Video game controversy Essay Example for Free

Video game controversy Essay Video game controversies are unresolved societal and scientific arguments about whether or not the content of video games can change the behavior and attitudes of a player. Since the early 1980s, advocates of video games have emphasized their use as an expressive medium, arguing for their protection under the laws governing freedom of speech and also as an educational tool. Detractors argue that video games are harmful and therefore should be subject to legislative oversight and restrictions. The positive and negative characteristics and effects of video games are the subject of scientific study. Results of investigations into links between video games and addiction, aggression, violence, social development, and a variety of stereotyping and sexual morality issues are debated God Of War Series – Saudi Arabia The Guy Game – USA 8. RapeLay – Argentina/Indonesia/Malaysia/Thailand EA Sports MMA – Denmark Manhunt 2 – Various Postal 2 http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-infamously-banned-games-around-world. php/11 10 Video Game Endings With Disturbing Implications You Totally Missed Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-video-game-endings-with-disturbing-implications-you-totally-missed. php/2#0LO1TBf6EwdT9Ea3. 99 Heavy Rain: The Neglectful Father Metal Gear Solid 2: The Hangover After the giant Arsenal Gear crashes into New York city and Raiden and Solidus Snake are forced to fight one another (after a myriad of narrative revelations involving pregnancies, double agents and adoption,) Raiden emerges victorious and is reunited with his girlfriend Rose, who is now with child. Aside from a few loose ends, the narrative ends on a nice positive note, with man and his love reunited and a bright new dawn rather insistently represented by the growing life in her belly. But wait†¦ Half of New York is now squashed. People are no doubt dead, thanks to the Arsenal Gear stomping a big hole in Manhattan, and those who survived are likely to take a massive beating from the tax-man in the coming years to fix the damage caused to the Big Apple. It’s rather short-sighted to call this a victory, simply because the hero gets his girl. What about the legacy of destruction, not to mention the giant robot lying in the middle of the city? Noone ever thinks about the clean-up job. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-video-game-endings-with-disturbing-implications-you-totally-missed. php/3#t8VahiJ4DfS6AhYp. 99 Medal Of Honor: Warfighter – AWOL Warfighter caused some serious controversy – not least when it was revealed that seven members of Naval Special Warfare Development Group who worked as consultants for EA had been disciplined for releasing classified information – and the ending was another of those modern â€Å"Horrors Of War† endings that sought to make the player think. EA decided to have Preacher weighing up whether to report back for duty, or desert to fix his family life, despite the formerly gleeful embrace of the mythology of the soldier (the idea of them as supermen.). The idea might be half-baked, and slightly odd considering the trajectory of the rest of the narrative (and the presentation of characters specifically) but it was an interesting way to leave the game. But wait? Doesn’t desertion still carry a fairly hefty punishment? Honour and dedication to his family is one thing, but winding up locked up in prison for ignoring a mission (which is presumably what awaits if he were to answer his mobile) is a fairly counter-productive solution. The key thing is that Preacher’s desertion would weaken the unit, especially in deployment, and his punishment would presumably be greater than any â€Å"normal† soldier. There’s also a further implication. Though he’s seen some serious action, and untold horrors of war by the end of the game, and the ending suggests he has had his fill of duty, Warfighter is keen to stress that the soldiers involved are action-hero-like thrill seekers, as opposed to particularly patriotic men. And if Preacher cannot get his thrills from his own army, which he may or may not desert (the implication is he does,) he may find himself tempted to go mercenary, which would presumably be deemed joining another force while AWOL. That’s often called treason (depending on the client,) and the penalty for that tends to be fairly severe†¦ Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-video-game-endings-with-disturbing-implications-you-totally-missed. php/4#ILEhM7Obvv7HWdJY. 99 Uncharted 2: Shambhala Destroyed. As the events of Uncharted’s excellent sequel come to a head, Nathan Drake is thrust onto a journey of vengeance when Elena (his new lady friend, obviously) is almost killed by a grenade just after the pair discover the invulnerability applications of the blue resin found at the Tree Of Life. Drake gets to the tree just after the nick of time, and watches his latest mortal enemy drink from the tree’s sap and become almost invincible, before deciding the best way to kill him is to explode the sap and then leave Lazarevic to be killed by the Guardians of the secret, sacred city of Shambhala. He dies, Nathan and Elena kiss, and sunsets are ridden off into. But wait†¦ Much like Indiana Jones – the single most careless archaeologist in the history of the subject, thanks to his tendency to destroy previously perfectly preserved artefacts – Nathan Drake is awful at his job. He is supposed to be committed to discovering and preserving articles and locations of historical significance, and yet his destruction of the Tree Of Life pretty carelessly destroys the wonderful kingdom of Shambhala. Rather than sharing the spiritual significance of the place, or helping its inhabitants (such as those Guardians) escape, Drake blows the entire place up, and enjoys a sexy kiss to seal the deal. Quite how he deserves his reputation in the industry is beyond me. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-video-game-endings-with-disturbing-implications-you-totally-missed. php/5#2v72bY4C1ojLYBPL. 99 Freedom Fighters: The Russians Are Coming (Back) Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-video-game-endings-with-disturbing-implications-you-totally-missed. php/7#8VePctXW3iZsJJUx. 