In Patrick Masell’s article titled ‘Video Games Violence’, which is taken from http://www.chuckhawks.com/video_violence.htm, he asserts that while violent video games have been accused of causing teenagers to commit crime, other determinants such as hostile environment, parental neglect or abuse, and teens’ impaired mental state should also be held responsible. The source of article seems unreliable, as this article is published on a self-editorialized website.
Since violent video games have been characterized as harmful and hazardous among teens by the media, Masell intend to argue against the media’s biased views on video games. In his article, he has set himself as an example by stating that he has not committed any act of violence after playing nearly all violence-themed video games throughout his life. Therefore, he finds ‘one come to the conclusion that gamers as a whole can be influenced by video games to commit crime’ is ridiculous.
His simple language shows disagreement about video games are the chief among other variables which cause youth to commit crime. To justify his reason, he claims that parental neglect is the largest contributor to juvenile crime. Throughout the discussion of this issue, he puts forward his arguments mostly in a sarcastic manner. For instance, he says that ‘parents who favor censorship of video games probably don’t even realize the games their children are playing are meant for adults’.
A large portion of statements consists of opinions and observations. The main shortcoming of the article is the author’s reliance on personal opinion rather than empirical evidence. For example, there is a critical attack on some mentally disabled teens who commit crime, but Masell offers no data to support the argument he is making. However, in general, the way that Masell presents his arguments is splendid. He keeps us aware of the other feasible reasons for teenagers’ misbehavior, even though most of the teens are gamers.
This...