February 24, 2009
The first time I presented my speech in its roughest form was probably the best criticism where the teacher wasn’t directly involved. I feel like I had a good group of peers to bounce ideas off of because the feedback I received that day; but most of all it was just a well rounded group of people interacting, listening, and critiquing each other’s drafts. What I took from it? I learned that I need to be more concise.
Why video games are good for development and recreation
1. Why people should play games
2. Why people should utilize their time more creatively
3. Why video games aren’t bad for people
4. Why gamers are happier than people who don’t play video games
5. Why new energy sources should be one of our top concerns
Mick Howard’s Informative Speech Reference page
Ask.com. escapism|definition. Retrieved February 18, 2009, from dictionary.com Web site: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/escapism
Lorenz, L. (April 25, 2008). Local psychologist researches positive effects of video games with URI students. The Good Five Cent Cigar: Student newspaper at the University of Rhode island, Retrieved February 18, 2009, from http://media.www.ramcigar.com/media/storage/paper366/news/2008/04/25/Campus/Local.Psychologist.Researches.Positive.Effects.Of.Video.Games.With.Uri.Students-3350162.shtml
Moloney, J. How I lost 60 pounds|The cool mom guide. Retrieved February 18, 2009, from http://www.coolmomguide.com/wii-fit/ Web site: http://www.coolmomguide.com/wii-fit/
Oak, M. (May 27, 2008). Positive Effects of Videogames. Buzzle.com: Intellegent life on the web, Retrieved February 18, 2009, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/positive-effects-of-video-games.html
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Gaming for the better |
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To inform audiences about the positive effects of video games |
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Mick Howard |
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2/26/2009 |
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After hearing my speech, the audience will have seen that there are indeed some positive effects of gaming. |
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Today our morbid world is a morbid place plagued wit society’s problems, the economy, and war. However, one thing we have always been able to do best as humans is to distract ourselves from our problems. Escapism: the avoidance of reality by absorption of the mind in entertainment or in an imaginative situation, activity, etc. (http://dictionary.reference.com) We use our media to escape the realities we as a people must face. While some may see this as a bad thing, I happen to believe that it’s healthy to practice in the right increments. Too many people get stressed over things that can easily be solved or tackled if they are just given enough time to think the problem over or come up with some kind of strategy to alleviate the burden.
One of the best forms of escapism too few adults utilize is video games. It’s probably because many politicians or public speakers have done all they can to try and ban certain games that are either too explicit or gory for younger players or even in general. What the “nay-sayers” don’t understand is that not all effects of gaming are bad or have even corroded people’s behavior or points of view. There are actually many potentially beneficial effects of videogames that too many authority figures are afraid to list or acknowledge when having to weigh them against violence in minors and an increasing rate in lack of physical activity among people. It is possible for games to help people lead rich, successful, happy lives, and this is how they contribute to that ultimate goal.
An article printed in April of last year at The University of Rhode Island tells of a Collage professor named Randy Kulman who actually believes that video games are a positive influence on people. What Randy does is pay collage students to conduct his research by having them play video games and jot down ways that they can be used to help people. (oral footnote) Of the games listed that he’s had students play are Zelda titles and Brain Age. Both games require the player to use higher level thinking skills in order to tackle problems creatively or bluntly. Having played a few Zelda games, I can say that there are points where the problems are so frustrating that it really will have you feeling like genius whenever you’ve completed them whether you’ve spent, hours, a day, or even days on. The puzzles themselves can range from trying to figure how to get into the next room using two keys where three different kinds of locks are involved and somewhere in the midst of it all is a treasure chest you haven’t opened, or having to shoot a switch that opens a door, pick the quickest route through the maze and reach said door in a given amount of time before it closes. Oh, and in both instances you’re usually trying not to get killed either. It may seem insignificant, but when you’re solving these problems you’re tackling the same methods used to apply in daily problems people face today. And example would be: how to get half way across town before your bus leaves while dodging traffic or people congestion, oh, and try not to get run over. Randy also believes that games can increase the attention span in children suffering with ADD or ADHD.
