Katie's+Paper+One+Reflection

Paper 1: Why Do Video Games Matter? (Narrative- & Research-Based)

Once I read this paper's prompt, I was instantly transported back in time, to a place in the back of my memory. There I was, sitting on the couch with my stubby little legs barely touching the floor, bent over the screen of my bright green Gameboy Color. I remembered how much of my young life revolved around video games, pouring hundreds (possibly thousands) of hours into games like //Pokémon// or //Duck Hunt.// All through my life, ever since first being introduced to these games as a child, I have been loyal to any new gaming system (mainly Nintendo) and can always find some time to hack at foes in a //Zelda// game or knock out some fools in //Wii Sports// boxing. There was so much happiness in these memories and I just wanted to get as many as I could down on paper.

Over the course of a few nights, I snuggled myself into my bed and played some soft tunes like Florence + The Machine and Death Cab For Cutie while I let these memories float from my busily typing fingers into a Word document. Soon enough, I had a full page of just my rambling about how much I loved video games. After that, I reluctantly pulled up a Google tab and went about researching. The paper required three sources, and though I don't usually enjoy the research process, this time I was able to find articles on the web that both pertained to my paper and were fun to read. I compiled the quotes I wanted to use, based my paragraphs explaining them around them, and from there I had my rough draft. A couple of readthroughs later and I had edited out spelling mistakes and any inconsistencies. Before I knew it, I had my final product!

//• You want my advice?//

If you receive a prompt that in any way reminds you of a past experience or memory, //use it!// I relied heavily on the momentum I got from remembering all the good old days spent mashing buttons on a Nintendo 64 controller or paging through strategy guides with relish. Any anecdote you can think of can usually propel the quality of your writing to whole new levels. Use varying keywords in your search, but stay close to rephrasing your question. Why are games mainstream? Or popular? Are they art? This discussion is widely covered all over the internet. And remember to always look out for reliable websites ending in .org, .gov, or .edu, or generally any website that seems to be reputable. I stayed away from Wikipedia for once, so don't feel hopeless if you go there first. Just do your best and have fun with it!

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