99 Hurray, we killed the Russians and stopped them from invading Good Old America! Just like Hollywood always promised us we could. We’ve saved democracy, and hot dogs, and Mountain Dew. It’s time to party, since there definitely won’t be any come back from defying a nation of the might and malevolent will to invade the Greatest Country In The World EVER! But wait†¦ It’s not over. Like termites temporarily pushed away from their quarry, the Russians will inevitably return, and in greater numbers with greater force. They are not to be denied, and though they were once defeated, they won’t be again, with the morbid realisation then being that America is not long for this Earth. It might be a victory party by the end of Freedom Fighters, but there’s no chance it lasted long, as Chris himself points out in the clip below†¦ Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-video-game-endings-with-disturbing-implications-you-totally-missed. php/7#8VePctXW3iZsJJUx. 99 10 Outrageous Sexy Moments Hidden In Video. Games Read more at http://whatculture.com/gaming/10-outrageous-sexy-moments-hidden-in-video-games. php#MLJkrZvCm3CV6eOt. 99 1. San Andreas – Hot Coffee Mod Where else could we start? San Andreas’ Hot Coffee Mod was the moment that realised ever adults’ fear that their GTA-loving children were playing something not altogether wholesome. As if murder, soliciting prostitutes and revelling in a life of crime weren’t enough San Andreas included the remains of an ultimately cut sex mini-game that cheeky modders found and duly shared with the world. Okay so admittedly it’s pretty difficult to actually do anything other than simulate sex with all of your clothes on, but the grinding was probably more than enough for prudish mothers everywhere to explode with righteous indignation when they discovered their sons playing through the mini-game. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-outrageous-sexy-moments-hidden-in-video-games. php#MLJkrZvCm3CV6eOt. 99 Pantless Meryl – MGS A classic. If you followed Metal Gear Solid’s Meryl Silverburgh into the toilet quickly enough when she was disguised as an enemy soldier and you’d catch her with her pants down. Naturally upset, Meryl pulls a gun – which is probably even more understandable given that this is actually the second time it’s possible to catch her in her underwear in the same game. Earlier, when you enter the B1 lock up it’s possible to watch her doing exercises in her pants, provided you’re willing to keep exiting and entering the vents to spy on her – and apparently some gamers were more than willing†¦ Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-outrageous-sexy-moments-hidden-in-video-games. php/2#5thdRWFtCM0EsfdW. 99 3. SiN Hottub Scene. It’s not exactly the greatest shooter series in the history of the genre, but the Activision published SiN series, which ran on the Quake 2 engine was remarkable for an easter egg that allowed the hero John Blake to break through some walls and spy on the enigmatic and villainous Elxis Sinclaire, owner of biotech firm SiNtex enjoying a bit of bath-time fun. By noclipping through some walls, the player could walk in on Sinclaire in her hot tub (wearing a bikini despite her assumed privacy), rubbing herself and shouting â€Å"sexy† phrases. To be honest, the â€Å"sexy talk† isn’t exactly top notch, by any means, but back in those heavily pixelated days, we had to make do with what we could get. And the site of a nubile sprite fondling her own slightly squared breasts while saying â€Å"rub-a-dub-dub† was about as sexy as it got†¦ Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-outrageous-sexy-moments-hidden-in-video-games. php/3#FSghlsiY5BXEMz5J. 99 Metroid Sexy Reveal Talk about obligatory semi-nudity! It probably says a great deal about the way gamers and developers think that one of the most profound revelations in the early days of gaming came in the shape of Metroid’s â€Å"secret† female hero. Completing the original game revealed that the hero we had just guided through saving the galaxy was in fact a girl, and just to almost entirely wipe out the Girl Power sentiments of that narrative twist, the developers decided to objectify her just a little bit by having her strip down to a bathing suit for those lucky enough to complete the game. Do it in under three hours – which was basically impossible – and Samus would strip a little further, revealing more skin in a bikini to show her gratitude to the gamer for being so incredibly talented, in a very much not sexist at all manner. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-outrageous-sexy-moments-hidden-in-video-games. php/4#DqTImrz17SoMY3zF. 99 Banjo Kazooie’s Dirty Geography Spend enough time exploring Terrydactyland from the air in Banjo Tooie and you’ll see the unmistakable sight of an ejaculating penis carved out of the landscape and coloured conspicuously in emerald green, just in case you missed it first time. You might think it’s just a coincidence, even despite the very obvious design, if it weren’t for the fact that Banjo has previous, and the hidden adult-appropriate secrets hidden in the games could probably run close to the hundreds. It all gets forgiven as Rare’s British sense of humour and fun, but is it really appropriate to have an ejaculating penis is a game so obviously marketed at a younger audience? Well no, but that doesn’t make it any less hilarious. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-outrageous-sexy-moments-hidden-in-video-game s. php/5#LV3tCq31g4DwjvCx. 99 GTA IV: Stripper Bonus One of the most notorious GTA moments from the history of the franchise, and facilitated by the move to greater graphics, GTA IV’s stripper sequences were about as authentically sexy as the series had ever got. Sure, up to this point the player had been able to use prostitutes (and kill them for their money,) as well as some cheeky devils gaining access to the Hot Coffee mod previously mentioned, but that was all just pixelated suggestion compared to the rampant sexuality on show in GTA IV. And it was fairly difficult to explain to the girlfriend why you were sitting watching what amounts to a bunch of very cleverly arranged squares making sexy moves – especially when access to the internet and real naked ladies was but a few simple clicks away. Not content with offering â€Å"normal† stripping services, the game’s Pink Triangle Club also provided special services like the particularly colourful dance session below†¦ Read more at http://whatculture.com/gaming/10-outrageous-sexy-moments-hidden-in-video-games. php/7#leuecMuobHdGjsgx. 