Guitar Hero is one of the most popular games on the market right now. All musical talent aside, people can actually pickup guitar shaped controllers and pretend they’re Eddie Van Halen or Stevie Ray Vaughn. However, this game is much more than just immersion. (Oral footnote)The songs themselves are comprised of patterns that correspond with the buttons on the guitar controller; players have to execute the pattern on the controller when they reach a certain point on the screen. I’m not saying that this game will stimulate musical development or skill with an actual instrument, but having to pay attention to everything that patterns do and be able not only execute, but memorize certain points of the song on the controller because different parts repeat themselves. However, in some cases, playing these kinds of games enough may encourage gamers to give the real instrument a try, which in a sense is a productive result of playing these type of games. Attention span and memory span are two important skills that will help people to accomplish almost any job. For instance, in a cooperate board meeting that could mean either a hostile take over of a symbiotic merger it’s important to pay attention during the duration of such to know what is being said and even more important to be able to recall the data learned.
The Nintendo Wii is a console solely focused on using movement and physical activity to play and complete the challenges of the games associated with it. The Wii’s success is attributed to how user friendly and innovative it is as a console. No longer are players restricted to sitting in a chair but now they’re able to get up and actually feel like they’re apart of a video game. However, more than anything, this console’s key feature is that it encourages physical interaction with other people. The more people playing Wii together often means the more fun and challenging the games will be. The players can range from family members, friends, and even complete strangers if you’re in a public setting where console is being used as a demonstration to get people to interact with it.
The Wii is not only based on physical interaction with the in game environment, but also the necessary hand-eye coordination skills used to interact and affect your environment. Eye-Hand coordination is a practical skill used to accomplish a number of tasks that can range from something as catching a baseball with a glove or flying a 72 million jet fighter without crashing it. (pp: F-35 vs. Kid playing catch with his father) A study among surgeons has yielded surprising results about those of them that play video games versus those of them who don’t. Those that do have in improved their Eye-hand coordination and therefore are able to execute more accurate surgical procedures, head a steadier hand, and also a better idea of how to complete the procedures themselves. Seen here is a screen shot from the Wii’s ER simulation game “Trauma Center” (pp: Trauma Center Game play clip) Pilots themselves even use simulators to train on the aircraft they fly and what it can and cannot do without having to risk their own lives just to find out. No matter how buttons, bells, or whistles these electronic cockpits are just glorified video games themselves.
Wii’s most successful innovation to date is something not many people predicted a video game console could do. The Wii Fit is a game/console accessory that allows people to build and follow a strict workout regiment based on a person’s BMI (Body Mass Indicator). The Wii Fit’s Workout pad will actually track the player’s progress, performance, and results from following the work out regiment. I’m sure a lot of skeptics are in disbelief about a videogame being able to help people loose weight, but tell that to Julie Maloney, a mother who went from being 205 lbs and went back down to her original size of 126lbs. (www.coolmomguide.com/wiifit) Julie is among many who have started a group for Wii Fit success stories known as the “Wii Fit Mommies” which she herself leads.
Now we get down to the meat of it all: ‘Real video games’ being that they don’t involve any real movement or physical participation. The genres of these games would include but are not limited to FPS (First person shooters), 3rd person shooters, RTSs (Real time strategy), RPGs (Role-playing games), MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Games), or simulation. These kinds of games are the ones that get knocked on for being the ones that develop no real skill of the player yield only the negative results of isolation, increased aggression, and physical inactivity. While these results are true, they only one side to the story, let’s break them down piece by piece.
