Read “Cheating is Good for You” by Mia Consalvo pg. 430
Choose one or two of the following questions to respond to in approximately 200-250 words.
Consalvo focuses primarily on cheating in video games, but she also believes that cheating in everyday life is not a good thing? Why do you think she believes it is okay in the gaming setting but not in other social situations?
Can you think of other situations or scenarios where cheating is beneficial or useful in society? Do any of Cosalvo's points help support this argument?
Cheating Is Good For You by Mia Consalvo is an essay about how cheating might not necessarily be a bad thing all the time. She give the circumstances of gaming, and how sometimes cheating can mean that a player is more invested in the game that they are playing. To answer prompt two, I do not believe that cheating is beneficial or useful in society because there is nearly always repercussions even if things seem to be going well at the time. Even in gaming, too. When you're going against someone and you cheat in a game, they aren't going to be very happy because that's kinda just a bad thing to do. I understand the whole "I want to see how high I can possibly get my level" or something like that, but going against someone else and blatantly cheating just isn't fair.
ReplyDeleteCosalvo's points are often, for me, a little farfetched. She talks about how you can't skip parts of books that are difficult, but the reason that we read difficult works is to L E A R N. And we can't learn if we just skip everything that is difficult. So for an RPG game or something of the sort where you're solving puzzles or have to find different things, simply skipping something that is difficult or cheating your way out of it won't give you the learning process. Plus, when you finish the game, you won't be able to look back and think "wow I beat all those boss battles" or something of that sort, you will not have the satisfaction of knowing you completed the game all by yourself.
Claire starts by describing the authors topic and some of her reasoning. I agree with Claire in terms of how she said that cheating is never beneficial. I also agree with the fact that it is not useful in gaming. Claire supports her point of view by including an example. Her example explains that the person you are playing would be disappointed if they discovered that you are cheating. However, she does say that she understands what people mean when they aren’t playing someone. In my opinion, cheating just ruins the point of the game. This is because the game is no longer fun if you win easily every time. She then describes a point that Consalvo makes that she believes is a bit farfetched. I agree with her because reading a book and gaming are two totally different things. I also agree with the fact that cheating and winning a game does not give the same satisfaction as winning a game and not cheating.
Delete-Shishira
The question I chose:
ReplyDeleteConsalvo focuses primarily on cheating in video games, but she also believes that cheating in everyday life is not a good thing? Why do you think she believes it is okay in the gaming setting but not in other social situations?
Throughout “Cheating Is Good for You”, Consalvo discourages cheating in most situations. However, she believes quite the opposite towards gaming. As said in her title, she believes that cheating is valid and good when it comes to gaming. Her title is a bit misleading but, she later makes it clear that she only meant cheating is good when gaming. I think she says that cheating in gaming is acceptable because the gaming world isn’t the real world. In one example of how gamers cheat, Consalvo explains how gamers give each other step by step instructions on how to win a game. She then says that the gamers are simply teaching each other. This may be another reason why Consalvo claims that cheating in gaming is alright. She also discusses that many gamers only cheat for more enjoyment in the game. Cheating is not acceptable in the real world because cheating in the real world can have many negative consequences. In addition, as Consalvo said in the text, “Calling someone a cheater is rarely a compliment, and being cheated is never a good thing.” This means that Consalvo highly disproves of cheating in things besides gaming.
-Shishira
I agree with what you said about Consalvo's opinion on how she highly disapproves of cheating outside of gaming. I also agree that her title is misleading because she is implying that cheating of all forms can be good for you, which is clearly not what she states in the essay. She should have chosen a different title that had more to do with gaming, but I'm not creative enough to think of an example right now. It's almost like clickbait but writing style.
DeleteI also like how you summarized her essay, in a clear and concise way, and how you remained mostly objective. You also seem to get her point, how the gaming world isn't the real world, and state that well in your response.
In the essay,"Cheating is good for you", written by Mia Consalvo, she attempts to explain how cheating is 'good' for you. She starts by explaining how everybody cheats, which most people relate to.She goes on to explain that cheating means a player wants to play God, is a jerk, or is stuck. After she dives deeper into that topic, Consalvo talks about different ways of cheating. She talks about when players just want to get to their favorite level or unlock something, so they cheat. She then goes on to describe when players get bored so they go straight to the end of a game, she also discusses the people who simply cannot help but cheat others to win.
ReplyDeleteConsalvo goes on to describe ways that companies allow their players to cheat. Some companies, as the author mentions, award really good players cheat codes so they can advance, another thing companies will do, is give cheat codes to inexperienced players so they keep playing. Sometimes, players cheat just to cheat. they will cheat their way to the top.
I do not know why Consalvo believes that it is okay in the gaming setting to cheat. It might be because gaming is not real life, simply something to enjoy. She compares it to reading a book and needing to evaluate every chapter to move on. I think that is why she believes it to be okay. She thinks that you can cheat unless it does not affect anybody else. In real life, when you cheat, there are always ramifications for somebody else.