99 10. Tomb Raider Nudity Strictly speaking, this one doesn’t quite fit with the others, since the infamous Lara Croft Nude cheat code was in fact a great big hoax and resulted in the slinky archaeologist exploding in a shower of limbs, but that doesn’t in any way dillute its infamy or its impact on the controversy-hating communities of complainers who pick up on anything a little untoward. Ironically, the Tomb Raider devs’ trick actually convinced hackers to create a mod that allowed PC gamers the opportunity to see Croft naked, and though it wasn’t hidden in the actual game, the genesis of the mod, and the crucial part the developers played in pulling the switch means the nude mod actually qualifies for this list. Sadly, the closest we ever got to legitimately seeing Lara naked was this ever so slightly titivating, but all too murdery shower scene from Tomb Raider 2. Seems something of an over-reaction to us just hanging around in the bathroom†¦ Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/10-outrageous-sexy-moments-hidden-in-video-games. php/10#m1TTIw1UmUll01c4. 99 GTA V: 12 Dirty Hidden Secrets And Easter Eggs You Probably Missed Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/gta-v-12-dirty-hidden-secrets-and-easter-eggs-you-probably-missed. php#Ih5PUmoxVDvwArlt. 99 Don’t Be A Perv Taking selfies is a big thing in this Rockstar world, and the fully functioning camera on the player’s phone can lead to some hilarious situations, as we have already pointed out in our recent run-down of the best GTA V selfies we’ve seen so far in the game. Slightly bucking the trend of naughtiness at the same time as reinforcing it, it is possible to take pictures of the topless girls partying at the Playboy Mansion. Unfortunately, and somewhat confusingly, the girls won’t actually react as positively as they would in a real, legitimately organised photoshoot with a photography professional as opposed to a crazed man running through the grounds of their haven with several high-powered weapons and a worrying look on their face. Taking photos with your phone without request will lead to the girls kicking right off, calling you a creep (understandably) and then getting their boyfriends to pick a fight with you. This is clearly only a minor disruption, since fully automatic weapons are far more powerful a dissuasion tool than disgruntled boyfriends. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/gta-v-12-dirty-hidden-secrets-and-easter-eggs-you-probably-missed. php/2#Ffq5iVE9orj3vs8E. 99 Obsessed With 69? There’s nothing childish about Grand Theft Auto’s concept – in fact, it is provocatively anti-childish, and its controversy comes largely because of the way the franchise invites players to enjoy adult activities in a fundamentally child-like way. It’s perverse, occasionally puerile, and hugely entertaining, and it’s mostly thanks to the commitment to story-telling, the vast open-world and the characters – but then you start to notice the little jokes and nods that add a whole new level, such as Rockstar’s apparent obsession with the number 69. It’s nice to see the commitment to furthering the school-yard fascination with the number, and its sexy (and logistically quite difficult) implications, peppered throughout the GTA V world, like the graffiti tag on the back of the Vinewood sign, or the fact that the game has 69 main missions. And if you’re looking even closer, you might find some tittering in the fact that the Los Santos Country Club has a hole length of 169 yards. This of course all follows on from the presence of Area 69 in San Andreas, which was far less sexy than it initially sounded. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/gta-v-12-dirty-hidden-secrets-and-easter-eggs-you-probably-missed. php/3#otq0FVM4OyWlaxqS. 99 10. Goatse 9. The Naughty Gnomes Not even the simple world of the garden gnome is left untouched by the sordid pervery of Rockstar’s developers. Out in Vinewood Hills, on the edge of the desert, not far from the runaway bride’s home, there is a small collection of garden gnomes, posed harmlessly by a white fence. It all seems pretty picturesque – an idealised version of the American suburban dream – as you look at the first two gnomes, painted and posed traditionally, one with a fishing rod and the other with a lantern. And then you see the third gnome, bent over, with his pants down, and clearly spreading his cheeks. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/gta-v-12-dirty-hidden-secrets-and-easter-eggs-you-probably-missed. php/5#vHMHQ7hpqcPIoMIO. 99 Some Easter Egg hunters have suggested that the dirty little devil might be presenting ready for penetration, or that he’s simply offering a cheeky moon to anyone lucky enough to find him. But it’s fairly obvious, given the Goatse reference previously mentioned, that the distasteful spreading action is another nod to that unfortunately viral, bottom-based activity. Elsewhere in the game, the same gnome is posed bending over in front of another of his less naughty-looking friends, giving the impression, as in the image at the top, that the two have been rumbled about to make sweet, sweet porcelain love. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/gta-v-12-dirty-hidden-secrets-and-easter-eggs-you-probably-missed. php/5#vHMHQ7hpqcPIoMIO. 99 Sexy Yoga Rockstar’s dedication to bringing in more past-times and leisure activities to while away the hours within GTA V’s world is one of the reasons why the game is so successful: it has become more than a simple endeavour to complete missions, it’s more like a second life style game where the real world simulations are engaging mini-games and side concerns in their own rights. And chief among those past-times is the ability to take yoga lessons under the private tutelage of Master Private Yoga Instructor Fabien LaRouche, whose particular brand of Yoga differs somewhat to the traditional, tranquil set-up yoga fans might be accustomed to. Positions include the Punching Starfish (requires slow entry, in case the partner weeps), the Downward Facing Camel (encouraging the third eye to open to increse the flow of divine love) and the Lucky Triangle (which often requires a safe word). It’s pretty clear from the positions (above) and the descriptions alluded to, that these are particularly sexualised versions of normal yoga poses, and that LaRouche is just as sordid as the rest of the GTA cast of characters. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/gta-v-12-dirty-hidden-secrets-and-easter-eggs-you-probably-missed. php/9#DcTR5MZymzFUJaOg. 