MLA Citation Example: Are Video Games Bad for Kids?

When students introduce academic works, they have to give a list of cited sources at the end of a paper. They must do it in the required style. Students usually search for information about formatting on the Internet. The best variant is to seek data about the task performance on a college or university website, such as Purdue Owl, Libguides, and others. Sometimes, the best variant is to find a good MLA citation example to see the requirements of the sample, including a heading, outline, text, and quote format. The more examples a student manages to cover, the more information he will learn. It will be easier to work on an essay. Below, one can find an MLA in-text citation example with the demanded Times New Roman 12, double-spacing, and a specific bibliography section.

MLA Example: Are Video Games Bad for Kids?

Many parents have serious doubts about whether to let their children play computer and mobile games. Most psychologists and educators say that video gaming negatively affects a child’s psychological well-being. Others state that video games may have positive effects on children. Taylor Kitsch once said, “Video games and computers have become babysitters for kids”. Is it right to entrust kids to video games? Are all games safe?

On the one hand, according to Healthline, over 90% of American children play computer games. The worst thing is that 90% of games aged 10+ contain violence. Besides, they make the top popular games around the globe. Many psychologists say that violent games provoke anger in children who are vulnerable. Some kids do not differentiate between games and reality. They accept the rules of the game as a standard behavior that can be applied in everyday life. The most vulnerable category of children deals with those who suffer from depression. As a rule, they are bullied at school or home. When anger gets hard to control, children start reflecting emotions using a familiar method to release themselves from destructive feelings.

On the other hand, the latest research of Ron Mencias shows that more than half of players noticed the improvement in their psychological and physical therapies, health education outcomes, physical activities, and pain-killing effects. It means that 45% of children in America use games to relax, distract, cope with destructive emotions, and sharpen learning skills. Everything depends on the choice of games. So, video gaming can have both positive and negative influences on a player.

How can games help children? First off, some of them help to develop decision-making and problem-solving skills. These are puzzles and games that require some strategies such as Angry Birds, Tetris, Cut the Rope, and others. Secondly, many games help to develop spatial, fine motor skills, and eye-hand coordination. Many companies provide products where gamers need to navigate the main characters, track their speed, and react on time. Third, children learn to multitask when playing such video games as LEGO Battles Ninjago, Halcyon 6: Starbase Commander, Boid, and others. Moreover, scientific research held in 1987 proved that fans of Donkey Kong and Pacman manifested better cognitive abilities. Thanks to logical games, students have more chances to succeed in MLA essay writing. They may be attentive enough to find the APA format requirements on the bibliography page and mistakes in homework. Learners examine an MLA format example to see what font, space, margins, citation requirements, and word order in referencing to use.

Nevertheless, playing video games can hurt a child and lead to serious health disorders. To begin with, it is hard to find a video game without aggression. Such games advertise impulsive decisions, aggressive reactions to problems, and immoral behavior. All these things influence a child’s consciousness, problem-solving skills, behavior, and mood. Kids do not sympathize with others because of it, and they forget about morals. Secondly, video games provoke addiction like casino playing, drugs, narcotics, and alcohol. Many children require a psychologist who can help them treat their obsession. Addicted children lose control over gaming, prefer video gaming to entertainment with friends, family, and other activities. Some video games are run online and demand financial investments. Addicted children start stealing cash and wasting their pocket money on gaming. Game addiction might result in poor academic performance because instead of average hobbies and activities, a child devotes all the time to video gaming.

Today, more and more people speak about social media gaming. Many children prefer online video games thanks to online chats. Regarding Internet Matters, 41% of parents say that their children communicate with other gamers when playing. 64% of parents consider online gaming a part of social media that causes the same damage as Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms. Everyone has at least once heard about the Blue Whale suicidal game. The game consisted of 50 days and 50 challenges that depressed children were to complete. The last task was to commit suicide, otherwise, the game organizers promised to post some private information on the Internet or to kill someone the kids loved. There were many cases of suicide among teenagers because of that game in 2015. Similar things can happen to children who are absorbed with gaming. They become easy prey for manipulators. Except for Blue Whale, there are Momo, Fire Fairy, Choking Game, and other games on social platforms. YouTube and Twitch are websites that attract psychos and evil influencers. So, when parents think that their children are entertaining, their offspring can fall under the influence of bad people.

How can parents influence their child’s video gaming activity? It is recommended to play video games with children to see what children are playing. It is also necessary to track the amount of time a child spends playing. When does a kid stop playing without being told? Does the process take more than 50% of her daily activities? If yes, it will be necessary to set limits and think about treating a child’s addiction. Parents can introduce a list of activities that can replace video gaming. For example, they can try to substitute video games with hobbies, games with friends, family activities, and other fun. It is essential to surround a child with things that will have a higher value than video gaming, such as family trips, picnics with classmates, language clubs, etc. Parents should reward their children for after-class activities and time spent without video games.

Parents should control the activity of their children on a computer, smartphone, and social platforms. Video games can be beneficial and harmful for a vulnerable child’s psyche. If parents want their children to have a positive gaming experience, they should select games that promote logical and critical thinking enhancement. Moreover, it is essential to keep an eye on what games their children prefer on social media, especially those who participate in the challenge and group games. Some games look ‘innocent’ but have hidden levels with erotic or violent content. That is why it is better to test the product before letting children play with them.

References:

1. “27 Best Educational Games for Kids to Play Sorted by Subject.” Prodigy Education, www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/educational-games-for-kids. Accessed 8 Feb. 2022.
2. Adeane, By Ant. “Blue Whale: What Is the Truth behind an Online ‘Suicide Challenge’?” BBC News, 13 Jan. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-46505722.
3. Barclay, Rachel. “Do Video Games Make Kids Saints or Psychopaths (and Why Is It So Hard to Find Out)?” Healthline, 20 Oct. 2018, www.healthline.com/health-news/video-games-saints-or-psychopaths-082814#A-Daily-Dose-of-Violence.
4. Mencias, Ron. “The Health Benefits of Playing Video Games – Game Design and Development 2021.” Pressbooks, 3 May 2021, ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/gamedesigndevelopmenttextbook/chapter/the-health-benefits-of-playing-video-games.
5. S., Darko. “Is Playing Video Games Good or Bad for Children?” Helping Students, Families, and Individuals Grow – Nobel Coaching & Tutoring, 22 Nov. 2019, nobelcoaching.com/is-playing-video-games-good-or-bad-for-children.
6. “Social Networking in Gaming.” Internet Matters, 19 Aug. 2021, www.internetmatters.org/resources/social-networking-in-gaming.
7. Williams, Claire. “Video Games You Should Never Play around Your Kids.” SVG.Com, 18 Oct. 2021, www.svg.com/122612/video-games-never-play-around-kids.