(pp: Halo3 and Gears of War 2) FPS games and Third person are often the ones picked on the most because of the immense amounts of excessive gore and violence used to convey the intensity and the situation of the game. However, take the games online with other players where you are either playing cooperatively against the game’s AI (artificial intelligence) or in a team of players pitted against each other and the nature of the game changes. Regardless of the game type, players are encouraged to work together to tackle team-based objectives or defeat the other team. You can try to run and gun by yourself, but you’ll find that even if you’re an experienced you’re better off working as a team and interacting with other people to win. The skills that are learned from these types of situations are cooperation, compromising, leadership, and general socialization.
(pp: Red Alert 3) RTS games if anything are just time consuming which could lead to isolation and social inactivity unless you’re playing against other players online. But, in many cases RTS games are probably some of the most intelligent and well thought out types of games. In essence the nature of these games a merely expanded chess boards, but there are more factors to playing and completing these games. Players are required to manage either a small force of units while micromanaging a base which spawn their units and harvest resources. Long story short: throughout the experience of the game the player is responsible for harvesting and managing resources, and their structures and units, to defeat the opposing forces through tactics or strategy. These games cause players to have to think, “What types of units do I send into combat?” and “How many can I build with my current amount of resources?” These skills are related to time management and problem solving and it honestly takes a strategic mind to accomplish the objectives of these games, but they also the skills gained. When used in a different context the lay-mans terms of these questions could be something like “What types of items will I need to satisfy this requirement” and “How many of these items can I come up with given my current amount of cash?”
(pp: Fallout 3 and World of Warcraft) RPGs are moral based. They are all about making decisions that affect the reality of the world the character lives interacts in. The decisions are either punished of rewarded depending on the outcome and who they affect in the game. These are good outlets to practice right and wrong decisions without really hurting anyone around you, but the decisions made in the game usually don’t apply to those made in real life. “What is the realistic benefit of this?” Accomplishment and self confidence: As trivial as it sounds, gaining these two traits in the videogame world are important skills to develop for people who are shy or socially awkward, or even people with illnesses such as autism. Whereas the decisions of the RPG could have no real world correlation, a person knowing that they were able to tackle an impossible problem in a game could give someone with confidence issues the notion that real life problems are either smaller than they really are or not as impossible as they seem. MMORPG’s focus on this concept but now the people that your character interacts with are really other people behind computer screen as well. Again, this concept goes back to the team building and social interaction skills used for the other games. One way or another, if you play these games you’re going to need to know how interact with other people if you wish to survive or accomplish your objective and for the most part better yourself and everyone.
(pp: Street fighter 4, Midnight Club LA, and MLB 2K9) I’ll end with simulation games, there are other genres I could have covered such as fighting, racing, and sports, but most of them only explain eye hand coordination and team work. Although if technical clarification is needed, sports games would teach players rules and regulations of the sports games they represent, and even encourage people to try and become more athletic or show more of an interest in sports. Fighting games which are harped on most mainly for aggression stimulation and competitive natures have been known to encourage people to study martial arts. And racing games, depending on how accurate they are, will leave players having a general know how about cars. You won’t be an expert on the subject, but if the game requires you to build, tune, and customize your own vehicle you’ll gain an understanding of physics and what makes a car go faster than it already does.
(pp: Ace Combat 6 and the Sims) Simulation games are some of the less played games, but most of the time they aren’t excessively violent or bloody. Most of the time you’re going to experience a role in which you’re able to act out a profession (be it sci-fi, realistic, or fantasy based). The Sims however is a more interesting type of simulation game. Players a required to build the lives of their avatars or “Sims” and map out their lives, neglect a Sim and they become depressed or eventually die. Put two Sims together that don’t like each other and they’ll bicker with each other. Fail get a Sim a job and they’re forced to scrounge or are limited to only having certain items. If there is anything that playing the Sims will teach a player it is responsibility, and by living the outcomes of their avatars they can better prepare for real life situations or obstacles you’ll have to face in the real world.
