Social Commentary 2 (Video Game Violence)

AHHH! As the knife came coming down on me, I let out a sharp shriek, shut my eyes and hoped that it was all a dream, I opened my eyes slightly, it was not a dream! However, it was just a computer generated image, or in other words, it was just my “violence” game. I heaved a sigh of relief, but at the same time, considering whether this terrible violence may occur in real life. To my disappointment, video game violence has been a threat to society with its wrong application. However, is video game violence the cause for all these deaths in society? It could be if the user gains his “inspiration” from such games, but games companies have strongly argued that their games do not induce violence but only heighten the visceral experience of gamers.

With incidents such as the Columbine High School shootings in which two male students killed twelve fellow students and a teacher before killing themselves, scrutiny has fallen on the violent games producers. Are video games the cause of such incidents? Research has shown that video games violence can increase a person's aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior both in laboratory settings and in actual life, according to two studies appearing in the April issue of the American Psychological Association's (APA) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. As can be seen from these researches, video games violence can cause a person to be aggressive and could be the cause for such terrible violence society.

However, video games producers and other sources have claimed that video games are not the reason for such violence as there are not enough studies to back up their claim. Several studies have found that video games do not contribute to these problems. Furthermore several groups have argued that there are few if any scientifically proven studies to back up these claims, and that the video game industry has become an easy target for the media to blame for many modern day problems. Video games producers claimed that violent content appeals to a segment of video gaming enthusiasts and is used by developers to heighten the intensity of some games and is not as an induction for violence.

Also, video games producers have said that their video games are not enough to cause such an impact on society. Their original purpose was just to increase the game intensity and not to cause violence. Greg Costikyan, a designer with Unplugged Games, concedes that violent content is used by video game developers to heighten the visceral experience of gamers. However, he regards the use of violence as just one approach toward achieving the larger goal of providing users with opportunities to explore new environments and solve puzzles. He also said that violent scenes in a game are not enough to appeal to a wide audience and impact larger society. Thus, video games are only for entertainment and that such violence used in society may be due to other channels such as the television as the video games are not enough to appeal to such a wide audience.

Even though video game producers have argued strongly that they are not the cause for violence in society, but it is still a fact that violence shown as entertainment can still induce violence in a person. Whether or not video games cause such violence, we still have to be on our toes in such situations. I do not know whether this was the reason for the fear in me, but I heaved a sigh of relief as I press the shut down button on my computer.

Done By: Amos Lim (2)


With reference from article: http://socialissues.wiseto.com/Articles/FO3020630138/

ERP (Question 1A)

Only after that day did I truly know the meaning of maturity and growing independent. I was fourteen then, born with a silver spoon, I was playful and took things for granted. I had this mindset of money being able to get you anything and that included independence.

After my fourteenth birthday, I realized that I should be independent and no longer depend solely on my parents. You may think that is the right thinking but that is wrong. My definition at that time was to go out on my own, no longer staying at home with my parents. I did not want to depend on them except for my source of money. I started loitering in arcade centers after school and my need for money grew tremendously.

I also thought with this source for money, I will get more popular and that is a part of growing independent. I thought they were true friends, but at that time, they were just eyeing my money. But I did not care at that time. All I wanted was fun and popularity, money was not a problem. My grades started deterioting like stock markets during economic downturn, but that did not affect me. My parents were worried about me, but they could not bear to cut my pocket money as I was their only child.

Only after that incident, I finally grew up. I could still remember clearly that series of events. It was just like any other day. I was again loitering in the gamin center with my so called group of friends. Just then, my phone started ringing. I was in the middle of a heated battle and I ignored it. However, the ringing continued and that started to get on my nerves. I looked and realized it was my mother calling. My friends asked me to turn my phone off. I switched it off, thinking nothing would happen to my mother. Little did I know I was wrong.

After finishing my gaming, I returned home. All looked normal as I opened the door. Only after stepping into the kitchen did I receive my greatest shock. My mother was lying on the floor, groaning in pain. I started to panic and called both my father and the ambulance. Within minutes, my mother was sent to the hospital. She was diagnosed with having a serious disease and may not be able to survive.

I started to regret my actions that I was not around just when my mother needed me. Not only did I learnt that money cannot buy good health, I learnt that growing independent does not mean getting out of your parents’ reach. I promised to be a filial son if my mother recovers and I will not mix with my “group of friends”.

Days past and still my mother’s condition did not get better. My father quitted his job to look after my mother. Lucky for us, my mother’s condition took a turn for the better. After that incident, I became a filial boy. Even though we were not as rich as we used to be, we led a peaceful like. I returned home after school everyday to look after my mother.

I finally learnt that true meaning of growing up. To be independent was not to depend on my parents but to look after them and not to get so much from them, rather to get them ourselves. I also learnt that true friends are not made from money and the best of friends will help you in times of need. Most importantly, I learnt that being filial was a part of growing up.