99 Sexy Golf Following on from GTA V’s sordid version of yoga, there’s also a reference to an altogether more dirty version of golf than you might be used to, if you’re a fan of dragging a heavy bag of metal around a giant field and unsuccessfully navigating big holes full of sand. This one isn’t actually taken from the game itself, but rather the Los Santos Blaine County Travelogue, which hinted at what GTA V players could get up to in the game ahead of release. Under the country club section, the Travelogue talks about the progressive club, which ignores the usually limited rules on gender-bias in the sport of golf, as suggested in the message below, which accompanies the image above: â€Å"Thanks to equality laws passed recently, the LS Country Club has announced the admittance of two carefully selected women. Of course all are welcome to enroll for membership, though the selection criteria are kept confidential for legal reasons. † Clearly that means adding strippers to the course to make aiming for the hole a whole new ball game. Now, that’s probably not the kind of behaviour that your normal, run-of-the-mill golf course would accept, and there was certainly very little mention of it in Bagger Vance, and it probably explains why the country club comes with a hefty price tag of $150,000,000 for anyone who wants to sell out for that type of luxury. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/gta-v-12-dirty-hidden-secrets-and-easter-eggs-you-probably-missed. php/10#A41YkISjRuzdTIW3. 99 Life Invader Extra Features Not content with simply killing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Rockstar clearly wanted to bait the king of nerds even more by casting aspersions on some of the social network’s more sordid users, as well as offering a side-swipe at one notoriously failed technological off-shoot of the website. As just one of the immersive, cleverly executed commercials to appear in the GTA V universe, it would be quite easy not to notice some of the details within Rockstar’s in-game ad for Life Invader (the thinly-veiled stab at Facebook) but you don’t have to be particularly attentive to have noticed that the website also has a tablet (a parody of Zuckerberg’s failed Facebook phone, no doubt. ). Read more at http://whatculture.com/gaming/gta-v-12-dirty-hidden-secrets-and-easter-eggs-you-probably-missed. php/11#UlvHXSGdTeDuXxyY. 99 Without too much explanation, the advert clearly suggests that the tablet allows the user to insert their penis into the tablet, to â€Å"dock† with other users, and while the advert seems to suggest that as a holding technique for hands free typing, the subtler moments, like the artwork of two phalluses coming together, and the inference of the term â€Å"docking† suggests a far more dirty reason. For the uninitiated or sheltered players out there, docking involves the coming together of two penises, in a unique, and wholly inappropriate-for-here manner. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/gta-v-12-dirty-hidden-secrets-and-easter-eggs-you-probably-missed. php/11#UlvHXSGdTeDuXxyY. 99 The Nudist Colony†¦ Sort Of The presence of a cult in GTA V was heavily publicised ahead of release, and the pay off in the game was oddly sexual, especially if you really like the sight of middle-aged men with paunches and no pants. The Altruist Cult, as they are officially known are a group of old men, with a hatred of both modern technology and underpants, in some cases, who can be fed young drifters (they’re cannibals, obviously) and taking them four people leads to Trevor being taken into the camp at gunpoint (despite an implied history of him bringing regular â€Å"offerings† without incident. ) Trevor then must fight his way out, while being confronted by semi-nude, deranged men with heavy weapons. Some of these men, for some reason are entirely nude, with carefully crafted penises on show, which it is very easy to miss, especially if you don’t spend your time scrutinising the groins of NPCs. This of course confirmed the pre-release rumours of full-frontal male nudity, which appeared after the game’s ESRB rating was unveiled, and mentioned â€Å"non-sexual† male nudity. Imagine the poor intern/work experience lad (probably) who was forced to spend their coding and design days making sure the penises and testicles of the nudists cult members looked and responded in an authentic way. Sadly for some, there is no option to shed your own clothes and embrace the welcoming bond of your fellow nudes. In Trevor’s case, this can only be a good thing. Incidentally, the same ESRB rating that confirmed we’d see male nudity in the game also mentioned one brief reference to necrophilia, which so far has proved elusive. Not that we’re looking too hard, but it’s interesting to see something so openly discussed ahead of the release, and then so difficult to find (no matter how brief. ) Perhaps Rockstar’s DLC is going to be REALLY bold. Did we miss any Dirty Easter Eggs or hidden messages that you think should have made this list? Share your own finds in the comments below. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/gta-v-12-dirty-hidden-secrets-and-easter-eggs-you-probably-missed. php/13#qYw1X3o7lktHeAtx. 99 7. Lawsuits Against The Franchise Total Over $1 Billion Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/gta-v-9-facts-that-will-blow-your-mind. php/3#zJ1PsYbf7ted734A. 99 GTA and controversy go together like peanut butter and jam; the franchise is never going to steer away from it, and as you’ll learn in a minute, it often even encourages it. Rockstar’s history in court has been well-documented, perhaps best of all their legal feud with disgraced Florida attourney Jack Thompson, who once referred to GTA as a â€Å"cop-killing simulator†, and has filed a litany of lawsuits on behalf of families who lost loved ones â€Å"because of the game†. You might think these suits frivolous, yet Thompson clearly meant business, filing a $246m suit against Rockstar a decade ago after two teens murdered two other motorists. That’s just one example, though; the man has filed countless suits in the name of his self-righteous crusade, yet they never seem to come to anything. Still, as it stands, Rockstar’s combined lawsuits surrounding the franchise total over $1 billion, which little – if any – they’ve ever had to pay out. Let’s see how many more games it takes them to reach the $2 billion milestone†¦ Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/gta-v-9-facts-that-will-blow-your-mind. php/3#zJ1PsYbf7ted734A. 99 7 Reasons We Should Be Worried About Video Game Violence Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/7-reasons-worried-video-game-violence. php/2#KwUUcZepH9gdxhEP. 99 7. High Level Of Graphics Realism Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/7-reasons-worried-video-game-violence. php/2#KwUUcZepH9gdxhEP. 