I give thanks to God who gave me the gift to write and to my wonderful students who make writing a complete joy. You are my sunshine and I always look forward to every class session with you.
Ms. Angela Lock
Introduction
The controversy continues about whether video gaming should be considered a sport and whether video gamers should be considered athletes. It is nearly impossible to separate the two. If you say that video gaming is a sport, then by logical conclusion, those who sit on the video console and play those games are athletic competitors. This has stirred up a big fire storm in the sports world and one conclusion or judgment may never be reached. We may have to retreat back to basic definitions and examine our traditional notions about what being an athlete really means. For example we might need to look at this definition: “An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” There is a certain amount of mental agility that is required and this must inevitably be built up after years and years of making this a part of your daily routine.
Would a person who sits on a video console for 12 hours, or sometimes more, a day be considered an athlete according to this definition? Some schools, like University of Kansas, have even gone so far as to grant athletic scholarships for e-sports athletes who show exceptional gaming abilities and skills. In terms of what is traditionally known as the characteristics of an athlete: they are usually a part of a team, they usually practice at least six hours a day, six days a week, and are coached by those who are considered professionals in this particular world. Consider this quote: "I think as it stands right now, the way e-sports is, I don’t think it completely fits into the Olympics," three-time world champion BMX competitor Sarah Walker said in an interview with Inside the Games. "The main difference for me is if I want to practice any Olympic discipline, if I want to try one of them, I actually have to go out and do it. I have to be active. Where gaming is right now, if I was inspired to be a gamer, my first step is to go home and sit on the couch."
As we are working on this assignment, remember that we are showcasing our skills at argumentative writing and not persuasive writing. Here is the difference:
Consider this question as you are doing your research. Why would video gamers want to be admitted into standing as a professional athlete? What are the possible benefits of this professional athlete distinction being placed upon their sport?
Task
There are several parts to this project that will count as a Common Assessment Grade for your second semester report card. We will start out with a few multimedia and text passages on this subject. Please click on the link to watch the video below:
For this video, answer the questions below on your own created Google document for this assignment.
Click on the following link to find out more about the inventor of the Rubik's cube:
https://fortune.com/2022/12/01/rubiks-cube-inventor-why-popular-after-decades/
1. Consider this quote from the text: “One of the main keys of the cube is the contradiction between complexity and simplicity,”
Which of the quotes below is the best meaning of the above quote?
a. The human mind needs things that are polar opposites of each other in order to best be properly exercised.
b. The success of the cube is driven mostly because the task of solving the cube is easy, yet hard at the same time.
c. The Rubik's cube has maintained its popularity because people love the challenge of solving a good puzzle.
d. The inventor of the Rubik's cube knew that hand/eye coordination would be necessary in addition to excellent problem solving skills.
2. According to this website recorded interview, with which of these statements would the Rubik's cube inventor agree and with which statements would they disagree?
a. Freedom is measurable with measurable goals established to keep it in our lives.
b. The human mind and the human body share the same need to be exercised at regular intervals.
c. The challenge of a task may also equal the reward of a task when it is completed.
d. A toy must be complex in order to give the person enjoyment and lasting benefits.
e. This inventor is dismayed that his toy has led to medical conditions for some of its most popular fans.
f. This cube can be linked to mathematics, science, technology, engineering and architecture.
g. Mind-bending puzzles, like the Rubik's cube, tend to exceed preference for video games with the present youthful generation.
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3. In the video Scrambled, the Rubik's cube is symbolic. A symbol is used to 'represent a meaning, idea or quality.' In the video and keeping in mind the message of the author, what three things might the Rubik's cube symbolize?
It might symbolize __________________, ____________________ or __________________________.
4. How do the feelings of the girl towards the Rubik's cube change throughout the course of the video?
a. At first the Rubik's cube scares her, then it is relished by her.
b. At first the Rubik's cube annoys her, then it is banished by her.
c. At first the Rubik's cube angers her, then it is treasured by her.
d. At first the Rubik's cube bothers her, then it is cherished by her.