After having looked at some of the positive outcomes of games it easy to see how they have become a key part our society and the way we view our world and develop. Despite the matters of escapism being a problem, videogames are still a form of recreation, but most of all, they are fun. It’s a matter of regulating time spent, the audiences of certain games, and countering the way the media views them. One bad apple doesn’t have to spoil the lot of them, and even so, that bad apple may still be able to help out in the long run if viewed from the right prospective.
I learned that I am going to not only cut my paper in half but try to incorporate at least one online database source. I also was able to build a better arguement for whenever my perssuasive speech rolls around. The librarian also spent a good deal of time teaching me about citations from online.
Would comparring old data to the new data to demonstrate progress or decline in statistics -Is that the only time old data is useful?
What do you feel is the most important subject you covered durring your presentation (Negations, opposition, and Authority)?
Do you think the more controversial examples are better for keeping the audiences’ attention?
What is the best way to present a statistic?
What details are more important; informative or entertaining?
I’m torn between opinions, but I’m going to go with the most critical. I should grab some visuals and try to sound more entertaining as I speak this, though I’m going to keep in mind that half the stuff I wrote I may or may not even mention. Most of the topics were a little more in depth than they needed to be… But I need to get away from writing a speech in an essay format. It’s informal for a reason.
Good morning, my name is Mick Howard and I’m going to talk about descriptions and how important they are in works of writing. I plan to state what a description is, what a description looks like, and why descriptions are important. I believe in order to explain a person, place, idea, or object; an audience should be able to visualize the topic with at least two of the five senses. Of the two of the five senses, sight is typically the easiest one to recall being that most objects can be seen or at we at least have a visual understanding of what most look like.
Ok. So now that we’ve established I’m trying to accomplish today, the first question we should ask ourselves is “What is a description?” The most basic definition of a description is an object physical or imaginary, which is described. However a more correct definition according to Merriam Webster is: an act of describing; specifically; discourse intended to give a mental image of something experienced; or a descriptive statement or account. This is all well and good, but what is this supposed to mean to us?
It basically states that the easiest way to write description is to recall something and then use mostly adjectives and concrete nouns to describe it. In doing this adjectives can either be your greatest ally or your worst enemy: Too many can be misleading where as too few could be too vague. The important thing to remember is that the proper concrete nouns will verify just what it is you are trying to describe. Once you start writing a description of something keep in mind what exactly a description is meant to do. They are informative devices used to aide in further learning about whatever subject you’re teaching or writing about. This brings me to my next point.
What will a description look like? There are many different types of descriptions as well as many ways to write one. Given nature of the audience and the point you are trying to get across will determine what kind of description you will most likely use. Let’s say you’re going to be talking to a group students, or a teacher, or even some kind of official. You’re going to want to be as concise and informative as possible. Listen as I describe a tree stump using this method: A large specimen of decaying flora anchored by roots left in the ground still covered by top soil. Before it was cut down it’s safe to say that it was roughly one hundred and twenty years old judging by the rings splaying out from the center. It was an oak tree, and stood approximately fifty feet which isn’t at all uncommon. To sum things up, this tree grew and matured only to be cut down so that a house could be put in its place, the ground breaking starts tomorrow. Quick, descriptive, and not overly drawn out, this would serve well on a more literal audience. However, there are times when a description should be something creative, intriguing, and personal, so that the opinion of the author can be expressed in a different way towards the subject. This is an example of a more abstract description of a tree: The ripples that hold the years stem out from the center and are cast skyward to look up at a ceiling without leaves and branches. The veins still suckling whatever aqueous drops from the ground futilely drink from mother earth. The once proud wooden monolith stood in a field on a hill keeping watch over the tall grasses below. No longer vigilant or standing, soon its foundation will fall to the cold metal teeth of the dozer waiting for the coming dawn. This would be the best route to take if you’re not being going to be critiqued too harshly for factual knowledge of the given subject. But regardless of how the description is written, what should the content be about?
