A Rhetorical Analysis Of Guns And Games By John Glynn

In his article, “Guns and Games,” John Glynn argues that people have incorrect beliefs about video games because the media blames them for the acts of violence happening in the United States. He shows the cognitive, motivational, and emotional benefits that come from playing these games. He also tells the reader that the media should be blaming the violence on the situation with guns in this country instead of the “scapegoat,” video games. His argument is very effective at convincing the readers that his argument is credible. He has many of the requirements for an effective argument, such as his authoritative and emotional tone, credible sources and evidence, and having a counterargument. Glynn arranges most of his article in chronological order and goes by sequence. He starts by with the cognitive benefits and then motivational and emotional benefits. In his argument proving the cognitive benefits, he includes evidence from a meta-analysis that shows the players spatial skills improve after playing. He uses credible evidence from a study that used a functional MRI to show that gamers were better at controlling their attention and making fast decisions because of their experience doing this in the video games. He also uses Steve Johnson’s book, In Everything Bad Is Good For You to prove that since …show more content…
Most people believe that gaming is very isolating, but in these more modern games, Steven Johnson also shows that they build social relationships and teamwork. Glynn also discusses the players’ moral behavior. Most people think that playing these violent games would decrease their moral code in real life, but research shows it is actually the opposite. Research from Professor Matthew Grizzard of the University of Buffalo suggests that behaving immorally in a virtual environment can increase their sensitivity toward the moral ethics they