Research/Audience Assignment

New York Times Opinion Article

Title: Video Games Or Another Part Of Life !?
By: Moises Bautista

Video games have cultivated many people’s creative thought process in more ways than one. For as long as I can remember, video games have been a major part of me and how I view certain aspects of my life. My curiosity began with the introduction of Nintendo(Video game company), by my older siblings, and their willingness to be unlike others when it comes to innovating video games and defining the word “fun” for people such as myself.
This year, The World Health Organization(W.H.O) authoritatively added another confusion to the area on substance use and addictive practices in the most recent variant of the International Classification of Diseases referred to as “Gaming disorder”. This highly controversial diagnosis has sparked a debate among gamers and the gaming industry in general.
Parents and guardians shouldn’t be of concern to the most recent addition in “disorder” in relation to your children and in some cases, even your own self-interest.W.H.O shouldn’t have labeled video games in the category of addiction in the first place.
“..the modern meaning of “addiction..” is an uneasy amalgam of several contradictory legacies, “said Ferris Jabr from the New York Times. The way we define addiction as a whole has been a difficult task since it can be labeled from a religious standpoint, that actions go against our morals, and a technological standpoint, that any fixation that is constantly done can be considered an addiction.
Many people enjoy multiple hobbies from fishing to basketball, despite their different ages and sizes. Some have made these hobbies careers and their source of income in rare cases. Even with all these visible similarities to video games, people seem to see only the negative aspects of this one certain hobby, pathologizing and looking down upon it since it seems to stand up among the rest.
The limitations and restrictions that you’ll place on to your children may possibly have some major effect and influence on their point of view towards leisure pursuits and activities in the near future. They are at risk of losing an activity that may have been an activity to get rid of stress and to forget the hardships they are facing in life.
Regardless of whether agreement does inevitably build-up that an excess of video gaming establishes a psychological issue, we still need to acknowledge the psychological research that comes with the viewpoint that videogames have psychologically beneficial instead of being a detriment.

Reddit Post

r/Gaming~ Posted by u/MoisesB   1 Day ago

7.5K Upvotes

WHO has classified ‘Gaming disorder’ as a mental health condition!

Studies find inadequate proof of gaming as a clinical disorder. Instead of being adversely affected by gaming itself, it’s suggested that young people who take part in dysfunctional gaming might be doing as such in an offer to get away from their “underlying frustrations and wider psychosocial functioning issues”.
I suspect this is true for addiction disorders in general. People don’t just suddenly become addicted to alcohol or drugs, it’s an attempt to escape.
I’m for the most part worried over the up and coming age of gamers and how this may impact them. Ordinary children who like gaming but whose guardians won’t approve of it due to hearing about this disorder will not take into consideration that it’s very unlikely that a disordered like behavior will occur.
“variations in gaming experience are much more likely to be linked to whether adolescents’ basic psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and social belonging are being met…”Gaming isn’t the aspect where we should be leaning and worried about but towards the life aspects which makes people have slight differences towards gaming.
I agree that sometimes gaming can be a healthy coping mechanism. I’ve played cathartic games to release stress sometimes, and I’ve also played relaxing atmospheric games during times of sadness to help me relax.
I think there’s a fundamental difference between gaming as escapism and gaming as a harmful addiction. The difference, which I think is true of all addictions, is does it hurt your quality of life? People who are addicted are usually using the addiction to get away from something unpleasant in their life. Hence why a common question in the profession now is not “why the addiction” but “why the pain?”
Each and every one of us has different lifestyles, hobbies and gaming patterns for the most part. We as gamers shouldn’t take this as a threat and a negative aspect to the gaming community. We should use this opportunity to provide them credibility as to why this shouldn’t be labeled as an addiction any more or less than a ‘cleaning’ disorder or a fishing disorder. We can convince guardians and eager politicians all alike that this wasn’t necessary.

Thanks for reading! 🙂

Edit 1: Wow I was expecting such a great reaction from the community.

