The Corrupted and Distorted Society Games Could Lead To

Dear Parents of Gamers

Video games; a game of intelligence, intellectuality, and strategy. Also a game of violence, ferociousness, and peril. Or maybe it's a neutral zone of which the danger and the entertainment merge with blurred lines. Video games, both violent and not, are means of escape. They allow for players to find the zone of freedom. However, if anything, violent video games are perilous and will lead to a corrupted and distorted society if nothing is done.

Gaming is a time-consuming activity designed to be addictive and make you never leave the game. Most spend hours upon hours playing video games leaving responsibilities behind and molding into a virtual character. "It's kind of hard not to make a connection (between games and the Navy Yard Shooting) when you hear (the shooter's) friend saying that he would watch on a life size screen these violent video games for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours," says Mika Brezinski of the Morning Joe relating to the shooting of Navy Yard. Though there isn't a real scientific explanation, researchers and scientists alike agree that the connection from violent video games to real life violence cannot be ignored. Video games are a great form of distraction but where is the line, the boundary, that marks how much is too much to affect someone's actions?

Games create huge platforms of all people gathering to play a certain game and to achieve a certain goal. The thing about is that games they are designed to be a lively activity and make you want to pursue certain goals within the game. "They're all described as essentially being addicted to video games," says Steve Doocy when describing the numerous shootings in America. In addition, Erik Kain writes "... countless millions more who have been playing violent games for years." describing the link of GTAV and the violent shooting. He continues saying that though violent games don't make people want to shoot but, an excess amount of time will definitely change one's attitude and actions. The amount of time one would have to play so that they think differently and act differently could range from short to long. In that case, not only does gaming become time-consuming activity but it diverts a way of thinking and drive for different actions.

Though some may argue gaming, more focused on violent ones, could enhance one's ability to process information and plan effective strategies, the clear consumption of time and the negative impacts it has on one's life is unavoidable. "Playing the games can and does stir hostile urges and mildly aggressive behavior in the short term. Moreover, youngsters who develop a gaming habit can become slightly more aggressive," writes Benedict Carey, the writer of The New York Times article, Shooting in the Dark. This is the result of a number of research and studies showing that games, specifically violent, changes the personality and attitude towards others. It diverts the attention to a negative one, make certain players act violently and not realize the consequences of those actions. Taken as a whole, there are other ways to enhance information processing and plan effective strategies without ending in violence.

If the society that you want is one where decisions are driven by violent knowledge and the actions taken are negative, then we can continue to be like this; ignorant and uninformed. However, if you want the better future, a better society, a better community, we have the power to change that. What are we doing here if we are all going to walk out without a single inkling or a notion that this is a problem, a problem we need to fix. Our society doesn’t need to be violent but we’re slowly letting it. We don’t want our children and future generations to live in a peril and corrupted society where violence is not taken seriously. Gaming does and will have a negative affect to the future. We were not born to be violent. We were born to be exquisite human beings, unyielding to the violence around us. So I ask you, today, tomorrow and many years in the future, what is it that you want to happen with our society. What will you do to change the seemingly distorted and corrupted future that is to come. 

By Seika

Say No to Pressure

Picture a student that’s sitting or standing but look at their facial expression. It’s full of tiresome, stress and their shoulders are tired of carrying the weight of expectation set by others, parents and themselves. On the other hand think about that one person who is excited to go to school after the long summer break. Who would you rather be? Which do you think is the better way to face school?

“Most parents say the grade doesn’t matter, it’ s all about the effort but it’s not true because when you get a bad grade they never ask about the effort.” said Kiana a student from 8JRa. Most would probably agree with her as some have experienced it and know the agitation of those hypocritical words.

In a society where people are constantly consumed by jobs and work and the measure of your success is the key to any further success, grades seem to matter a great deal to students. However in Middle School do the grades really matter or is it the added pressure of something else? Perhaps maybe the whirlwinds of other people’s success, A’s and 7’s, or is it the competition? Maybe the future you is telling you that the things you do now are going to majorly affect your future. Have you experience any of these things?

Mr. Raisdana, and English teacher in UWCSEA and a parent, stated that pressure should be low for students. “My daughter says that if someone is doing something good, she has to do it the same or better. I don’t know where the pressure is coming from...” and who really does? Is pressure this invisible object that is held and dragged through life with a string that can only loosen or tighten but never be cut?

