3rd Presentation Response: Teens, Games, and Civics

3 Things I Learned
The first thing I learned in this video is that the majority of video games that kids play are not violent games.  This surprised me because when I think of kids playing video games I have this picture in my head of boys playing violent games that involve shooting people or blowing things up.  Actually, the most popular games that kids play involve music, sports, or racing.  The second thing I learned is that video games are highly social; before this class I have always assumed the opposite.  According to this research, 76% of gamers play socially, either with others in the room of with others online.  I wouldn't have thought that percent would be that high because I've always considered video games as something that is done individually.  The third thing I learned is that kids play anywhere from six to eight different genres of games.  This caught my attention because I would have thought kids would find one genre they liked and stick with that.  Its good that their gaming is so diverse.

2 Things I Agree/Disagree With
"90% of parents say they know what games their children are playing."  I disagree with this; this number seems high to me.  I think a lot of time video games and TV are used as babysitters and I don't think those parents really monitor what their kids are playing.  I think the percentage is so high because parents are embarrassed to say they don't monitor what their kids are playing; they don't want people to think bad of them.

"Negative/positive influence of video games depends on the game itself."  I agree with these parents; is does depend on what type of game the child is playing.  If they are playing really graphically violent video games, it could have a negative influence on the child.  They may think because they see it all the time that it is okay.  If the games they are playing are educational and give them the opportunity to solve problems and think critically, it could have a positive influence on them.  It teaches them to think in ways they might not have before.

1 Question I Have
What is modding and machinima?  I have never heard those words before and I was really confused by that slide.  I had to go and google the terms to find out what they mean.  I think it would be a good idea to include a slide in the presentation that explains those terms to the readers.