99 Games today are far more aesthetically pleasing and with this often comes a greater degree of realism. Most game players can understand the difference and progression in game graphics – even if it’s simply between hand held and next generation game consoles. But along with the quality of the graphics also comes the detail. Take, for example, the game Mortal Kombat – which along with Grand Theft Auto is a tabloid aphrodisiac – and its ‘fatality’ finishers. The original game was released in 1992 and of course garnered plenty of debate regarding video game violence; but if you look at the fatalities from that game compared to today, it’s startling. Check out Raiden’s finishing moves – he shoots some blue lighting into the stunned opponent whose head then explodes into low quality cartoonish spurts of blood. Raiden shouts something like â€Å"heynamameeeh† and we all high five. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/7-reasons-worried-video-game-violence.php/2#KwUUcZepH9gdxhEP. 99 6. Desensitisation With the realism and popularity of games comes the risk that we might become desensitized to violence. The majority of the research literature on video game violence focuses on this theory in one way or another; be it that it allows us to mute our own acts of aggression as suggested by Tobias Greitemayer in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, or that games are just part of a gradual global desensitisation to violence, as noted by Carnagey, Anderson and Bushman. Although much of modern research points away from violent video games reciprocating real world violence, the issue of desensitisation seems to be a constant theme. After all, if you see something over and over again it’s far less likely to shock you. However, what has changed along with video games, is the ease of access to violent and graphic images or video. Most owners of a Facebook account will have accidently played a shared video only to find half way through that it’s something sinister, like a cretin throwing puppies into a river, or the horrific video doing the rounds of a woman being decapitated. Also: as mentioned in the previous chapter, the depiction of violence on some of the most popular television shows is becoming increasingly more realistic and graphic. Several recent studies point to other mitigating, â€Å"real world† factors – and given the sheer number of us playing video games that are deemed violent, it’s these findings that make more sense to me. After all, if every Grand Theft Auto player replicated the game, we would need a Kevlar vest just to go fetch the newspaper. A study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research suggests that matters such as depression, antisocial personality traits, exposure to family violence and peer influences were the best predictors of youth aggression. This idea of video games merely being a piece of the desensitisation pie is further supported in recent research. A study in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, funded in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings – this will be discussed in a later chapter – tried to address the discrepancies in research. The study by Ferguson and Olson looked at vulnerable groups, namely children with pre-existing mental health problems. They concluded that the association between video game violence and aggression was minimal, but did point that further work was needed when looking at children’s attainment of violent stimulus. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/7-reasons-worried-video-game-violence. php/3#Mc34jEfUCkm8wtJf. 99 5. Children Playing Adult Games With many video games now marketed exclusively for adults, the content can be unapologetically violent and graphic†¦ but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. With many games now seemingly more like interactive films, you’d be rather disappointed if when you shot the game’s villain, blue glitter poured out and a care bare gave you a hug. For example, in the recent GTA V, the torture scene with Trevor is incredibly detailed and forces the player to engage in order to continue the game. Apart from being uncomfortable – which was the point – it reminds you that you’re in a very adult world. Yes, you can have sex with a prostitute then beat her to death with a baseball bat to recoup your money, but you can also take your character for a jog around the block, or play a round of golf. The point is – it’s your choice. You are essentially controlling a character in a godfather sandbox. As an adult who understands that this is a game, the implications of game violence are minimal. Otherwise, as stated earlier with around 13 million people buying the recent Call Of Duty, we would all need to know effective covering fire when leaving the house. The danger comes when you imagine children playing adult games. Aside from the point of desensitisation, a child’s mind is still developing and their view and understanding of the world is still being shaped. Therefore they are far more susceptive to influence, which is why film and television is so carefully scrutinised. In 1994, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was put together to give age and content advisories on games. However this was only in Canada and the US and was not enforced by law. Fast forward to 2012 and the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) system becomes legislated, meaning anyone selling a game to an individual under-age faces a possible 6 months in prison and a ? 5,000 fine. Of course, how well enforced the ratings are is debatable, with most games still fairly easily bought online by teens. What’s interesting about the PEGI system is that violence can be present in games for ages as young as 12. For 12 year olds, it has to be in a fantasy setting such as Lord Of The Rings. For 16 year olds it can be explicit and once you get to 18 you can engage in graphic violence towards defenceless people including multiple, motiveless killings – hooray. The point is that whilst there are now more stringent controls on violent games, it’s only recently becoming enforced with any vigour. This in itself brings with it another reason to be worried about violence in video games†¦. Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/7-reasons-worried-video-game-violence. php/4#d0pyFo3jvDHcpzJK. 99 4. Stricter Controls Leading To Less Brave Games Read more at http://whatculture. com/gaming/7-reasons-worried-video-game-violence. php/5#R4q8EqZIh4V4Lrtu. 99 With the increase in game ratings and restrictions, there’s the risk that video games might follow their Hollywood counterparts.