Reflection

Moises Bautista
Prof Jewell
English 1101
Reflection

When viewing and creating pieces of work that are considered Shonen Manga many things can be looked upon as familiar and relatable among most pieces. The main protagonists of the stories all gain a considerable amount of growth in either mental or physical attributes. The protagonist is truly reliant on their friends and allies to overcome difficult situations and conflicts throughout their adventures. While much time passes on throughout the stories all the characters in Shonen manga never lose sight of their own hopes and dreams. All the main protagonists all contain a unique charisma/personality that makes them stand out and create certain situations, in almost all cases the main characters are strong-willed. I learned a lot about Shonen manga while researching the genre. For instance, the author’s value connections between characters forming newer and stronger bonds with each other. While still retaining their dreams and desires intact. Shonen manga all contains detailed and precise explanation’s as to what’s occurring and going to occur. These explanations give us readers a clear and solid context as to the importance and significance of a situation. While forming my annotated bibliography I came upon several questions that I have for the multiple authors that create Shonen manga. How are they able to come up with such a huge and expansive world filled with rich characters and story while building up the plot as a whole? Is the ending for the Shonen manga pre-determined from the get-go or created while forming the story?

Throughout this long assignment, I learned many things about myself that I wouldn’t know unless I had done this assignment. I learned that my strength as a writer is the amount of focus and unique/ vivid vocabulary of words to invoke a sense of deep interest in my readers. For example, in my annotated bibliography I started with powerful hooks such as “The story of recognition from fellow peers and society itself is what we all seek sometimes. “and “Have you ever been in the perspective where you have to make a decision of whether to choose over wanting a villain or hero to win?”. Another one of my strengths would be the structuring of each part of the annotated bibliography being as it is. I started off with a unique and powerful hook to lure readers, then a quick summary to the certain book, after that the audience the book is trying to look towards. Lastly, the rhetorical appeal that the author uses to help his/her story and an explanation as to why and how he used that appeal. I would like to continue to grow as a writer by finding a more concrete way of connecting and making the readers interested in my writing. I would also like to improve on the formatting of each and every assignment I am given to the best of my ability. I can enact these changes by getting provided multiple examples of what exactly is expected from us when it comes to the assignments.

Annotated Bibliography: Shonen Manga

Moises Bautista
Prof Jewell
English 1101
Annotated Bibliography
         
        Manganelo, Masashi Kishimoto. “Naruto Vol.1 Chapter 1: Uzumaki Naruto – Manganelo.” Https://Manganelo.net/, Shueisha’s Magazine, Weekly Shōnen Jump, 21 Sept. 1999, https://manganelo.net/manga-ng99658/chapter-1

      The story of recognition from fellow peers and society itself is what we all seek sometimes. In the Japanese shonen manga series Naruto(1999) written by Masashi Kishimoto; Naruto Uzumaki, a twelve-year-old ninja who is looked down upon others in the village, seeks acknowledgment and respect from everyone in the village with his dream of becoming Hokage(Title bestowed upon village leader). The audience reading Naruto is too young male viewers who are around naruto’s age who are having struggles in life or love a story of a relatable character. The audience is upon the young male adult demographic as well since he is goofball that cried and made many mistakes as a kid which many can reminiscent from their childhood. Readers can relate and sympathize with naruto since he gets an appeal of being a troublemaker to get the attention of everyone(seeking attention). While knowing he is inferior to his classmates, making mistakes and showing his weakness he doesn’t like to lose or give up. The author uses the rhetorical appeal of pathos while trying to have an impact on the audience. For example, when he starts off he starts out the series with the premise in which naruto fails a clone jutsu exam needed for him to graduate and gets tricked by one of his teachers(Mizuki) to steal a scroll that has secret ninjutsu. While disguised as another teacher(Iruka)Mizuki tried killing naruto explaining that he has a demon fox inside him that killed Iruka’s parents and that Iruka was tricking him, Iruka got hurt protecting naruto in which naruto heard him say “The demon fox would do that but naruto is different…He may not be the hardest worker and he’s clumsy so nobody accepts him…he is a member of the hidden leaf village, He’s Uzumaki Naruto!!” to Mizuki. In which naruto learned the clone Jutsu with the scroll to defeat Iruka ultimately proving his graduation from the Ninja Academy. This sentimental beginning of learning that everything wasn’t for nothing and that there are people that understand and care about you in life to the series have made readers attached to Naruto and the world he inhabits.

Manganelo, Yoshihiro Togashi. “Hunter X Hunter Chapter 46 : Nen – Manganelo.” Https://Manganelo.net/, Shueisha’s Magazine, Weekly Shōnen Jump, 16 Mar. 1998, https://manganelo.net/manga-oc102354/chapter-46.

