Gender Matters
The video shown entitled Gender Matters was an interesting piece. It explained why boys are dropping out of school and becoming more socially disconnected as compared to girls. Zimbardo presented a couple of facts about boys and their behavior. He practically blames video games and pornography for the demise of guys. He believes that because they would prefer male bonding over female mating, boys are becoming less and less involved with the opposite sex (Oak, n.d.). The instant gratification that video games and pornography brings makes having relationships more difficult; this takes more time.
I believe that the solution is to change the way education is presented in schools to nurture the shift in social behavior. It is obvious that boys are showing different patterns when it comes to relationships and their response towards school in general. There are good aspects to the effects of video games and the like. This kind of need for instant gratification and arousal can be channeled towards productivity, giving boys reason to learn (Markman, 2010).
Video games are not all bad. They give challenges and allow players to level up. You can see how intently someone would play a video game. Their determination is very intense. If this kind of behavior and goal setting is achieved in the real life, great things can be accomplished (Oak, n.d.). Teachers, educators and parents would simply just need to show them the difference between virtual reality and the real world. Also, it would be important for them to try to nurture the good aspects of being an intense gamer. It takes a lot of skill, patience and determination to finish a game. To be able to flick a switch on in their minds, placing them in the virtual environment of the game and actually living the characters they play can be used in a positive way if the talent was nurtured (Markman, 2010). In terms of social behavior, it is up to parents to involve their children more in social activities. Video games can be a positive thing in a boy’s life if the interest in it is nurtured well.
References
Oak, Manali. (n.d.). Positive Effects of Video Games. Buzzle: Intelligent Life on The Web.
Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/positive-effects-of-video-games.html
Markman, Art (2010). The positive effects of action video games: Speed of visual processing.
Psychology Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-
motives/201001/the-positive-effect-action-video-games-speed-visual-processing
