Be A Gamer Save The World By Dave Larsen Analysis

Shelby Verden
Ms. Kolodzie
English 1301
10/28/13
Respectfully Agree to Disagree
In the article, “Be a Gamer, Save the World”, Jane Mcgonigal tries to convince the reader that playing video games is actually beneficial to the gamer as well as the world. Throughout Mcgonigal’s article, she explains why and how video games help and motivate gamers to help save the world and become better people. On the other hand, in the article “Violent Video Games Increase Aggression” author Dave Larsen has a completely different perspective on the issue. Larsen believes that playing video games can make people more aggressive over time. Throughout Larsen’s article he states that video games are too violent to do any kind of good and that if anything
Jane Mcgonigal is a highly respected speaker and a consultant best known for her open mind about the promise and utility of video games. She is a game developer who partners with real-world organizations to design games that explore the idea of real-world problems. Jane also serves as Director of Games Research and Development at the Institute for the Future. By having such a specific background, naturally, Mcgonigal tends to focus on the positive side of video games and how they can help save the world. Dave Larsen, however, does not seem to be as qualified for the specific topic. Larsen graduated from Boston University, College of Communication, where he wrote for his college paper. He has served as a film critic and a pop music critic but currently covers high-technology, research industry and consumer electronics for the Dayton Daily News. By having such a broad background Larsen tends to focus on the more obvious troubles with video games. Seeing how diverse the backgrounds of these two authors are, one can recognize why they disagree on their take on video
Jane Mcgonigal focuses on the story line or plot of the game and its link to helping make the world a better place. She mentions throughout the entire article that in most games the story line teaches you, in a way, how to be a better person. Also she feels that the games help you learn new and interesting things and even help solve scientific situations in some instances. Mcgonigal says, “The Gamers with no previous background in biochemistry had worked in a 3D game environment called Foldit, folding virtual proteins in new ways that could help cure cancer or prevent Alzheimer’s disease (Mcgonigal 466). Dave Larsen focuses on violence in video games and its link to causing aggression in gamers. Dave feels that over along enough period of time violent video games will increase aggression. He believes by this increase in aggression it will put more people in