Just A Game-Revised

This is a revision of my previous post of Just A Game.

I read Just A Game in the August 2009 Ensign. This article details some of the rising issues brought about by the online gaming genre. This article was written by Charles D. Knutson of Brigham Young University Computer Science Department, and Kyle K. Oswald from LDS Family Services. I think a natural ethos occurs when a reader sees the qualifications of these two men listed at the beginning of the article. When referring to video game addiction and its effects on family, most people will generally think that someone from the BYU computer science department is an authority. The same is true of someone who works in LDS family services in regards to the effects of any addiction on the family.

The authors make another good ethos appeal to their audience at the end of paragraph five: "We hope that the explanations, suggestions, and prophetic counsel included in this article may be helpful to individuals and families as they seek the guidance of the Spirit in finding balance in their lives." In this sentence, most readers will gain a sense of the authors' concern for them personally. They use the word "hope" to give positive connotation and convey their concerns in a way that seems parental and caring. Next they identify their rhetoric as "explanations (and) suggestions" versus criticism, and finally throw in "prophetic counsel" as a fail-safe to any who would challenge their position. Prophetic counsel is in the upper echelon of ethos appeals to an LDS audience.

There are several stories given in the article about individuals dropping out of school, neglecting responsibilities, and straining family relationships as a result of playing video games. The authors mention David A. Bednar recently addressing the world of virtual reality in a CES fireside. He addressed the subject as having "both immediate and eternal implications". This does two things for the audience in this article. From a kairos standpoint, it shows that the LDS leadership is currently concerned with this problem. Secondly, referring to a specific "prophetic counsel" builds even more ethos for the authors. They do this again in the next paragraph, including a significant segment from M. Russell Ballard's article in the July 2004 Ensign, "Be Strong in the Lord".

Why the sudden interest in virtual reality in the LDS church leadership? Primarily, subscriptions to these online games is higher today than ever before. The brethren have obviously seen a need to address this issue, as we are now in a day where a person can access the internet from just about anywhere. People all over the world and even in the LDS church are being lured into spending much of their time in virtual reality. The timing of these messages from the leadership of the Church is most likely an attempt to stem the assault on its members before the problem gets out of hand.

I noticed that this article was released in the August issue. I suspect that this was done to coincide with students returning to school this fall. Reminding students to prioritize their studies and curricular activities, and to be aware of the ever-present distractions offered by the internet is an attempt at preventative maintenance. Hopefully, it will be successful to at least a small degree.

I think that the article accomplishes its goal for the most part, but I would have changed the timing of the headings within the online version. This was done effectively in the magazine by placing the "Am I Addicted" heading as an insert prior to the solution "Where Can I Find Spiritual Help and Hope". I think that those who read the online version would have been better served this way. Obviously, if a person reading this article is not addicted, then they don't really need to find spiritual help and hope regarding said addiction. With this adjustment, Elder Ballard's statements are better positioned to persuade those in denial to re-analyze their gaming habit with a more eternal perspective.

Per some comments from my esteemed mentor James Goldberg, I feel that I should comment on the effects that the visual presentation of this article in the print version had on its ethos. Sadly, after establishing good credibility for themselves through the aforementioned means, the authors' ethos is denigrated by the poor quality of the accompanying graphics. The artwork is unattractive, cartoon-ish, and altogether unappealing. The computer monitor taking the form of a ravenous monster devouring the family is a bit extreme. In fact, the premise of the artwork has the computer as the source of treachery instead of the individual, and this somewhat undermines the spirit of the article.