4. According to the video, the author's intended audience was probably anyone (of any age) who allows their technology devices to interfere with those things clamoring for their attention that are shut out while they are 'busy' swiping across their screens. Write one paragraph about the message that the creator of this video might have intended when the girl from the video leaves the Rubik's cube on the train bench (as she boards the train), even though we hope in our hearts that somehow the train will stop and she will get off the train and take the Cube with her. (or) Write one paragraph about the message that the video writer might have intended when he allows the Rubik's cube to visit the next person who was rushing, but missed his train also. What was the message of the video creator in either of these two scenes of this short animated clip? (5 sentence requirement)
Process
We will now start building our case for our argumentative project:
Here are the links that we will use as evidence starting points for this project:
https://funtech.co.uk/latest/should-video-games-be-considered-a-sport
https://thegatorseye.com/3650/opinion/should-video-games-be-considered-a-sport/
https://videogamesarenotsports.weebly.com/why-it-should-not-be-a-sport.html
https://www.roundhillinvestments.com/research/esports/are-esports-really-sports
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We will use the following slideshow to organize our information (in place of the paper graphic organizer) that we used last time. In order to edit this slideshow you need to first (File-Make a Copy) and then to place text on the slide, you need to INSERT a textbox and just begin typing. Here is the Slideshow that will act as your digital graphic organizer as you explore and learn about this issue from the links above. If you run out of space on the slides provided, please feel free to click on the slide that you need an additional copy of (right click-and click on Duplicate Slide), and continue recording your researched information. These slides are the minimum information required for this project upon completion. Here is a copy of the slideshow that each student will use:
Once you have completely finished your research and have your Google Slideshow filled with facts displaying the notes you have taken from your reading, you are now ready to write your argumentative essay. Each essay will have the following parts:
Paragraph #1-This paragraph includes your hook and your claim for this argumentative essay. Remember that argumentative writing always comes down on one side of the issue, and it is an opinion essay, but backed by evidence and facts, therefore making it more convincing. The argumentative essay does not seek to persuade the reader, but allows the reader to make the decision about where they stand on the issue for themselves.
The claim should answer the following question: Should E-Gamers be given the standing as a professional sports athlete? There may be many benefits to gamers achieving this status: They could command higher salaries once they achieved professional status, they might be able to secure better sponsors and so have a constant source of income for endorsing certain products, they might be able to compete in the Olympics to etch their fame into the history books and achieve worldwide fame, they might gain recognition for their sport for which they have devoted hours of practice to refining and providing entertainment for themselves and others.
Paragraphs 2 and 3 are the paragraphs where you will present your most convincing evidence and writing. These should be 7-10 paragraphs in length each. Only one or two quotes in this area to support your point because most of this is your OWN explanation for the conclusions on this issue that you have decided from your research. Be careful on this part of the assignment that you do not allow the quotes to speak for you. Let the quotes fall in the backdrop and support your writing, rather than allowing them to BE your writing.
Paragraph 4 is extremely important because it is where you address the counterclaim of the issue. This takes great skill and allows you to step into the role of writer-lawyer. You branch out of your writing, peer over to the other side of the issue and address the counterclaim. A writer should never avoid the other side of an issue because it may show that the writer lacks confidence on their position or they may be timidly afraid that the evidence they are bringing may not be strong enough to withstand contradiction. This paragraph should be 5-7 sentences long with one quote and mostly (your own explanation).
Paragraph 5-is your conclusion. You cannot have written all of the above parts of your essay and short-change your conclusion. This is like the closing statement in a courtroom and is the last words that your readers will come away with after they finish reading your essay. You are now finished with using quotes and this is where you impress the jurors the most with your word choice and charming eloquence in your writing. What will you say either in defense or against the gamers who seek to obtain professional athletic status? This jury is still out on society's opinion, but this is a chance for you to make your own case and one day when you hear that this issue has underwent a change, you can say that I remember that one day, in 6th grade Language Arts, we worked on a writing project about that very issue.
*****Once your essay is finished, please turn it in under the Google Classroom icon for this assignment.
*****This assignment will count as a Common Assessment #2 Grade in the gradebook.
Evaluation
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ImcnvXsha1zeBqPUVhk6wRW8fJ82cMgTwHoLBG9V71M/edit?usp=share_link
Please refer to the link above for the writing rubric that will be used to grade this Common Assessment #2 assignment.
This assignment is due on Monday the 13th of February, 2023
Remember that once you are finished you will have three parts to this research project:
1. The Google Document that has the answers to the guided questions on the animated film 'Scrambled.'
2. The Google Slides that will contain all of your research in digital format.
3. The Google document that has your final essay (5-paragraphs) on Whether video e-gamers should be given the standing as professional athletes.
Conclusion
I want to thank you for participating in this WebQuest adventure. I always enjoy learning this way because it is self-paced and works on individual reading and comprehension skills. I welcome any feedback you would like to give on the setup of this assignment for this Language Arts course.
Credits
I would like to give credit to Alex Ellis and all my fellow teacher collaborators who helped me set-up and write the parameters of this project. I would also like to thank those authors who wrote the informative information on the websites that I selected.