Even though Mr. Raisdana says that he doesn’t think that pressure is a good way to get his child and students working, as a teacher it’s his job to set deadlines to students and sometimes it is necessary to pressure them because things need to be done so that the student and the rest of the class can continue going forward.

Starting from a young age it is inevitable that you will compete, whether it’s the game of tag or who’s the teacher’s favorite, but there is competition the minute you step out into the world and you figure out that there are other people around you. In most schools grades and report cards are given out in the first grade. Aditi, a grade 8 Student of 8JRa says “There is pressure from the first report card. Your parents see it and you automatically think you have to keep it up or do better in the future.” so is it not such a good idea that report cards are given out to students and their hopeful parents at such an early age?

Needless to say that there is a very large amount of students that feel a lot of pressure coming from their parents but it is definitely not the only source of pressure. A lot of pressure also comes from ourselves. In such a crazy world where you already have pressure that is out of your control, why would you add more to yourself?

Mrs.Weima, a councillor in UWCSEA East, says “A certain amount of pressure could be helpful as students are still developing and their parents are there to guide them. Sometimes parents put pressure because they want to help them get to where they need to go. A lot of the times we don’t feel like doing something like homework but a lot of the times Grade 12 students will come back and be thankful for the pressure their parents gave them.” So the pressure that many students find stressful coming from their family is coming from a good place but sometimes it can get overwhelming. Your parents expect lots from you. You don’t want to let them down but you have other priorities. There comes a time when you don’t want to go to school and learning is a pain in the butt but this is a guide for you and it will help you in the future. 

A survey was done that asked 21 students of 8th grade what they thought of when the word pressure was said. Answers included stress, forcing them to do things they don’t want to do, homework and expectations. These words don’t necessarily have a good name to them. The result is a reflection on what this word means to students and how it affects them. Parents and teachers, maybe this is something you might want to think about?

According to Northern Illinois University’s Department of Education, children are more likely to suffer from self-esteem issues and confidence problems if they feel that the parental pressure is too strong. Also if the child experiences too much pressure they might not get adequate sleep affecting their mood and the way they learn. With such expectations and pressure from parents, it could lead to the students cheating or going to caffeinated drink to keep them awake and alert which is not healthy. Adding on Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth says that you should stay away from pushing them too hard on a test but rather encourage them to learn from their test, whether a bad or good grade, so that it becomes a learning experience for both parties.

A lot of parental pressure can be solved if the parents would maybe sit down and talk to their child. Ask them questions like ‘Are you feeling stressed? Pressured? Overworked?’ and you might find yourself getting closer to your child at the same time being a supportive parent that knows how to balance fun with academics. Peer pressure is an inevitable kind of pressure that is mainly out of your control. A lot of the times it will be small things without such a large consequence but make sure to train your brain to know that ‘Yes, I am being peer pressured now. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?’ and make your decision as an independent teen and you can learn from these experiences too. There’s one thing you can control and it’s the pressure you are putting on yourself. When you live in a world where there is so much pressure on you already, why would you put more on yourself? Take a deep breath and pause and realize that sometimes what you are pressuring yourself to do is useless and not the best way to go about things. 

Written by Seika

Plastics, Asians, Nerds and Geeks

As you enter the cafeteria of UWCSEA East during lunch time, you’ll hear screaming and shouting. You’ll see students running around and laughing. Picture sun rays beaming down towards the tent plaza and the rapid movement of people’s shadows. Listen to the chatter of students going about their day and later lessons. Breathe the air of the hundred sweaty students and welcome to UWCSEA East Zoo. Every friendship has its own cage for protection but also as a way to keep people in. The cage gets bigger when newbies come in. The cages move closer together as the lessons go by but they are never merged and when they are, bad things are bound to happen.

I’ve started to pay more and more attention to labels and stereotypes after watching the movie Mean Girls. I can tell you straight away the names of the Plastics in the school or the names of the Best People You Will Ever Meet. This is because we have given names to these people. Keeping animals in cages is never the right thing to do because we’re supposed to be able to roam free and interact with other animals even when the risks are high but when it’s about humans, circumstances tend to change. Anyone that tries too hard to fit in won’t as people become judgmental about your every move as if you are being hunted by your predator.

