Thursday, August 30, 2012
Dr. McGonical's Speech
Video games are becoming an integral aspect of our society today. Dr. McGonical made that evident when said that on average, we are spending 3 billion hours online a week. Her argument that gaming has the potential to change and sculpt the human species' future becomes even more solidified when she informs us of her PhD she earned at the University of California at Berkley, her 10+ years of gaming experience and her research at the Institute of the Future. Throughout her speech, she appeals many times to the wants of the audience through pathos, constantly reference the characteristic traits that gaming teaches young gamers: communication, teamwork, determination, perseverance and courage in the face of evil. She strengthens her argument further when she relates gaming to schooling, and that if we can focus on positive, meaningful gaming the way we do on school, we could see drastic improvements in our society. She states that the average person will have spent 10000 hours on gaming by the time they are 21, while they will also have gone to school for 10080 hours, if their attendance is perfect. Throughout her speech, she also includes a variety of references to other professional research and studies. Although credibility immensely impacts one's speech, her ability to include humor engages the audience on a different level. Not only did she include humor but she also related many of the topics to an average persons everyday life, with gaming references to desired characteristics. Personally, from watching her speech, I was motivated and I came to the realization just how important the virtual world has and is continuing to become important to our society. And I believe the closing statement was one of the best signatures to close a speech like this, "Let the world changing games begin...".
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I loved the composition of this arguement you made. You pointed out what made her so credible, but you also gave facts to support why she was that way. I think that you talking about her humor also was important in keeping us, the audience, interested. I didn't include that, but I realize now that it was key to her speech. Your language that you used was awesome, and the way you concluded your argument was fantastic. :)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate it! I try to speak in an intelligent manner, so it's nice to have someone appreciate it sometimes.
DeleteI thought your argument was well organized and you made a good point by pointing out the specific examples of pathos she used. I also like the fact that you gave her credibility for the way she made her speech and related it to the every day life of everyone in the audience. Great conclusion as well!
ReplyDeleteThis is commenting on yours:
DeleteIt's not changing the world through gaming, it's using gaming to change the world, if that makes sense...If you look at her games she has developed, they are all structured towards critical and creative thinking with real life situations. I agree, I don't think playing Halo or Madden will change much of anything. But I do think if we create the right games to spark intuitive thought and bring out the geniuses that are stuck behind a monitor, we might stand a change at positive change in the future. I like your thoughts on it though.