So far we have covered what a description is and what a description looks like. Now we will go into detail about how to write one. As stated before, a description is a collection of concrete nouns and adjectives used to formulate a visualization of a certain object, person, place, or idea. Going back to the question asked in the previous paragraph you’ll need to also ask yourself what the attitude of the audience is. “Are they serious or carefree?” If you are writing to a serious audience your description will need to contain a little more than basic fact. Some research should be done on the subject of what you are going to have to describe before you start. You’ll want to use words that substitute for clusters of other words such as “Sustain” for “be able to keep going” or “infinite” instead of “goes on forever”. You’ll also want to know more than what you have written down just incase they are any questions at the end just incase there was something not cover or misleading to somebody. Now comes the entertainment of writing a description. Again, this will more correlate to the creative types of descriptions or a light hearted audience. In order to accomplish this, make it colorful; attempt to make what you have written add just as much fact as there is imagination. It can even be the way you word certain sentences that’ll do it. For example: “The man stood at roughly seven feet which is unusually tall” could be worded as “The man towered over most and even birds seemed like they were trying to dodge his height as they flew by.” Little things like this can make something so trivial sound much better than it really is.
Hopefully after trying to explain what description is, what they may or may not look like, and suggestions on how to write them I’ve touched on basic points that could aid in future writing. Remember, you’re not trying to make yourself sound smarter than you really are, you’re just trying to hold the attention of the audience long enough to get your point across. Above all else, try to have fun with it whenever you’re tasked to describe something, in any case, you’ll at least be able to entertain yourself as your write it.
Good morning. May I start by saying that it is a pleasure to speak in front of you all today. My name is Michael Cannon Howard, I’m twenty years old, and I’m a graduating sophomore this semester. I enjoying playing the guitar and writing in my free time, but I spend too much time either chatting online or gaming. In the family I am the oldest of three and often find it challenging being the one used as a model sibling by my parents which is why I can’t wait transfer to UCF after this semester. Lastly, after working for about year and a half selling electronics at Wal-Mart it’s become clear to me that knowing how to speak to a person will not only affect their opinion of you as a salesmen but the sale itself. The same can be said for many other jobs.
Given that I just transferred into this class I can merely speculate that sustainability pertains not only to maintaining the attention of the audience but also making the speech last past a certain point in time duration. I also feel that it would include being able to keep finding ways to elaborate on the same subject. I have had almost no experience with the specified topics (graphic design, P/R, etcetera), but I did take a Survey in Mass Communications class and most of the given topics were not only described but explained as well.
My motivation for wanting to excel in this class is due to how I view the use of words. I believe words are a powerful resource to harness and think doing so would aide tremendously in today’s job market. I also believe that words are immortal; Decades later we are still able to recall orations made by Dr Martin Luther King Jr., John F Kennedy, and FDR. I find that two centuries later “Four score and seven years ago” is still able to be quoted by the general public is amazing. More so I believe that the words in these speeches are able to live on because the audience took the time to listen to their speakers whenever they were made.
By the end of this course success for me will be being able to that some of the things I said either raised a few brows or turned a few heads. More importantly it will be to know that I held the attention of my audience without rambling on too much or getting off topic. I’d like to able to know that I can speak my mind in my writing and for that I am either criticized or criticized. I only want to get better from here on out and I’m sure that this course will help me to be more concise and clear with my words.
So now it’s time for my parting shots, my pep talk. This was the part I’ve been dreading most because it takes different advice for different sorts of people to be able to gain from it, but I’ll try to be general about it. Other than muttering “Just imagine the audience dressed as clowns (or chickens, if clowns scare you)” in the back your mind remember this. You’re the one up here presenting; it’s you who has the floor, not the audience. More importantly remember to accept criticism with an open mind; not everything you say is meant to please people but should at least make your point known. In the words of FDR “Only thing we have to fear is, fear itself…” and public speaking ranking at the top of people’s fears, you can rest knowing that by speaking up here you’re at least somebody’s fear if not your own.