The Downside of Facebook :: Social Networking, Social Network

While social media has made connecting and communicating with anyone at any time as easy as pie, it also has altered teen’s social skills and behaviors. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have proven to be great tools to expedite the development of empathy, encourage task-switching or even bring somewhat shy individuals a little more out of their shells. However, social media sites have also fostered a host of psychological and behavioral problems. â€Å"Cognitive development is still maturing during the teen years and the introduction of these types of online outlets can act as a platform for teenagers to speak their minds without facing peers directly,† said Amy Grosso, PhD, a counselor. â€Å"This can result in negative consequences, such as bullying, narcissism, depression, distractibility and anxiety.† Teens also may struggle with real-life social interactions if most of their communication has been conducted through a screen rather than in person, Grosso said. She suggests parents take the following steps to reduce the risk of teens experiencing the negative effects of social media:

Program Development and Evaluation Essay

Early Childhood Education focuses on the education, language, culture, development and care of young children. As a profession, Early Childhood Education has emerged as one of the major vehicles for child-advocacy in the provision of accessible, high-quality child care and pre-school education. Child care, in this society of increasingly busy working couples, is an important service in the community. Whether it is called child care, kindergarten, preschool, a developmental learning center, a child development center, or one of many other names, they are all providing the important service of caring for our precious children. The increased demand for early childhood education services is partly due to the increased recognition of the crucial importance of experiences during the earliest years of life. Children’s experiences during early childhood not only influence their later functioning in school but can have effects throughout life. For example, current research demonstrates the early and lasting effects of children’s environments and experiences on brain development and cognition (Chugani, Phelps, & Mazziotta, 1987). Positive, supportive relationships, important during the earliest years of life, appear essential not only for cognitive development but also for healthy emotional development and social attachment (Stern, 1985). The preschool years are an optimum time for development of fundamental motor skills, language development (Dyson & Genishi, 1993), and other key foundational aspects of development that have lifelong implications. In Australia, early childhood educational programs cover a 0-8 years age range. In the state of New South Wales, Kindergarten is the first year of compulsory schooling thus it is governed by the NSW Department of Education and Training and the curriculum content governed by the NSW Board of studies. Child care, on the other hand refers to the care of infants (ages 0-5) by other people during specific periods when the parents are at work. With this set-up, different programming methods are employed. The difference between child care and kindergarten is that kindergarten is an educational experience while child care tends to be care giving so that both parents can work. Good child care programs offer experienced, well-educated teachers who promote children’s cognitive and social development. Kindergarten programs, on the other hand, have set programming standards that are based on the curriculum content governed by the NSW Board of studies. However, in the light that infants and up to kindergarten age belong to the early childhood category, it is best that programming should be the same. It should be able to provide the necessary resources to ensure that every student is offered a high-quality learning environment that prepares a child for further schooling. The purpose of this paper is to present the basis that programming for all early childhood educational programs in NSW should, for the most part, be the same regardless of the setting in which the program exists. Main Body Programming is the process of setting an order and time for planned events or activities. It is the designing, scheduling, or planning of a program. In a formal education setting, syllabus is prepared to outline the set of activities or programs. In NSW schools, teaching and learning programs and the assessing and reporting of student achievement relate directly to the learning outcomes and curriculum content provided in the NSW Board of Studies K-6 syllabuses. As clearly stated in the K-6, programming for kindergarten falls under this curriculum. These syllabuses are grouped into six key learning areas (KLAs). Creative and Practical Arts English Human Society and Its Environment Mathematics Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Science and Technology (Retrived Aug. 31,2006 from http://www. curriculumsupport. education. nsw. gov. au/primary/index. htm) The Board of Studies develops a syllabus for each of the learning areas. Along with a defined aim, each syllabus has a set of objectives and outcomes, expressed in terms of knowledge and understandings, skills, values and attitudes. On the other hand, mostly day care in NSW are managed by community organizations, local councils or private operators. These day care and other children’s services are licensed by the Department of Community Services. NSW Department of Education and Training employs an early childhood trained teacher and a teacher’s aide in each preschool class. Teachers plan an educational program, which nurtures each child’s self esteem, well being and development. The preschool or day care program is designed to stimulate children’s thinking, communicating, investigating, exploring and problem solving skills. Children are encouraged to join in physical activities and to develop good health and safety habits. The program includes play based activities that help children learn how to interact positively with other children and to recognize and accept their own feelings and those of others. The program also supports the development of early language, literacy and numerical skills. In terms of child upbringing however, it is always advocated that child care is inherently inferior to parental care. However, independent studies suggest that good child care for non-infants is not harmful. In some cases, good child care can provide different experiences than parental care does, especially when children reach two and are ready to interact with other children. A study appearing in Child Development in July/August 2003 found that the amount of time spent in child care before four-and-a-half tended to correspond with the child’s tendency to be less likely to get along with others, to be disobedient, and to be aggressive, although still within the normal. On the other hand, bad child care puts the children at physical, emotional and attachment risk. As a matter of social policy, child care should also be regulated by the government so as to ensure quality early childhood education. A good early childhood education program should instruct children in different skill areas that they would need in further schooling. Such skill areas include learning to read, to do math, to progress in science, and to understand the world and how it works. Through early childhood education programs, children are able to become familiar with books, words, language use, numbers and