First Draft
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You could be wondering now, what all these stuff has to do with video games, no worries, things are going to get better. Speaking about Leonard and her book that covers most about consumption, as Leonard explains, we humans consume in a very large scales, we have a lot of stuff in our homes that we don’t need and it is just a waste of space, nevertheless, what our society face today from these sales like black Friday, cyber Monday or Steam sale if you want to relate that to video games, this is a way that cooperation’s and big companies use to force you and give you a one shot to use it so you don’t feel guilty after the big sales. After all, you end up buying a gaming mouse or a colorful keyboard or even an extra controller that you don’t really need but you had to get it because the price was too low and it was a worth a shot, here you end up being a consumer. If you think about her words for a second you will realize that she is right, we all do this and now we are consumers, we work hard, watch advertisements that influence us that our life’s stand on that certain product then we end buying it, and that what she calls the treadmill of life.
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We know in video games there are a lot of products to advertise and that you would love to have, even though, you don’t need it you just feel great if you have it, this is where companies benefits from customers, once you start buying amazing stuff, wonderful things come up after buying, it’s like this cycle doesn’t come to an end we keep on going keep on buying, so if you think about it we are actually consumers. It is not a good thing, because you end up having debt in your account and you should work double the time you’ve been working just to pay that debt. From all this, you can’t deny that Leonard is wrong, because she is not and we are actually trapped in this situation, in fact, everyone is trapped. A solution for this problem is very simple, it is actually a personal solution and it’s all up to you on how you manage your consuming, because some people might disagree with what is happening, however, it is very early to rush for a solution.
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Can you imagine living a life without buying anything? All you need is your basic stuff, nothing else is necessary. You will find it difficult, because we’ve lived the life of consumption and our parents did too, it’s in our blood, we have to consume, but the way you consume is that you can change. Especially in video games, you can’t play on one console for the rest of your life, you can’t play with one game, you have to buy games and you have to get something that is different, that is the fun part, or else what is the use of watching everybody buying games, new consoles and having fun, while I am worried about consumption and thinking about living the jungle life, things doesn’t go this way now.
Leonard had a wonderful point on planned obsolescence, it is about big companies make things that doesn’t last long, probably stop working after a while, forcing you to get a new one. That thing happens most in phones and technology in general, so this means video games are included too. As Leonard claims “in planned obsolescence, products are intended to be thrown away as quickly as possible and then replaced. That’s called shortening the replacements cycle” (161). She proved a really nice point here, and that is the truth because you will realize that what happens with consoles, every five to six years a new console comes up with better features and more games, meanwhile, the older console is still functioning but it is no more productive and the new games won’t run on it, forcing you to get a whole new console. However, put yourself in the company’s positon, do you think people would love your company if you used a console for ten years, or the profits your company will gain, you will probably be broke in the next three years. If things were made to last we would never be here today, computers, touch screen phones, virtual reality goggles and many other stuff. I kind of agree with her on one point that excessive projects that show up every year is really bad, but she would probably do the same if she had a company that sells products, we all would do that. |
Since I totally disagree with what relates to happiness, this means I also disagree with what she related to be as being less social with family, friends and neighbors, which is because we work more hours to pay our debt. With video games, being social is a part of every game that it is in the store now, this is also known as multiplayer. Nevertheless, consoles like XBOX and Playstation added an extra option if you decide to have one, they are basically all about motion and they made games for families and friends. It is like an activity you can do at home gathering around your family or calling your friends over, so here you are having fun while being with your family. A study showed that video games actually had a lot of benefits on the kid’s social life, as announced in The Charlottesville Newsplex, “It's an important part of how they get along with each other. it's what they do, It’s a social activity and that social activity may be with someone across the county because they're playing online together but it still social activity; or maybe two kids side by side talking and enjoying the competition You can also make new friends when you play online with random people.” I remember I had a lot of pen friends that we still talk today and play together, players from around the world and different type of games, we had fun and laughed at each other, I assure you that I was very happy.
