Question

I must write an essay of 1,500 words.
Topic: How Video Games Reduce Productivity
Points: I have been able to come up with 2 main parts:
-Distractions
-Health Problems
Can someone please suggest me a nice outline?

Answer 1

I. Intro
A. Thesis
II. Distractions
A. Types of distractions
III. Health problems
A. Physical health problems
IV. Conclusion

Though to make it a really strong essay, you might want to try and think of a third part. I don't know what it would be. maybe addiction?

Answer 2

Hmmm, you don't really have enough yet to think of outlining an approach, do you? You have only two points, and so far they are not in the least bit developed. Both are expressed only in the widest of terms.

Video games as "distractions" is a commonplace argument, and you ought to explore it in more depth if you're to make use of that one. Really delve into not just how they are a distraction in the way that most of us might think, but how time spent in this mode -- the fast pace of the game, the constant changing of imagery, whatever -- can change the way the brain responds to stimuli. Pursue that line of thought, and do some research, and you could come up with a whole paper.

Video games as bringing on, or contributing to, health problems is really another line of thought, less to do directly with productivity than quality of life or burden to society (increased ill health across the population leads to greater costs for that population, not only personally but as a whole). At any rate, in terms of its being a sedentary activity (if that's not an oxymoron), video games form only part of the picture: our entire society is increasingly sedentary, primarily in the workplace. Sitting for years on end at desk jobs, one could argue, does more to impair our health in this respect than video games.

Now if you are looking at kids sitting around playing video games rather than being active, that's a different matter. Certainly children have become more sedentary, though video games alone are not to blame, and this is having a huge impact on the lives of those individuals. Children who grow up without being active may never be quite the same throughout their lives (in terms of overall physical health, even brain health) as they would have been otherwise.

Answer 3

On the other hand, don't forget to include some of the documented and speculative benefits of playing video games. If you paint only one side of the picture, your paper will be one-sided.

Answer 4

You might check this out (I've not read it) as a start --

http://web.cs.wpi.edu/~claypool/iqp/games-prod/

But there's plenty of other work being done in this area, and you'd never base your paper on only one report, one source.

Answer 5

You might also take a look at the new work being done in the areas of brain science with respect to attention. How paying attention to (that is, focusing on) something alters both brain chemistry and structure. What its role in the learning process is.

Does playing video games enhance or disrupt that process?