My essay is now done, and I'll be uploading it soon.

You forgot to post it?

Haha, I guess I did.


Hold on a sec.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/j1nztymai ... sEssay.rar

There you go.

I'm an idiot. I should have just copy-pasted this when I first started.

The file just has my extra quotes, bibliography and creative title page.

On February 20th, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold committed the “Columbine Shooting” at the Columbine High school in Littleton, Colorado. Both Eric and Dylan were both avid players of “DooM”, a PC game released six years prior to the shooting. However, many people, including the writer of this essay have played DooM, and have never harmed a fly. Many argue that DooM influenced these boys, and it would be hard to argue otherwise; Both boys had played the game extensively, and Eric even created maps and modifications for the game.[1] Eric even stated explicitly in a tape that the massacre would be “like fucking DooM” and that his shotgun he used for the shooting was “straight out of the game”.[2] So why is it that not every teen has a gun in their backpack with a plot to carry out the same attack like the one that happened at Columbine?
Another interesting theory is the argument that video games can increase a person’s reaction time, depending on what games they play and how much they play them. For example, games requiring a fast reaction time (fighting games, first person shooters) require a great deal of concentration and memorization. For example, let’s say that you are an avid first person shooter player. You play multiplayer a lot and have most of the maps memorized. In the beginning, as you play, your mind will start to map each area and start to associate a path that other players might take, along with the probability of if you’ll run into them or not. You start to map out certain areas for cover, and different ways of flanking your enemy. When you see an enemy, you aim for him as quickly as you can, and fire. Eventually, you become the best that you can be. But how does this factor into your reaction time in real life? Can you make a split second decision quickly in real life, just the same as you’ve been playing in a game?


To answer these questions, we first must explore the curious topic of Video games. A video game could be best described as a visual medium in which the viewer has complete interactivity do to certain tasks within the game engine. Visual representation, auditory extensions within the game, and player input are the basis for a game.
However, there are many games that could be classified as a “Video Game”. Here is an example of a standard chart representation of all of the different genres.







 
Games are usually produced by a company, or even a single developer, making them as a stimulus, artificial produced. Many people play games to relieve stress, or just as something to do. However, it’s possible that games could be much more than a simple outlet for people. But before we explore the technologies, let’s delve into how routine can start to affect the body.
Lifting weights is a great way to build muscle. Depending on how much you can lift with relative ease determines, essentially, how strong your arms are. Of course, to lift heavier weights, you would need to train more. Your reflexes can be thought of the same way. Imagine you are playing a game that requires a quick reaction rate. Your first time through, you are not going to so well as compared to your tenth or twentieth play of the game. Let’s imagine that the game is a racing game, and the course is extremely technical. You’ll probably crash into walls quite a bit, but it will be a learning experience. This is where your cerebrum comes into effect. As we know, crashing into a wall is not a very rewarding experience, in real life, or in a game. When you first start learning a course in a game, your cerebrum will start to remember bits and pieces of the course from mistakes that you’ve made during your run through. The frontal lobe of your brain will be remembering the course as well. Maybe you were a little too heavy on the gas the first time around? No problem, now you know what you did wrong. The next time you take a run through the course, you won’t know every corner exactly, but you’ll remember the first turn and how you should properly take it.
However, when you perform well in a game, dopamine is released from the hypothalamus. Dopamine is essentially the “Dr. Feel Good” neurotransmitter; It’s released when you do something well, and is associated with learning. But this isn’t even the beginning of how gaming can truly affect the body. Depending on the game being played, both the Nervous System and Endocrine system will behave differently. For example, a first person shooter will influence the production of epinephrine and test the sympathetic nervous system. Essentially, the adrenal gland is stimulated, but not as heavily as a real life situation, since no actual danger is present. However, depending on what would be happening (walking calmly with a squad Vs. Fighting against numerous enemies), the release of adrenaline and heart rate would increase, along with pupils dilating, similar to the normal effects of a “fight or flight” response.[4]
Many claim that gaming can be addictive, and that might be true. Since playing a game usually releases dopamine, playing too much can give an effect close to that of using a drug, and even gain a dependence on the “high” that gaming gives players.[5]


Medically, video games seem to have taken a place on the backburner, but that might be changing, as burn victims have found a new use for virtual reality. Imagine if you can, that you’ve been the victim of 3rd degree burns, and you need to go for skin grafts and therapy. Obviously, it is going to hurt you. But what if you had the option to “escape from the pain” by using a virtual environment to explore? SnowWorld does exactly that, but does nothing to the body to alter it. SnowWorld is exactly what it sounds like: An entire area that’s coated in snow, complete with snowmen, igloos and penguins. The patient navigates around this world while therapy is in session, which allows the patient to handle the pain during medical care. The pain threshold of the patient does not increase or decrease; Instead, the patient is “distracted” with the new environment, and has the brain focus on something other than the constant throbbing treatment can cause.[6]






When people play games, it’s easy to see that they open up, which is especially true for online gaming, where you are anonymous. Part of the appeal is about being yourself, which is quite strange when you consider that people should be more open in real life. Many people claim that it’s easier to open up, and to make friends through gaming. When people usually think of gamers, they usually group everyone together in a single age. But the truth is that 25% of the people who play games are between the ages of 12 to 19, while 15% of them are over the age of 35. A whopping 60% of the players are between the ages of 20 and 35.[7] As you can see, almost every type of person plays a game. There is usually something for everyone out there, and almost every type of person from any walk of life. With online gaming, the appeal is that you are allowed to be yourself. Anyone you play with could have some sort of problem with them. For example, said person on the other end of the internet could have a disability of some sort, and almost instantly we would judge that person based on their disability. There’s no real way to deny that we wouldn’t, because as a species we are suppose to look for flaws in others. But gaming online lets that person open up in situations they might never have been able to open up in. The problem is not with them. The problem is with us. And until we can get past the prejudice that society embeds in us, we will not be able to look at people the same. The gaming society that exists now is a critical look at how our real society is. The world outside, to addicted gamers is cruel and unnatural, but online is a safe haven for them. If there is a huge loss and a shift in terms of how many people “live” in a virtual world compared to real life, it says quite a bit about the rest of the world.

Great little essay, but towards the end I personally feel as though the last 2 paragraphs seemed irrelevant to the questions you posed. I also think that the question you posed about the massacre seemed disconnected to the reaction speed subject and wasn't explored at all. None the less it was a good read, generally well structured essay and you provided some great supporting evidence and statistics.


DONT HATE MEEEEEE

i agree. seemed the conclusion described something other than the main body of the essay.

'along with the probability of if you’ll run into them or not'
that was the only awkward bit to read. you could just write 'along with the probability that you'll run into them.' the shorter option is almost always prefered in non-fiction writing.

With the last bit, I believe it was in there to answer the question of "How the stimulus can affect a person who continually seeks it out". The addiction part.

Anyways, I wrote this about 4 hours before it was actually due. And it came out ok, I think.