        Pure excitement for the unknown and unyielding unbreakable compassion towards others is what life is all about. In the Japanese shonen manga series HunterxHunter(1998) written by Yoshihiro Togashi follows the young protagonist Gon Freecss after discovering his father left him when he was little to continue being a hunter(Licensed Professional which can specialize in multiple degrees such as studying creatures and hunting down outlaws), is inspired by his father’s strong will to be a hunter even to the point of leaving his son and soon heads out to be a hunter with the goal of meeting his father someday. HunterxHunter is primarily focused on a younger teenage audience that seeks action-based combat and young men who are looking towards constant story development. Readers can relate and look upon Gon for happiness since he is a creative and pure character that is curious about the world. The defining factor of friendship is quite apparent in the series when it comes to Gon because is naturally honest and has a way with words that attract character towards him in a way viewers can look towards upon in their own friendships. The author uses the rhetorical appeal of logos in the story to have an effect on readers. For example, there are seven narratives(story arcs) that are completely different but all interconnect with one another. It starts off with the Hunter exam which can be defined as a battle royale, then to rescue mission on Gons friend and then going towards a training arc in which they had the time to waste since the next event was months apart. It gives readers and a greater sense of time passing by throughout the story. “ “Ren” is one of the four principles of the big training. The four principles of the training are the basis of every fighting technique relying on spirit elevation and its hardening…Finding the “Ten” learning the “Zetsu” succeeding the “Ren” and reaching the “Hatsu and all these forms the “NEN” practice.”(46)The logical sense of the world and how/what they need to learn in order to become stronger makes readers more thrilled and excited to see the end results of all their hard work.

Manganelo, Tsugumi Ohba. “Death Note Vol.1 Chapter 2 – Manganelo.” Https://Manganelo.net/, Shueisha’s Magazine, Weekly Shōnen Jump, 1 Dec. 2003, https://manganelo.net/manga-bv106299/chapter-2.

        Have you ever been in the perspective where you have to make a decision of whether to choose over wanting a villain or hero to win? In the Japanese shonen manga series Death Note(2003) written by Tsugumi Ohba follows Light Yagami, referred genius, when he one day sees a notebook called the “Death Note” fall from the sky that was dropped by a god death, with said ability to kill anyone whose name is written in it. The story focuses on Light doing mass murders with the notebook, alias “Kira”, and with his philosophy of those who are deemed unworthy but an “enforcement task force” led by the greatest detective called “L” who identity, background, and origins are a mystery, are trying to bring justice by putting a stop to Kira’s mass killings. Death Note is intended for a young male audience who wish to keep their adrenaline running and suspense high whenever L and Kira do actions to outsmart each other. Readers will get thoughts like “What would I do in that situation” and “How would I outsmart him?” while constantly reading the manga. The author uses the rhetorical appeal of logos in the story to have a major influence on the reader, making them read each and every word the characters state. For example, when L set up a prisoner to introduce himself as L, creating a new identity, and a mass worldwide broadcasting message stating the Kira must be Japanese and that there is a way to prove he is here. He tempted Kira with word “But what you’re doing is Evil!!” and “So why don’t you kill me!”and baited Kira into killing the imposter.L later explained that it was a lie that the broadcast was worldwide but only in the Kanto region of Japan and that he couldn’t kill without a name and face. The deduction from L from the limited information of the location of people he killed in a short time frame sends shivers down the spines of readers to see who’ll find each other first. Readers will find a change of pace towards the anti-hero protagonist the more we learn of his mindset and the precautions he takes while constant battles of two intellectuals and the constant worry of the unknown are what is awaiting readers.


Manganelo, Kōhei Horikoshi. “Boku No Hero Academia Vol.1 Chapter 1: Midoriya Izuku The Origin – Manganelo.” Https://Manganelo.net/, Shueisha’s Magazine, Weekly Shōnen Jump, 7 July 2014, https://manganelo.net/manga-jq98942/chapter-1.