problem solving, as well as important social skills (paying attention in class and peer relationships). Through all these activities, teachers should create positive relationships through warm, sensitive, and responsive care, which will help children feel valued and gain more from their learning experiences. Children need positive relationships so that they feel comfortable and learn how to cooperate with others. This is where skilled early childhood educators should come in. Early childhood care and kindergarten education need teachers who are educated enough to handle young children from infancy through age six. Relationships between teachers and families are also important, and help build environments that nurture children’s growth and development. Children observe the interactions between caregivers and their parents, and what they observe in these interactions is used to build their own relationship with these new adults in their lives. This is a process called social referencing (Hutchins & Sims, 1999). There are many ways that quality early childhood programs build relationships with children and among teachers and adults. In visiting a program, how teachers interact with the children fostering positive relationships is clearly seen. Classrooms are welcoming to all children, and children are encouraged to join the group. Teachers communicate with children in a warm manner, including laughing and showing affection, and responding to their needs. Teachers use a gentle tone of voice with children, and bend down to speak with them at eye level. Teachers provide a balance of group activities and one-on-one activities, to encourage children to develop both group and individual relationships. Children in turn have opportunities to play and interact with other children, who help them build friendships and develop social skills, such as working together and taking turns. In good child care program, infants get individual attention from teachers, who communicate with smiles and other nonverbal behavior, and also talk with them, so that infants start to recognize and understand words. Quality early childhood programs foster positive relationships – among the children, between children and adults, and among teachers and families – to help children get a great start on learning. In view of the need to acquire good educators, the development of professional standards for teachers has grown in importance in the field of education in Australia and overseas. At the national level, development of the National Framework for Professional Standards for Teaching is a key initiative. The Competency Framework for Teachers was created and standards were developed by national teaching associations for English, Mathematics and Science. This Framework is the product of a comprehensive consultation process involving teachers, professional associations, tertiary institutions, the Australian Education Union and other key stakeholders. The Competency Framework for Teachers articulates the complex nature of teaching by describing three professional elements of teachers’ work: attributes, practice and knowledge. These elements work in an interrelated way as they are put into practice in classrooms. Early childhood professionals working in diverse situations and resources are responsible for implementing practices that are developmentally appropriate for the children they serve. These teachers have an ethical responsibility to practice, to the best of their ability, according to the standards of their profession. They are required to acquire the knowledge and practical skills needed to practice through college-level specialized preparation in early childhood education/child development. Moreover, aside from teachers, administrators of early childhood programs are also encouraged to acquire necessary skills in maintaining good practices in their field. In addition to management and supervision skills, administrators have appropriate professional qualifications, including training specific to the education and development of young children, and they provide teachers time and opportunities to work collaboratively with colleagues and parents. Providing appropriate curriculums or programs to meet the desires of individual children who learn at different rates and in different ways needs much skill and knowledge from the educator or teacher. In planning the everyday program a wide range of teaching strategies will be needed that involve individual, and large and small group activities. Not simply should the provision offer children opportunities for a broad range of creative and ingenious play activities, but there must be sufficient time and space to permit children to develop and extend their play, sometimes alone and at times in the company of other children or an adult. Programs have changed in response to social, economic, and political forces. However, these changes have not always taken into account the basic developmental needs of young children, which have remained constant. Programs should be tailored to meet the needs of children, rather than expecting children to adjust to the demands of a specific program. In the Hyson, Hirsh-Pasek, and Rescorla study (1990), pre-school children enrolled in child-initiated programs displayed lower levels of test anxiety than children enrolled in academic programs, regardless of parental preferences for classroom approaches. In the second study (Burts et al. , 1990), children in inappropriate classrooms exhibited more total stress behaviors throughout the day and more stress behaviors during group times and workbook/worksheet activities. Early childhood teaching is simply and completely about children and their well being. The tenet that each child is unique is basic in early childhood philosophy. It is very important therefore that early childhood educators should plan flexible programs that accommodate individual growth. Additionally, an early childhood perspective acknowledges the importance of providing children with opportunities to interact, understand and cooperate in groups (Day & Drake, 1986). In view of these arguments, the principle of programming in the framework of the KLA and in the context of a formal academic education should not yet be employed in the early childhood education, in particular, kindergarten class. The Curriculum for early childhood education must be subjected to vigilant evaluation. The program should see children as active learners, supporting them to become self-determining, being problem solvers and decision makers. It should not be a stiff program but offers a framework for children’s learning. Though it has much in common with usual nursery practice, it places greater accountability upon children for planning and executing their own actions. Working on an idea of the plan, do and review, the environment is arranged so that it optimizes children’s learning, using key experiences to examine and plan for the individual needs of children, for instance adult-child communication strategies, partnership with parents, observation and record keeping. The key experiences embedded concept of active learning are: †¢ Using language such as depicting objects, events and relations; †¢ Active learning such as controlling, transforming and mixing materials; †¢ Characterizing ideas and experiences such as role playing, pretending; †¢ Developing rational reasoning such as learning to label, match and sort objects; †¢ Understanding time and space such as evoking and anticipating events, learning to get things in the classroom. (Curtis, A. , 1999) These key experiences not only offer the framework for