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In addition, Leonard was really right with advertisements, and I have no clue to argue that she is wrong. Leonard proves “the average American spends a total of one year of his/her life watching advertisements, while the regular American child sees 110 TV commercials a day” (163). This is what actually could happen to little kids, as they get influenced by different animations, making them play video games at an early age and start being aggressive if their parents told them to stop playing or long time playing could actually have a negative effect on their performance at school. In fact, video game advertisements are not just made for gamers, but also to challenge other video game companies, so these advertisements will catch your attention and make you confuse on which console to take, they were made to catch big brains attention therefore they will definitely attract kids attention.
Leonard was right on that side, however, she did mention a case about happiness that I totally disagree with her. She argues “once people’s basic needs are met the marginal increase in happiness we get from further stuff actually decreases” (Leonard) (149). As a gamer this is totally non sense, when we buy a new console or a new game we feel excited to try it out, I do have games that I still play when I was 11 years old. Video games doesn’t just make you happy it makes you feel alive, no matter what you pay for, people get crazy when new consoles shows up, even if it is every five years people still get the new console, because video games spread happiness and challenge between players and you don’t regret that purchase. Nobody can deny the happiness that generates from video games, everybody enjoys their time while playing and even when getting a new game. Video games could be bad when you overspend time on them, however, if you know how to manage the time you would realize that it has a lot of benefits. Video games could not just be fun for kids and adults but also for seniors, Dr. Rick Nauert an associate professor for Rocky Mountain University of Health Professionals doctoral program in health promotion and wellness. Dr. Nauert proves, “investigators discovered participants who played video games, including those who only played occasionally, reported higher levels of happiness, or well-being. Those who did not play video games reported more negative emotions and a tendency toward higher levels of depression.” This investigation proves that happiness in video games does exist, no matter how many consoles you have, each time you get a new one you get really excited to try it out.
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Video games isn’t just restricted with happiness and social activity, it has a very big effect on creativity too. Professor of Phycology Linda Jackson in Michigan State University conducted a research on how video games positively affect the creativity of kids, She proves, “nearly 500 12-year-olds found that the more kids played video games, the more creative they were in tasks such as drawing pictures and writing stories. In contrast, use of cell phones, the Internet and computers (other than for video games) was unrelated to creativity, the study found” (Jackson). Professor Jackson found out that this study was based upon the relationship between technology and creativity, 72 percent of US households play videogames. From this study you can analyze how video games actually make things very different, I don’t mind consuming for something that will actually make me a better person, strengthen my creativity and make me happy.
To conclude, Annie Leonard proved a lot of strong point, she showed how consumption actually could be bad for our society and puts us in bad financial situation. However, as I said it is a complicated situation when you relate that to video games, because video games does contradict with some of the points she made, if video games would put us in a bad situation, you will never see all these people rush to get their new console or new game. I totally respect Leonard opinion and I assure you that consumption is a bigger problem than you can imagine, moreover, there are a lot of other stuff that are actually the poison and the bait to get you trapped in consumerism, it is how you manage your consumption that could actually save you from falling apart. Saying this again, it is a personal solution that you can advise people for, because not everyone will agree with what you say.
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Works Cited
Leonard, Annie. Story of stuff. New York; Free Press, 2010. Print.
Gilbert, James. Newsplex. Study shows video games can help kid’s social interaction,
08-08-2014. Web. 26-09-2015
Jackson, Linda. Henion, Andy. Michigan State University. Video game playing tied to creativity,
02-11-2011. Web. 27-09-2015
Nauert, Rick. PsychCentral. Playing video games tied to happiness, emotional wellness in seniors,
Web. 25-09-2015
Gilbert, James. Newsplex. Study shows video games can help kid’s social interaction,
08-08-2014. Web. 26-09-2015
Jackson, Linda. Henion, Andy. Michigan State University. Video game playing tied to creativity,
02-11-2011. Web. 27-09-2015
Nauert, Rick. PsychCentral. Playing video games tied to happiness, emotional wellness in seniors,
Web. 25-09-2015