.

Secondary, Popular

Thomas, Ben. “Video Games May Have Negative Effects on the Brain.” Dbrief. Kalmbach Publishing, 20 May 2015, http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2015/05/20/video-games-brain/#.WCD0Y-ErLVo. Accessed 1 Nov. 2016.

This article mainly talks about a study done with people who played video games and people who do not. The volunteers were asked to go through a maze and try to remember how to get through based off of certain landmarks. The overall conclusion was that people who played video games used more of a response strategy and the others were using more of a memorization technique. Links to brain development and the cerebellum were brought up to prove the overall thesis of playing video games and the effect it has on social development. The author of this article is Ben Thomas. He has written other articles on discovermagazine.com which makes me think that he is a credible source to use. However, there is no background information on the author and his previous studies or experiences. This is a secondary, popular source because it presents an opinion while presenting information. It is popular because this website contains other blogs and articles that are presented to the general public. The source is credible because Kalmbach Publishing enjoys presenting articles and other blog posts that reflect author’s passionate opinions on certain topics. This source will be useful for me to use in my paper when I discuss the scientific effects video games has on the brain. I will definitely mention the specific facts and statistics about the functions of the brain and how it can be both negatively and positively affected.

Secondary, Popular

Shapiro, Jordan. “Social And Emotional Benefits Of Video Games: Metacognition and Relationships.” MindShift. KQED, 16 May 2014, https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/05/16/social-and-emotional-benefits-of-video-games-metacognition-and-relationships/. Accessed 3 Nov. 2016.

This article starts off with an anecdote about how the author, Jordan Shapiro, used to always play video games with his little brother. As the article continues, Shapiro recognized how the 21st century is developing and advancing with the use of video games. In fact, in his opinion, there are benefits from playing video games in regards to metacognition. He claims that video games develop critical thinking skills and improve study skills as well. Jordan Shapiro’s writing are found on Forbes.com about education, parenting and game-based learning. He works at Temple University in the Intellectual Heritage Department and is the Digital Learning Coordinator. He also wrote a book, FREEPLAY: A Video Game Guide To Maximum Euphoric Bliss, that talks about how the games we play in our youth shape our adult lives. Because of his accomplishment and work history, I believe he is credible. This is a secondary, popular source because a lot of the article focuses on Shapiro’s opinion and critique on video games. It also provides an entertaining and easy to understand analysis of his critique, which makes it a popular source. This source is credible because its copyright is 2016, which means it has been updated recently. It is directed towards an audience of educators and other passionate learners. This source is useful for me to use because although it doesn’t support my thesis, it provides an alternate analysis of playing video games. This will be used in my paper when I address the counter argument about the benefits of playing video games.

Secondary, Scholarly

Sherry, John L. “The Effect of Violent Video Games on Aggression.” N.p., n.d, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2001.tb00787.x/epdf. Accessed 6 Nov. 2016.

This article discusses the relationship between violent actions and video games. The overall background information on this controversy is that it is very prevalent in society today, but it has gotten to a point where people are taking advantage of it due to certain events, such as shootings. The article mentions several theoretical concerns and methodologic issues in regards to violence, which was shown through a few experiments and meta-analysis. John L. Sherry studied at Purdue University and is past Associate Editor of Communication Theory and is co-founder and past Chair of the Video Game Special Interest Group of the International Communication Association. Considering his occupation is related to the topic of my research paper, video games, I find him very credible and knowledgeable about the topic. This is a secondary, scholarly source because he is trying to prove a point that playing video games leads to aggressive behavior and/or violence. He uses sophisticated word choice and includes advanced analysis of the research. The source itself is credible and something I can definitely use in my paper because it is in the library, which means it is only accessible to people trying to obtain legitimate facts and information. This source is useful to me because it provides specific analytical research that I could use to back up my argument about violence and aggressive behavior from the result of playing video games. Also, I plan to use the theories and hypotheses that were mentioned before the experiments were performed.