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Ryan ONeill

Professor Griffin

SLCC English 1010

May 7, 2017

Are Video Games Comparable to Illegal Drugs?

Have you ever been yelled at or seen someone yelled at by their parents because they

play video games too much? Have you ever heard a grandparent tell their grandchildren they are

addicted to their devices and those little devices control their lives? Most people would say that

someone they know has mentioned video games being addictive.

An editorial written by Christopher J Ferguson and Patrick Markey called Video Games

Arent Addictive, is a piece written on how addictive video games really are. It was published in

The New York Times on April 1, 2017. Both of these authors are professors of psychology at very

prestigious schools and wrote a book together called Mortal Combat: Why the War on Video

Games is Wrong. Both writers are very credible sources and very well qualified in talking about

this subject matter. Ferguson and Markey really feel that video games dont deserve the

reputation that they have and they prove it in the article. They declare that video games arent

addictive and they are more of a leisurely activity for people to do after they have had a long day

and just want to relax. The authors use empirical evidence, claims of fact, and diction and tone to

perfectly persuade the audience for whom this article is aimed towards.

Ferguson and Markey begin their article by referencing the researchers who claim that

video games are comparable to illegal drugs. They say that they are referred to as digital heroin
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which is powerful enough to open up anyones eyes. The authors quickly shut down this

assumption and claim that while video games might be a waste of time, they do not damage or

disrupt peoples lives in the way that substance abuse may.

The authors then begin to say why video games arent addictive and back it up with some

evidence that a first grader could understand. The big thing that scares many people about video

games, is that the areas of the brain that are associated with the pleasures of video games, are the

same areas of the brain that are associated with the pleasures of drug use. This is something that

people read and then dont care to look any further. What Ferguson and Markey then add, is that

these areas of the brain are also associated with just about any pleasurable activity. The amount

of dopamine released in these activities differ and that is where you see the data start to unfold.

The amount of dopamine released while playing video games is roughly the same amount as

when you eat a slice of pizza. While doing the serious drugs talked about earlier, releases 10

times that or more dopamine.

The authors use empirical evidence as a rhetorical strategy to help prove his point.

Empirical evidence is information backed by scientific based research. They use this data on

dopamine release to allow someone to see logically that playing video games isnt harmful at all.

With this data, you can see that saying video games are addictive is comparable to having pizza

every Sunday night as a family tradition is a terrible addiction because of the amount of

dopamine released every time you take a delicious bite of pizza. They compare the subject matter

being discussed to that of something that every family in America does on a monthly basis. It

helps prove that the fact that a pleasurable activity involves dopamine release tells us

nothing else about it.

The authors then explain how they used the American Psychiatric Associations own
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metrics for diagnosing a psychiatric disorder and they found that only 1% of video gamers might

exhibit characteristics of an addiction. Again, they are using empirical evidence to show the

audience that even the APAs (American Psychiatric Association) own system only puts the

smallest amount of gamers under the category of being addicted. A website shows that there are

1.8 billion gamers worldwide. With that insanely large number, the amount that are considered

addicted is really small in the whole scheme of things. This statistic really shows that every

parent that has a gamer child cannot yell at them and say that they spend to much time playing

video games and are addicted. The authors really effectively point this out to the readers and it

does very well in aiding to the thesis of the editorial.

Another rhetorical strategy the authors use is claims of fact. Claims of fact is when a

writer tries to convince an audience that something is true. They use this when he starts to claim

that treating gaming as an addiction in turn pathologizes relatively normal behavior. They state

that everyone has something they do when they have a bad day. They follow with If X is

methamphetamine, thats a worrisome choice But if X is playing video games, how is that any

different from unwinding after work by knitting, watching sports, or playing bridge. The

strategy used here is really strong in allowing people to see the point trying to be made. They

show that video games is just a mere hobby and in no way should be called an addiction. It is

something people want to do after a bad day and unless you are going to start having watching

sports addictions and knitting addictions, then in no way should there be a video game addiction.

Ferguson and Markey close the essay by using a logical diction and tone rhetorical

strategy. They say that even though there really is no evidence for video addiction, you still have

to be smart and balance the time you spend on technology with time you need for the

responsibilities you have in real life. In addition, they state that indulging in panic about
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technology or nostalgia for a better past that never existed does us no good. They use tone and

diction here because they really speak their opinions in this section and let people know their

views on the topic.

All in all, Ferguson and Markey did a great job in persuading the audience. They laid out

their ideas in a fashion that continued to build on each other and really allowed the readers to see

the point that they wanted to get across. The authors dont say the material in a manner that is

one sided, they talk about the other side of the argument and then are able to provide data and

information that shows why the other side isnt quite right. The piece was wonderful at utilizing

Aristotles rhetorical triangle as well. Ferguson and Markey made sure to touch on all three

points of the triangle. They touched on logos by explaining video games compared to the drug

reference which allowed everyone to see that the pieces that compare video games to drugs just

dont make any logical sense. They used pathos by attempting to persuade people away from

thinking video games is this sick addiction that ruins people's lives. And lastly ethos was shown

at the end of the article when it talked about who the authors were and what they have written

before writing this article.

In conclusion, Ferguson and Markeys piece, Video Games Arent Addictive is a

brilliant piece that perfectly proves that video games arent as detrimental as everyone says. They

prove that the so called addiction to video games can hardly be called a disease and even the

people who mightve shown traits of being addicted showed no negative outcomes from their

addiction. They are very passionate about the subject at hand and showed that in their overall

tone of the essay. It was a very effective editorial and proved to many readers that video games

shouldnt be viewed the way they are.

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