Saving Money by Spending Wisely (Summary)

Have you wondered how you will be able to earn money just by buying your daily necessities normally? You just have to buy your daily necessities in bulk. Firstly, shop for the best price and buy in quantities those items that you will use in tow years and invest in a food storage program. This method of buying things in bulk will not only allow you make a safe and profitable investment  in earning money when prices are rising, you will also have sufficient food to protect you and your family during an emergency while you plan your next move.

Saving Money by Spending Wisely (Commentary)

I opened my gate and saw my neighbor lugging a bag of “rubbish” home.  It was his routine again. I wondered why he must buy his daily necessities for a few months ahead and cramping his house just like one of a “rag and bone” man, unlike mine, I only buy my necessities when I need them. However, let us face facts; spending wisely is the key to saving money. Not only will you be able to save money during an economic downturn, you will also have sufficient food to protect your family during an emergency while you plan your next steps.

Shopping for things in bulk will allow you to save money during an economic downturn. By buying things in bulk which will not get eaten by mice or getting destroyed over a period of time, you will be able to save money during an economic downturn when prices are rising. An example will be Willard Michlin in his article “Saving Money by Spending Wisely”. In his life, he had incidents where he managed to earn money just by planning ahead. In the year 1971 where there was inflation, he bought metal rings for a 4 year supply for his father’s company. This allowed him to sell them at the current market price at a later date. In this way, he managed to earn money just by buying these things in bulk at a cheaper price, and sell them at a later date. Hence, by spending wisely and planning ahead, he not only managed to save money but also to earn money.

However, there could be a problem with buying things in bulk. Large amount of space, example a public storage place, will be needed to store the items that you bought, and thus other costs will be taken into account, such as rents. Rents will eat up your profit rates really fast and you may not even be saving money. Other problems will happen to your items when you buy them in bulk and this may cause a loss in money. When storing of food, there may be rats which will eat up your food storage. Spoilage may also occur when exposed to rain or moisture. Another problem will be the problem of storage. Things also change too fast and instead of prices rising, it may even result in prices dropping. Also, when buying clothing, people may change in size and thus too leads to wastage. Thus, all these different factors should be taken into account when buying things in bulk.

Another benefit of buying necessities in bulk is that you will still have sufficient food and daily necessities for you to survive during an emergency or during a natural disaster. This will give you time to plan your next move. An example will be Howard Ruff, a newsletter writer in the 1970’s. Even though the IRS shut down his store and attached all his bank accounts, he still had big food storage to feed his family of 13 while he planned his next move. He was able to do so without panicking. This was because he had all the daily necessities needed for survival. This big food storage could also come into benefit during disaster where all the supermarkets are closed; you still have enough food to tide you over. Thus, by buying things you need and investing in a food storage program, not only will you be able to save money, you will still be able to protect your family during an emergency.

So, invest in a food storage program by only buying things that you will use. By spending wisely, you will be able to make a profitable investment. Spending wisely and planning ahead for rainy days will allow you to save money and preparing yourself for emergencies. I am glad I did not laugh at my neighbor for acting like a “rag and bone” man, his method was efficient and now there is not one, but two “rag and bone” man living next to each other. You may be laughing at us right now for being stupid and acting like this, but when disaster strikes, we will see who will have the last laugh. 

WHY be good??

Have you ever wondered why people are being good to each other when there is no benefits? People are always trying to do good for a reason or another. Some says that its no harm being good, while others find it a kind of good deed. However, most people act out of their own conscience.

Firstly, people are willing to be good to each other due to reciprocation. According to the Golden Rule, "do onto others what you want others to do onto you", people do good hoping that the opposite party will help when they are in need. Even though you may not meet with such a situation in future, it does not take much effort to help someone in need. What's more, not only will you make the person happy, you too will have a much better day. This leads to the other point of helping people will make you feel better.

People help each other as it will make their day better. As it does not take much time to help someone, most people will offer a helping hand in times of need. You may also feel bad after leaving a person in the lurch when he needs help. You may regret your actions. Instead of feeling bad for a few days or weeks, people just offer a helping hand to make their day.

In conclusion, people do help each other not only for incentives but also for other reasons. So all in all, we should all help others when they are in times of neeed.

Amendment to the previous introduction of the introduction of the previous previous blog post.

Ever noticed the new changes in Orchard Road and wondered how much it was worth? People may not have noticed the change in Orchard Road but they are wrong. A $40 million makeover was created on Orchard Road in the month of March but they have not been noticed by shoppers. Many new changes including street lamps and nicer designs were implemented. What do shoppers now think of the "new" Orchard Road? Many shoppers noted that the facelift in Orchard Road was not useful as they were too small a change to be noticed or that these changes were not practical and not worth the $40 million.

Amendment to introduction of the previous blog post...

Orchard Road Facelift? (Introduction)

Ever noticed the new changes in Orchard Road and wondered how much it was worth? People may not have noticed the change in Orchard Road but they are wrong. A $40 million makeover was created on Orchard Road in the month of March but they have not been noticed by shoppers. Many new changes including street lamps and nicer designs were implemented. However, many shoppers noted that the facelift in Orchard Road was not useful as they were too small a change to be noticed or that these changes were not practical and not worth the $40 million.