“Should Gamers be Prosecuted for Virtual Stealing?” By Alex Weiss Textual Analysis
Alex Weiss, a graduate from Arizona State University, wrote this essay on virtual theft for his Work and Play in Contemporary Fiction/Digital Media class. It was later published in the online magazine Slate (Bullock and Goggin 731). Weiss is clearly an educated writer, but refrains from fairly acknowledging the other side of his argument: that gamers should not be prosecuted for virtual theft.
The title of his argument, “Should Gamers be Prosecuted for Virtual Stealing?”, immediately draws the reader. At first glance, the reader might think he means stealing real economic money via the internet. To that question, many would say no. However, that is not what Weiss …show more content…
He spends enough time explaining them so that the reader does not feel excluded or lost on the subject. As well as effectively explaining unknown terms, he brings the reader in by having a very inviting and friendly tone. This successfully makes the reader feel good and want to read Weiss’s work.
Weiss provides insight to his personal experience in dealing with virtual theft. He spent a large sum of time in his teenage years submerged in an online video game known as EVO. He uses his past to shed light on his belief that virtual theft is simply part of online games. In fact, Evo actually supported in-game theft (732) He was often the offender in these scenarios and states, “A few years ago, I could have been one of those pirates.” (733) He mentions many forms of his own thievery such as: fake investments, corporation thievery, pretending to be a girl in e-relationships, etc.
He appeals to the reader by sharing his own story and providing an emotional connection. There is essentially no common ground being made between himself and the reader as it is such a narrow subject making it difficult to establish any relatability. However, the connection made via his past is enough to keep the reader intrigued and curious to Weiss’s
Alex Weiss, a graduate from Arizona State University, wrote this essay on virtual theft for his Work and Play in Contemporary Fiction/Digital Media class. It was later published in the online magazine Slate (Bullock and Goggin 731). Weiss is clearly an educated writer, but refrains from fairly acknowledging the other side of his argument: that gamers should not be prosecuted for virtual theft.
The title of his argument, “Should Gamers be Prosecuted for Virtual Stealing?”, immediately draws the reader. At first glance, the reader might think he means stealing real economic money via the internet. To that question, many would say no. However, that is not what Weiss …show more content…
He spends enough time explaining them so that the reader does not feel excluded or lost on the subject. As well as effectively explaining unknown terms, he brings the reader in by having a very inviting and friendly tone. This successfully makes the reader feel good and want to read Weiss’s work.
Weiss provides insight to his personal experience in dealing with virtual theft. He spent a large sum of time in his teenage years submerged in an online video game known as EVO. He uses his past to shed light on his belief that virtual theft is simply part of online games. In fact, Evo actually supported in-game theft (732) He was often the offender in these scenarios and states, “A few years ago, I could have been one of those pirates.” (733) He mentions many forms of his own thievery such as: fake investments, corporation thievery, pretending to be a girl in e-relationships, etc.
He appeals to the reader by sharing his own story and providing an emotional connection. There is essentially no common ground being made between himself and the reader as it is such a narrow subject making it difficult to establish any relatability. However, the connection made via his past is enough to keep the reader intrigued and curious to Weiss’s