Monday, May 28, 2007

Intro & Conclusion Practico

This is just a reminder that you need to email me an introduction and a conclusion, adding
a) a brief statement of what the article is about;
b) include the title, copy and paste the introduction and the conclusion;
c) describe the strategy the author used to introduce the essay and to conclude it;
d) include the link to the article at the end.

The weekend is over and I've only received two practicos assigned last weekend. I hope you'll be emailing it before class on Thursday.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Samples of good writing from essays on video gaming

Two good introductions:

Typical of our culture is to make use of technology, especially computers, as a way of entertainment. And in this respect, video gaming is at the top of the list. Despite the widespread criticism it has attracted, there will always be defenders ready to point out a number of good reasons to go on playing without feeling any kind of remorse. (TN)

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Have you ever imagined that a simple video game could ever become as real as life? Over the years, video games have increasingly developed into a widespread form of entertainment, and, while the characters and situations they present are made even more lifelike, the heated debate of its social impact is intensifying. (MM)


Two good discussion paragraphs:

First of all, video gaming starts as a form of entertainment, but it can become an addiction so the primary reason for playing is not fun anymore, but inner necessity. The consequence of becoming an addict is alienation and social isolation. This has become a main point of discussion since the mass public shootings occurred in the United States. The teenagers who killed their classmates were thought to have found inspiration in a very well-known video game. Therefore, video games can create addiction and promote violent behavior. (PC)

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There is a widespread idea that video games are very violent and that they are polluting gamers' minds. A lot of people think that playing violent video games might be bad for children, as it might turn them into violent adults. However, millions of people around the world play these games and the vast majority of them are very peaceful people and never pick up a gun in real life. The violence in video games after all is very crude, exaggerated, and cartoon like. It bears no relation to real life and people who play video games know this. Now, it is certainly true that if a slightly disturbed child plays these video games too much, he might become more violent, but then it is also true that sort of child would become violent if he watched a film or listened to heavy metal, or did any one of a number of other activities. Video games themselves cannot be blamed for causing people to act violently in real life. (AS)