planning and evaluating activities but also facilitate the staff to guide children from one learning incident to another. They suggest questions to put to the children and facilitate staff to assess children’s development and offer a basis for discussion with the parents. To achieve individually appropriate programs for young children, early childhood teachers must work in partnership with families and communicate regularly with the children’s parents. During early childhood, children are largely dependent on their families for identity, security, care, and a general sense of well being. Communication between families and teachers helps build mutual understanding and guidance, and provides greater consistency for children. Joint planning between families and teachers facilitates major socialization processes, such as toilet learning, developing peer relationships, and entering school. Mutual sharing of information and insights about the individual child’s needs and developmental strides help both the family and the program. Regular communication and understanding about child development form a basis for mutual problem solving about concerns regarding behavior and growth. Teachers seek information from parents about individual children. Teachers promote mutual respect by recognizing and acknowledging different points of view to help minimize confusion for children. The positive attributes of parent/teacher relationships are relatively easy to develop when teachers and parents have the same backgrounds, speak the same languages, share values and goals for children, and, in general, like one another. Parents are also more likely to relate to their children’s caregivers and teachers in positive ways, and are aware of the conditions under which the staff is working. For both parents and teachers, continuity of the children’s educational experience is critical to their development. Such continuity results from communication both horizontally, as children change programs within a given year, and vertically, as children move on to other settings. As such, programming of early childhood education should be based more on creative learning and not on rigid academic programs and they should be the same from child care to kindergarten. Lastly, the community and the society at large also have a stake in the quality of early childhood programs. Early childhood education entails an informed community willing to act upon the idea that high quality early education is necessary for future generations (Pascall, C. and Bertram, T. , 1997). When early childhood programs succeed in getting children off to a good start, families, schools, and communities will be strengthened. Children will grow up to be responsible, law abiding and productive citizens who will contribute to the country’s progress. In this sense, posterity itself eventually reaps the benefits of high-quality early educational experiences. Conclusion Curriculums and programs are frequently viewed only in terms of the product or the content to be taught. It is far more encompassing than this, though. The curriculum should also be considered in terms of the processes linking to learning and teaching, the objectives that both teachers and learners hold, the contradictory social and cultural experiences’ learners and teachers bring, and the realities that occur from classroom interactions and situations. In early childhood education, set programming standards that are based on academic formal structure and being practiced in classrooms should not be employed. Teaching and learning programs and the assessing and reporting of student achievement that relates directly to the learning outcomes and curriculum content provided in the NSW Board of Studies K-6 syllabuses is not yet applicable and favorable for very young minds. Instead, programs and teaching practices in early childhood settings should be more responsive to the needs and interests of the children. Programs should include a plan of activities that matches the children’s needs and promotes their independence. The plan should contain activities and exercises that help children to develop social, motor, language, and thinking skills. Programs should also provide a variety of experiences designed to encourage exploration and problem-solving, and an awareness of how diverse the world is beyond the home. Daily morning schedule for kindergarten as well as child care should be very similar. The only difference between the two settings is that kindergarten school children tend to arrive all at once while children arrive at child care centers according to their parents’ work schedules. Early childhood education in both kindergarten and child care settings must actively work to provide learning in a nurturing environment that matches the needs of the children. Parents also have active role in this endeavor. Children learn much from the adults around them, not simply from the planned learning opportunities but also from the customs and routines of daily living. The attitudes of the adults and other children and the shared relationships that are formed are as vital to children’s development as the activities in which they are engaged. The goals of the entire child care community, then, must be to encourage and support early childhood professionals to raise standards in our young children’s education. In providing an effective and successful program for early childhood education, our society and our country will reap the rewards of raising disciplined and productive children who will contribute greatly in our communities. References: †¢ Burts, Diane C. ; Hart, Craig H. ; Charlesworth, Rosalind; DeWolf, D. Michele; Ray, Jeanette; Manuel, Karen; & Fleege, Pamela O. (1993). Developmental appropriateness of kindergarten programs and academic outcomes in first grade. Journal of Research in Childhood Education. Vol 8(1), 23-31. †¢ Bredekamp, S. and Copple, S. (eds) (1997). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs (revised edition). Washington DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. †¢ Bredekamp, Sue (ed) (1998). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. Retrieved from http://www. newhorizons. org/lifelong/childhood/naeyc. html. †¢ Chugani, H. , M. E. Phelps, & J. C. Mazziotta. (1987). Positron emission tomography study of human brain functional development. Annals of Neurology 22 (4): 495 †¢ Curtis, A. (1998). Curriculum for the Pre-School Child, second edition, London and New York:Routledge. †¢ Curtis, A. (1999). Evaluating Early Childhood Programmes: Are we asking the right questions? Paper presented at Early Childhood Conference, Santiago, March 1999. †¢ Edwards, C. , Gandini, L. and Forman, G. (eds) (1998). The Hundred Languages of Children, second edition, London: Ablex Publishing Corporation. †¢ Glascot, Kathleen. (1994). A Problem Theory for Early Childhood Professional. Childhood Education. Proofquest Education Journal, Vol. 70,3,131. †¢ Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy; Hyson, Marion; & Rescorla, Leslie. (1990). Academic environments in preschool: Do they pressure or challenge young children? Early Education and Development, Vol. 1(6), 401-423. †¢ Hutchins, T. & Sims, M. (1999). Program Planning for Infants and Toddlers: An Ecological Approach. Sydney: Prentice Hall. †¢ University of Illinois, Children’s Research Center. DAP:What Does Research Tell Us?. Retrieved Aug 31 from http://ceep. crc. uiue. edu. †¢ Website of NSW Dept . of Education and Training. Retrieved Aug, 31, 2006 from http://www. curriculumsupport. education. nsw. gov. au/primary/index. html

Italian Verbs Conjugated Vedersi