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DeleteI liked how Elise gave a good and detailed summary about Consalvo's essay. She explains that the author talks about why players want to cheat and how companies allow their players to cheat. I agree with Elise's opinion on how cheating is not the way to truly enjoy gaming. Even though there would be satisfaction at the beginning, there would eventually be consequences for cheating. Overall, I enjoyed how this essay was put together and how there were lots of details about the article and also her own opinions. It pretty well elaborated in refuting what the author said.
DeleteI agree with Elise about cheating in a game, and how it doesn't do any real damage to other people. I also agree that people cheating are probably either stuck, jerks, or want to play God. I have cheated on video games due to being stuck on certain levels, solely out of frustration, and no negatives outcomes have resulted from it. Cheating in real life, like you said, could possible cause something to happen to someone else, whether it'd be good or bad.
DeleteIn "Cheating is Good for You" by Mia Consalvo, she states that cheating is not necessarily bad in video games. To support her claim, she reasons by saying that cheating indicates that the cheater is not good enough to complete a game, but they want an advantage over the other players, so they cheat, implying they are interested in the game. I think she believes cheating in games is okay, but not in social settings because games do not affect your real life. For example, in college, or sometimes even in high school, you can get expelled by plagiarizing a paper, while this affects their future and their life. However, in games she describes cheating in games as harmless, and it is about extending the play experience. She compares playing a game to reading a book where there is a boring chapter and you are not allowed to skip ahead unless you have comprehended what you already read, there she justifies cheating as helpful to maximize fun. There are no consequences to be faced in cheating in a game, but in real life you can put your future at risk if you cheat. In conclusion, she describes cheating as a positive thing by keeping the player engaged in the game, benefits the gaming community, and can be used to "teach and learn".
ReplyDeleteI personally enjoyed Margaret’s summary of “Cheating is Good for You” by Mia Consalvo, as it provides a clear, concise and objective description of her essay. In addition, I agree with her analysis on the author’s belief of cheating in games being acceptable, but cheating in the real world is not. Margaret expands upon the author’s ideas by providing examples of real world scenarios in which it would be unacceptable and harmful for a person to cheat. Overall, this summary was quite accurate and helpful to any reader who may wish to get a sense of what this essay may be about.
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ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThe article "Cheating is Good for You" by Mia Consalvo is about her opinions on how cheating isn't always a bad thing, but like the title says, a 'good thing'. She talks about how some people are wiling to cheat in order to pass a level or stage that they are on in video games. Or some people cheat just because they "like to play God"(431).
The prompt I chose to answer was : Can you think of other situations or scenarios where cheating is beneficial or useful in society? Do any of Consalvo's points help support this argument? Personally, I can't really think of any other valid situations in which cheating can be beneficial. Even in video games, I don't think that cheating is the best options. Cheating doesn't bring the same satisfaction as if you just take your time to complete what you are working on. In society, cheating usually doesn't end well and it is not really beneficial in lots of circumstances in society. For example if someone cheats on a test and ends up getting a good grade, the satisfaction lasts for a little while. But they could never actually get the credit for themselves because all they did was cheat. I think some of Consalvo's points helped her argument. One of the most effective points that she mentioned was the example that allowed us to imagine if we couldn't spoil the book for ourselves when reading. Overall, the author uses some rational evidence to support her claim, I don't agree with her point of view.
I completely agree with you. Cheating is neither beneficial nor useful in our society. Cheating doesn't help people learn from their mistakes and the whole concept of learning becomes destroyed. Cheating shouldn't be applicable in our lifestyles, or gaming because it encourages terrible motives to influence worse actions later on in life.
DeleteI like the way that Sydney used text evidence, in this case the title, to convey the authors main idea. She also gives a brief summary that is clear and concise. I admired the way that she presented her opinion. I agree with her statement, "Cheating doesn't bring the same satisfaction as if you just take your time to complete what you are working on." You never feel as though you actually accomplished anything, and, in my opinion, defeats the whole purpose of playing games. I also liked the way Sydney concluded her response. She summarizes the rest of her response very well.
DeleteIn the essay “Cheating is Good for You”, written by Mia Consalvo, the author explains why she believes that cheating can be helpful and acceptable in certain scenarios concerning video games. She discusses four main situations in which people may cheat and carefully goes through the merits of cheating in each. Finally, she concludes that cheating can often be done by “jerks”, but society has repercussions for those who do this type of action, and that overall, “cheating can be a positive thing, even a way to teach and learn.” I feel that she has decided to argue this point in part to justify her friends and her own reasons for cheating, as well as to help others understand the uses of cheating.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I felt that Consalvo’s points were not entirely effective at justifying her argument because they seemed to be a bit of a stretch. Current video games are designed meticulously, and although levels can be very difficult to pass, this does not mean that they are impossible or even close to it without cheat codes. Part of what makes gameplay so exciting is discovering a new way to figure out, say a puzzle, or how to combat an opponent. Because she did not touch on these points, her argument almost seems to be avoiding the other obvious reasons why cheating may not be considered socially acceptable. Consalvo may touch on some valid points, such as her argument that some may enjoy gameplay more with cheat codes, but overall, I have found that gaming is more satisfying when you can discover these secrets for yourself. In the end, although Cansalvo did bring up some legitimate scenarios, her argument does not seem very convincing to me.
