Activity and health monitoring

Essay 2 Prompt
In “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr argues that the internet is influencing how we acquire knowledge and consume media. Specifically, Carr suggests that we may be losing the facility for “deep reading,” as tools like Google reduce the effort needed to find information. Carr compared more traditional—non-internet—reading to the new, dominant mode of consumption: “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet ski” (2). In 3-4 pages, choose a (very specific) form of technology (not the internet or Google or cellphones) and argue for its unintended consequences.
Rough draft: at least 2 pages.
Final draft: must be at least 3full pages or it will not be graded.
Essay must use correct MLA format, and should include a Works Cited page with references used in the essay.
Do not use first or second person.

Professor Berzak
Just One More Game
“Good Game!” children and adults say as they finally turn off the video game just to
realize it’s now 2am and they wasted a time in their life they will never get back. A lot of the
time leaving people restless and stressed by avoiding the real responsibilities they have in life.
Video games was an invention created by technology with the intention to bring joy and a break
from the reality of life. However, it left the world with some negative consequences as well.
Video games is a form of technology that has led to unintended consequences such as, affects
towards people’s physical health, social health, and privacy issues.
When playing video games, it can cause many physical health issues like fatigue, which
happens because the eyes are constantly changing focus, making the eyes very tired. Looking at
the screen for so long and concentrating so much on one thing strains your eyes which can give
major migraines. Gaming has become such an addiction that kids are being sleep deprived
because they play all night instead of getting a good night sleep, this leads to bad hygiene
(Psychguide.) People who play video games a lot can also develop long term affects like carpel
tunnel; this is when you lose strength in the hand, and it becomes numb. Creators of early video
games did not predict long term playtime and never thought holding a mouse or controller could
cause damage to nerves in the hand (Health Harvard.)
Nobody could anticipate that video games would have so many physical effects on the
body but what about the social health of kids. People who get addicted to video games tend to
run into the situation to interact with the real world or stay in the virtual one, unfortunately, the
real one usually doesn’t win. This causes kids to miss out on important events with family or
friends. Most of the time kids isolate themselves to spend more time playing games. This causes
kids to grow up with social problems and anxiety in certain situations which makes them unable
to communicate properly in person. Research shows that Alexithymia is the inability to
determine one’s inner emotional state. Most gamers are Alexithymia because of the way video
games suppress our emotions and affect our mental health (Healthy gamer). Video games are not
evil by nature. They do not necessarily cause anxiety or depression. However, video game
addiction can certainly make these issues worse.
Technology has its pros and cons like everything in life. Videos games is a very powerful
amazing tool that allows us to chat with people all over the world. However, the con is that it can
be very dangerous if people are not careful. Video games lead to many privacy issues in people’s
lives. There are people of all ages playing video games starting from age 5. It is important kids
and adults don’t tell other gamers where they live as they don’t always know who they are
talking to. Videos games such as Pokémon Go track your location which can lead to scary
consequences if brought into the wrong hands. If you have unsecured Wi-Fi, your login
credentials or any credit card information you have on the game can be leaked (ProtonVPN.) It is
extremely important to take all the precautions when playing a video game such as, going on
privacy settings to maximize the privacy and turning on two-factor authentication. If you are a
parent, it is important to talk to your children, so they are aware and always be careful in what
they say in chat or on the microphone.
Gaming can be fun and a great social activity with benefits as well. The skills obtained
from gaming is quick thinking, great decision making, research skills in understanding how to
beat a game. However, like everything in life moderation is the key. It is important gamers know
the side effects of gaming so they could take the necessary action needed to prevent its
consequences such as taking breaks, eating healthy snacks, and stretching. Gamers can try the
20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, try to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Even
though gaming has a lot of bad side effects, the way our technology is today and how this
generation works, people could make a very successful career from it. Famous streamers like
Nickmercs and Drlupo make millions a year playing video games and doing what they love.
As expressed, video games have unanticipated consequences such as negative effects
towards physical health, social health, and privacy issues. If video games are your only source of
joy and relaxation, it’s probably best if you throw them away. Studies show that face-to-face
human interaction is more likely to reduce depression than online chat (The Signal). Most people
who are addicted to computer games have high heart rate and blood pressure due to too much
excitement and stress. Pete Cashmore said, “Privacy is dead, and social media holds the smoking
gun.” Not everybody will experience these issues, but statistics show that 2 billion people play
video games globally and around 10 percent have a gaming related disorder (Healthy gamer.)
The creators of video games could never predict how much it would grow to impact the world
and the people who live in it, negatively and positively.
Work Cited
“9 Ways Your Online Gaming Privacy May Be at Risk.” ProtonVPN Blog, 20 Aug. 2021,
https://protonvpn.com/blog/online-gaming-privacy/.
Peter Grinspoon, MD. “The Health Effects of Too Much Gaming.” Harvard Health, 22 Dec.
2020, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-health-effects-of-too-much-gaming-
2020122221645.
“Video Game Addiction Symptoms, Causes and Effects.” PsychGuides.com,
https://www.psychguides.com/behavioral-disorders/video-game-addiction/.
“Video Games and Mental Health Explained.” Healthy Gamer,
https://www.healthygamer.gg/blog/video-games-and-mental-health-explained.

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