Argumentative essay

Do online games bring any benefit? What do you think?

It is estimated that over 100 million people worldwide play

online games under such names as EverQuest, StarCraft and World
of Warcraft. As a result, the number of Internet cafes are sprouting
up everywhere to cater to the growing numbers of online gamers.
The pertinent question is whether online games do bring any benefit
to the gamers. I have my reservations. Online games are beneficial
but can cause harms to school going children who become addicted
to the games.
Online games have been severely criticized by parents because
gamers become addicted to the games and the consequences can be
very serious. The most common complaint is that the kid spends too
much time in front of the screen and becomes an anti-social recluse
with nothing or little to say to family and peers. They argue that
addiction to online games can have tragic consequences. A twenty-
eight year old man collapsed and died after playing StarCraft at an
Internet café for fifty hours straight. Desperate parents also claim
that the lure and effect of online games gave on young people are so
strong that they end up neglecting their studies and spending all
their pocket money on games that are easily available night and day
in Internet cafes.
However, I have my reservations. Online games are central to
the lives of many people and cannot be such a bad thing. Online
gaming allows players to play against other players across the
Internet. As such, gamers are not anti-socials. Players are logging into
a game environment where they meet people from different groups.
In online gaming, people act out experiences that may be impossible
in the real world. So, besides enjoying the games, young people get
the chance to develop important social skills because it has been
estimated that there could be thousands of people playing the same
game at the same time.
Online games are not all that bad because they provide an
avenue for gamers to escape from the real world into a fantasy
world. This is because many people feel powerless in society but in
online games, they are in control of armies, cities and of other
people. It does not matter that it is a virtual world as long as they can
find a place to have time to themselves. What a better place than to
a world with a gorgeous landscape and a scenic waterfall or to an
arena based on Norse mythology, depending on which games the
person is playing.
With creative graphics and sophisticated storylines, online
games give opportunities for learning and even fun. Some experts
think that exposing toddlers to online games for short durations of
five to ten minutes can improve their hand-eye coordination,
problem solving and recognition of sounds, shapes and colours.
Older online gamers are actually learning skills that will benefit them
later in life. There is role play and emphasis on character
development in games such as Runne WarCraft and EverQuest. The
Complexity of these games is creativity itself. Counter-strike is a
platform for human beings to perform in a mock combat setting.
There is creative game talk consisting of jokes, irony and word play
and map creations to name a few things. There is also opportunity
for gamers to be in control of online clans, learn important skills
such as management, funding and recruitment. The roles they
perform are no less challenging than those played by entrepreneurs
in real life.
Therefore, online games are not bad; in fact they are beneficial.
Besides being enjoyable, the games offer young people the chance to
develop important social and cultural skills. Online gaming cannot be
all that bad if not played to excesses.
 Should schoolchildren be allowed to work during the holidays?
It is common to see schoolchildren heading to the
supermarkets, fast-food joints, companies and even private clinics to
look for work as soon as the December holiday approaches. In fact,
some of these children find work during every break in the school
calendar. The question that arises is whether we should allow these
children to work. Letting schoolchildren work has its pros and cons. I
am not in favour of schoolchildren working during the holidays for
they may lsoe interest in their studies, the holidays are a time to take
a break from the normal school routine and to avoid labour
exploitation by employers who may underpay them.
Having tasted the working life outside , some children may
prematurely lose interest in their studies when it is time to go back
to school. We have heard of students who end their studies abruptly
to go into full employment for several reasons. The working world
outside appears to be more attractive to their simple minds because
there is the pay to look forward to at the end of the month and
money to spend the whole month. Short-sighted children desire
immediate gratification and what are long term visions to them?
They are too far way to bother them at this point in time. Therefore,
it is not surprising that many children who have worked during the
holidays , drop out to work full time or continue to work part-time
after that, without the knowledge of parents or teachers.
Children should not be encouraged to work during the holidays
because they deserve a break themselves. More often than not,
wages earned during vacation work is spent on designer items that
they have been eyeing for a long time and they are unable to get
their parents to buy for them. This is definitely a frivolous reason for
slogging away one’s holidays waiting at tables or taking orders at a
takeaway. They deserve the good rest or they might as well help in
the household chores. Besides, there are other alternatives as to
what they can do during the holidays. They can sign up for a camp or
take up a computer course. Some proponents of holiday jobs argue
that they can learn good values from the workplace. However, there
is always a time for everything. Good values can also be picked up by
helping at home, interacting with people at a camp or a workshop.
Children should not be encouraged to take up a holiday work
for the simple reason that they might be overworked and exploited.
Some employers underpay them as these students could be post PT3
students or pre SPM students waiting for their results. Take for
instance, part-time work in a fast-food outlet. A worker would have
to be on his or her feet for long hours. Take another instance of part-
time work in a hypermarket as a sales personnel. The work,
promoting some brand of shampoo or perfume is not an easy one
because they have to stand long hours, entertain all who walk in with
or without the intention to buy. Sometimes, they become the object
of snide remarks, unwanted advances and tasteless jokes that might
strip them of their dignity. One can think of countless other types of
jobs these young part-timers are taking, but they are never easy,
physically or psychologically.
As such, children should not be encouraged to work during
their holidays. Let them enjoy their holidays, take a break from
responsibilities. In no time, they will be adults and when the time
comes, there will be no end to working.