A lesson that I’ve learnt just by going to lunch is how separated we are. In classes we are forced to be with someone for group works. This by no means will determine that you are going to speak to them outside of class. Just looking at the canteen you’ll easily spot the Asian, Nerds, Geeks, Popular People etc… Within these groups it seems that everyone in them has the same interests or get the same grades. Is that how we want our school communities to be like? Living as if our friendship groups are cages? Not being able to be a confident individual?

Mean Girls isn’t the source of influence to stereotypes and labels. You may not have realized, or you may have, but Divergent, the popular book in a trilogy, has their citizens divided into factions. These factions are separating the stereotypes from the beginning of their life. Ultimately, they do get to choose which ‘label’ and ‘stereotype’ they want to be in, though in the book these labels are called factions. There is a test to see which faction you belong in, almost like the permission that you can sit with a certain friendship group. Once you do choose which faction you want to be in, you must prove yourself. This system that is introduced in the book has actually been going for a long time. Needless to say most, if not all, of us have experienced some type of neglection from a certain group of people.

Mr.Raisdana, an English teacher in UWCSEA East, said “ People often joke with me when I have a beard, that I look like a terrorist. It makes me feel bad. They are not aware enough that a comment like that makes them appear ignorant and unkind. Also, they don’t know me enough to know that something like that might bother me.” Jasmine, a student of 8JRa, said “ People often say that I’m smart and when I don’t get 6’s or 7’s their reaction is just “I thought you were smart though.” and it really puts pressure on me.” Jasmine also remarked “Being labeled ‘Asian’ gives me the pressure that I have to be smart and get good grades.”

Although some may only be joking when they are calling somebody by a label and don’t mean to hurt anybody, it has the great potential that it will. Some people automatically categorize Asians as the smart kids when in all reality we start of the same. Just with different cultural backgrounds it ranges. Labelling someone is hurtful and insensitive. By labelling them you are telling them that you belong to this group of people and you should stay there. Within that group of people there might be expectations.

According to simplepsychology.org, stereotypes makes us ignore the differences between individuals therefore what we might think things about people that are probably not true. Stereotypes lead to social categorization, which is one of the reasons for prejudice attitudes.
So the next time you are about to judge somebody and stereotype them, remember this article. Stereotypes and labels are hurtful to people even when it doesn’t seem like it is. Catch yourself before you categorize people and judge them as you probably don’t know them well enough and grouping people never quite gets you as many friends.

Written by Seika

The YouTube Internet Bug

It was a typical Thursday morning right before mentor time. As students start to arrive at school, the friendship groups become obvious. There were a group of girl sitting near the escalator at UWCSEA East deeply focused on their phone screens. This is not surprising for this generation anymore. They were intently watching the latest YouTube video that their favorite YouTuber has posted ignoring their friends surrounding not even stopping to say hi or have a simple morning conversation. The girls choose to invest their time in watching videos that have little purpose but also have entertainment values instead of talking to friends sitting right beside them.

Morning, for the group of girls by the escalator, have become the time to watch the most recent video by a YouTuber. Whether its PewDiePie, Tyler Oakley, Joe Sugg or Zoella, there’s an infinitive cycle of new videos to keep them entertained every morning before class. This routine has become a daily habit for them and possibly for many more. Just a few years ago there were actual conversations with your friends instead of the semi-quiet environment that is produced because there are no exciting talks about what happened just yesterday.

As a girl arrives at school, she goes up to her friend and sits down beside her. She asks “What are you watching?” the friend replies without removing eye contact from her phone “Tyler Oakley’s new video. It’s so funny!” The girl nodded and went to her phone to watch the exact same video. After the video ends, the girls stand up to go up to their classes with their friends discussing about the video and many more to come. Is that what we want our future conversations to be made out of?

It seems as if we are connecting invisibly through the internet. Now people are competing for the number of followers on Instagram, friends on Facebook and subscribers on YouTube. The new video is the new talk for these girls every morning now whereas it used to be about subjects in school or something interesting that has happened.

Though the internet has brought people together, it has significantly brought people apart. Everything on the internet has a learning purpose no matter how big, small, meaningful or not. YouTube has become a bookmarked page to lots and it has swimmed it’s way from the occasional video to a morning routine.

Is technology a barrier to deeper conversations, or is it the start? Though it has helped students to gain more information and adults to succeed further, has it shaped our world too much? This is not the first article to say this but it is a great reminder to how much people should appreciate technology but at the same time people should be aware of how much time they spend on the internet. 

Written by Seika