          We always start with a dream, even when it seems impossible, continue to believe in that dream for one day it’ll come true. In the Japanese shonen manga series My Hero Academia(2014) written by Kōhei Horikoshi depicts the story Izuku Midoriya, a boy who unfortunately wasn’t born with superpowers(quirks), in a society where they are prevalent but who dreams of becoming a superhero nonetheless. When an encounter with “All Might” the hero referred to as a symbol of justice, ultimately leads to him inheriting his quirk(one for all) and enrolling in most prestigious hero highschool in Japan. The audience reading My Hero Academia are too young male demographic that wishes for more in life and to imagine the amazing feeling it’ll be to be someone who went from zero to hero. Readers can relate with Izuku due to him being bullied but still aspired to be a hero throughout his childhood and saw All Might as a role model, always watching the same video of him saving citizens. The author uses the rhetorical appeal of pathos while trying to have an impact on the audience. For example, when his childhood and rival(Bakugo) was being attacked by a villain and All Might was somewhat injured from a previous battle, Izuku without any hesitation came out to try and save him. “Its because your eyes were pleading for help!” Izuku responded to Bakugo as he desperately tried to save Bakugou. Which made All Might feel pathetic and angry towards himself that he couldn’t save them sooner but ultimately does in quick fashion. “There’s something that’s said about top heroes when they were still students. Most of their stories are linked by the following line: “My body moved on its own before I could think!!”…YOU CAN BECOME A HERO.” These words have the sensation that miracles can exist but most importantly if you believe you can become whoever you wish to be.

“VIZ: Read One Piece Manga Free – Official Shonen Jump From Japan.” VIZ Media: The World’s Most Popular Anime, Manga and More!, Shueisha’s Magazine, Weekly Shōnen Jump, 22 July 1997, https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/one-piece.

          An uncomparable odyssey like no other, where there is a captivating cast of interesting characters and an enthralling plot. In the Japanese shonen manga series One Piece(1997) written by Eiichiro Oda follows the story of Monkey D. Luffy,a boy that ate the power of a devil fruit to make his entire body made out of rubber, and his pirate crew he gathered along his journey, in search of the legendary treasure called “One Piece”.The audience reading One Piece is mainly focused on young male teenagers/adults but isn’t limited to that single demographic since One Piece can be enjoyed no matter what age you are. Readers can relate to Luffy since he is a sort of symbol/representation of freedom for us readers in the real world, disliking authority such as the world government and enjoys the thrills of adventure. The author argues with the life lesson that its ok to need help in life, gaining assistance from others. For example, Chopper(a reindeer who ate the human devil fruit, can communicate in human speech)dream is to “…become a doctor who can cure any disease! Because… because there’s no disease in this world that can’t be cured!” and Nami(a female navigator and former-thief who was threatened by a group of pirates to give them money, later saved by Luffy) who dreams “to draw a complete map of the entire world”.While all the crewmates have completely different dreams and goals in life, they are all getting support from one another to make their dreams come true. These goals are so significant that they need each other to reach them, Strive to have goals so big that you can’t do it alone as well.


“VIZ: Read Dragon Ball Z Manga – Official Shonen Jump From Japan.” VIZ Media: The World’s Most Popular Anime, Manga and More!, Shueisha’s Magazine, Weekly Shōnen Jump, 3 Dec. 1984,
https://www.viz.com/shonenjump/chapters/dragon-ball-z

        A story inspired by the legendary Chinese novel Journey to the West with a slice of comedy and jaw-dropping action-packed fight scenes that became a coming of age story for future shonen manga. In the Japanese shonen manga Dragon Ball(1984) written by Akira Toriyama follows the adventures of Son Goku, Saiyan(alien) sent to earth as a child with the goal to destroy it in which he hits his head one day and is raised by an old man in the mountain. The adventure focuses on Goku, from childhood to adulthood, martial arts training and venturing around the world in search of the dragon balls(seven orbs which summon a wish-granting dragon). Dragon Ball’s intended audience is young boys/teens but Dragon Ball is a kinda special case in which any age group can enjoy its unique narrative. The author argues that you have to push yourself to your limits if you want to reach your full potential as an individual. For example, when Goku is training his son to become stronger to defeat a threat to earth he tells his son “Power comes in response to a need, not a desire. You have to create that need.” The author is showing that even if we are all afraid to be challenged sometimes if you work on being the best person you can be, you’ll have the confidence to face challenges head-on and overcome all the obstacles in the way.











