Read the argument and the instructions that follow it, and then make any notes that will help you plan your response. Write your response on a separate sheet of paper. If possible, type your essay on a word processor.
A speaker at an electronic entertainment conference made the following statement:
Video games have been widely criticized for having a negative effect on the nation’s youth. If one looks at the facts, however, over the last 25 years, the period in which the use of video games became common among the nation’s youth, math scores on the most commonly used college aptitude test have risen consistently and entry-level salaries for college graduates have also risen significantly. This evidence suggests that video games are actually providing young people with the skills they need to succeed in college and in the workplace.
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative examples or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.