Video Games Argument Analysis

Argument Analysis

Everybody loves video games! With advancements in technology, video games have been available to more people worldwide. While people have been playing these video games many studies have been conducted on them. Are they good are they bad? Well Emily makes an argument that they are actually bad for people. But how good exactly is this argument? In the argument The Violent Side of Video Games author Emily Sohn attempts to support the claim that video games have a negative effect on the people who play them through her use of pathos, ethos, and logos.

Pathos is just one of three persuasive appeals used in this argument. For instance Emily writes "Violence is one of the biggest concerns, especially as [the] graphics and special effects become more realistic."(947)

The evidence presented strongly supports the claim because it appeals to the emotion of being concerned. If you know people are concerned, it makes one concerned as well. Furthermore she also puts "I still sometimes have trouble falling asleep if I watch the news on TV or read the newspaper right before going to bed."(___) Unlike the first quote this one weakly supports the claim, this is because her personal experience is vague. It does not even talk about video games. Pathos is not used very well in Sohn's argument.

Ethos is the second of three persuasive elements used in the argument. One piece of evidence Emily writes is "...says psychologist Craig Anderson of Iowa State University."(___) This quote is strongly supporting the claim. Due to the fact that Craig Anderson has been to college and is a psychologist, he is credible. Another piece of evidence used is "...says child psychologist John Murray..."(___) This is not very reliable evidence because John has very few credentials which can lead one to think he is not very credible, therefore this is weak evidence. Ethos is somewhat supporting Emily's claim.

Logos is the last but not least persuasive appeal in the argument.

The first piece of evidence using logos is "Video games might have an even more powerful effect than the brain does."(948) This evidence weakly supports the claim because the use of the word might is an opinion word and can lead one to question if what the author is saying is true. "It's hard to prove that violence on TV leads to violence in real life."(947) This actually weakens the entire argument, for it refutes Emily's claim. Logos is not used very strongly to support her argument.

Emily Sohn attempts to support the claim that video games effect people negatively in her text "The Violent Side of Video Games" through the use of three persuasive appeals. They are pathos, ethos, and logos. As shown many different studies have been conducted on them to either prove that they are good or bad. Emily tries to show that they are effecting people in a negative fashion. Although Sohn has some strong points in her argument, she uses vague language and her presented evidence is simply not sufficient enough to sustain the knowledge needed to truly say that video games are

unhealthy.