Deck Of Cards

 I will always remember the day when I had to take the Chinese LOTE (Language test harder than regents) in my junior year of high school. After taking 3 years of Chinese at the time and having a Chinese influence with a 95% Asian school located in Chinatown of all places. I came to the point where I need to recollect all my previous Chinese knowledge in order to pass the test. The Chinese LOTE consisted of 2 parts, the oral and written, which were separated in separate days. I remember the oral section of the test the most even though it counted for the least amount of points in the test. There was tension in the air, classmates flipping through their notebook pages and rushing through google translate for some last-minute studying. Those three years of suffering in Chinese class listening to my 老师(teacher) all came down to this moment; if you don’t include the AP Chinese test, we were made to take in our senior year. All the juniors waited in the cafeteria. Waiting for their names to be called randomly. Some playing poker, some chatting but most filled with adrenaline ready to make a full-throttle turn to their testing zone. To be honest I studied for two hours before the test on the train and reviewed all the topics that I was confident in. Our previous Chinese teachers from when we were freshmen and sophomores were our examiners, which we were randomly assigned to. I was gambling with fate at this point to what teacher I’ll get. I was assigned to Ms. Hu, my sophomore Chinese teacher who I had for two months due to an upcoming successful heart surgery, which to me was the best possibility since I made a good impression of her throughout her time teaching my class.My oral was my worst aspect of the language, reading and writing benefitted me more. I either avoided answering oral questions or prepared ahead of time for when I needed to say something. The oral part consisted of 300 random cards displaying different topics and situations which we were to make a conversation with the teacher. You were made to randomly choose 2 of the 300 cards to talk about with the teacher in either teacher or student initiate, so basically it was like good luck.Me being a native Spanish speaker that got more accustomed to English from a young age, trying to learn another language with a time limit of a few years was quite engrossing. Having to change between three languages every day was quite a normal event for me. At school for about two hours I spoke and wrote Chinese to my classmates, at home I spoke a mixture of English and Spanish to show a clear understanding with my mother and siblings. Hearing people in the train, school and parks all speaking Chinese day by day, gradually made me embrace the new language as another way to show people respect and a connection towards them. While I can for sure say that I wasn’t the best or contained the most interest in the culture, I sure did try to meet the expectations that were entitled to me at the time.It might have been luck or low probability when drawing two of those cards but when the time came the two cards that I have chosen were both of the shopping topic that I had studied only hours before. One or the most confident draws that I held up my sleeve. I can’t really recall in detail to my response to her questions but I do remember my score of 21 out of 24 in the oral section. 

 

Personal Experience Essay

When I had to take the Chinese Lote in my junior year of high school. After taking 3 years of Chinese at the time and having a Chinese influence with a 95% Asian school located in Chinatown of all places. I came to the point where I need to recollect all my previous Chinese knowledge in order to pass the test. The Chinese Lote consisted of 2 parts, the oral and written, which were separated in separate days. I remember the oral part of the test the most even though it counted for the least amount of points in the test. There was tension in the air, classmates flipping through their notebook pages and rushing through google translate for some last-minute studying. Those three years of suffering in Chinese class listening to my 老师(teacher) all came down to this moment; if you don’t include the ap Chinese test we were made to take in our senior year. Our previous Chinese teachers from when we were freshmen and sophomores were our examiners, which we were randomly assigned to. I was gambling with fate at this point to what teacher I’ll get. My oral was my worst aspect of the language, reading and writing benefitted me more. I either avoided answering oral questions or prepared ahead of time for when I needed to say something. The oral part consisted of 300 random cards displaying different topics and situation which we were to make a conversation to the teacher with. You were made to choose 2 of the 300 cards to talk about with the teacher in either teacher or student initiate, so basically it was like good luck.

Reading response to “Only Daughter” ~Moises Bautista

Only Daughter by Sandra Cisneros is an interesting and wholesome story of her growing up as the only daughter in the family with six brothers. Her father treated her as another one as his sons but she wants her own self-recognition from her father as an individual, as his daughter. When she wrote her book in spanish it was her chance to make her father look at her differently. Her writing, which the father loved even to the point of wanting copies, was her way of showing her individuality from others and to show her father, she isn’t just one of her other “sons”.I can connect with Cisneros in this story due to myself having brothers and finding my own way to show my contrast from my brothers to my parents. Displaying your own identity is hard when you’re compared to others of higher or equal status.