Sophia does a good job analyzing Mia Consalvo's short essay about the positive effects of cheating. I agree on Sophia's point of view to an extent on Consalvo's essay, "Cheating is Good for You", on how she stretches her reasoning to make cheating justifiable. Although cheating might be the fun in games, it defeats the whole purpose. I would like to add to where Sophia explained that Consalvo's short essay lacked reasoning and information, and was overall not convincing, it also doesn't help support Consalvo's title "How Cheating is Good for You". I will give the author some credit for making the reader interested in her essay through her title.
DeletePrompt: Consalvo focuses primarily on cheating in video games, but she also believes that cheating in everyday life is not a good thing. Why do you think she believes it is okay in the gaming setting but not in other social situations?
ReplyDeleteI believe that MIa Consalvo believes that it is ok to cheat in video games but not in other social situations because that there are no positives about cheating in other social situations but in video games there are few positives. I do not believe that cheating is really positive in video games besides the fact that it may help other players with their struggles. Cheating is not positive in video games because although it may be a video game, there are still consequences for cheating. I disagree with Consalvo's point that cheating is acceptable in gaming, except for walk throughs. On the other hand I do agree that cheating should not be used in real life.
*note- I forgot who I was supposed to reply so I'll reply to both Daniel and Connor
DeleteAlthough I can see where you're coming from, I disagree on the fact that the consequences of cheating are enough to deter cheaters. I, for one, believe that cheating is fine in gaming since no one is hurt and games are simply meant to entertain, not to provide. The consequence of cheating in a game is usually just a ban or the destruction of an account, of which you can make another one.
Aside from my differing opinion, your response was good. You clearly stated your side and gave general reasons as to why you disagreed. I think it would be a lot more convincing if you added some supporting details to back up your claims. Why are walk throughs OK? Why are the positives acknowledged by Consalvo and I false?
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ReplyDeleteConsalvo focuses primarily on cheating in video games, but she also believes that cheating in everyday life is not a good thing? Why do you think she believes it is okay in the gaming setting but not in other social situations?
ReplyDeleteIf games is all we're talking about, then I believe what Consalvo's philosophy is correct. Games are meant for entertainment to no real harm is done if someone cheats you. Although cheating can get you banned, new accounts are always avalable to start over. Cheating can teach you the art of deception or simply allow you to have more fun in your game. Methods of cheating are often complex since modern day game developers often protect their games against most types of hacks meaning that cheaters will need to keep thinking of new ways to bypass these blockades, thus exercising their mental muscles. However, life is not a game. You must play your cards more carefully. There are those who cheat in real life like muggers or scammers, however, they have a high probability of getting caught. In real life, if you're caught, there is no restart button and you can't make another account. Also, there are other people's lively hoods depending on cheaters as well. A scammer can destroy a person's life while a mere game cheater can only set a player back so far. Thus, it is generally less indecent to cheat in games than in real life.
I agree that life is definitely not game and there is no restart button to restart when you mess up. I also agree that cheating is good because it makes cheaters get creative about how they bypass blockades. However I do not agree that cheats should be used in games since games are just for entertainment. The reason that I do not agree with you is because although they may just be games, and for entertainment purposes, some people may take the game very seriously and cheating may harm them. But at the same time I do agree that eventually these game cheats are just set backs.
DeleteConsalvo focuses primarily on cheating in video games, but she also believes that cheating in everyday life is not a good thing? Why do you think she believes it is okay in the gaming setting but not in other social situations?
ReplyDeleteIn terms of gaming, what Consalvo is saying is somewhat correct. If ti's just utilizing a small glitch in a friendly match is perfectly fine. However, in higher leverage situations such as in tournaments and gaming competitions, it should not be used at all. Consalvo also believes that cheating should not be used in the real world. She's trying to show us that when in the real world, learning is more important than cheating, however in video games, it's okay. This is where I believe that Conslavo's argument becomes construed and confusing. If cheating is fine in video games, why isn't fine in real life. In terms of gaming, instead of using glitches and hacks like what she had mentioned in her essay, you could instead try to practice and get better at the game without utilizing cheats. Also, I feel like the gaming world is applicable to the real world because of what we learn from the two sides. The way that we think and function about in our video games can influence what we do in reality.
-connor
DeleteAlthough Consalvo doesn't address competitive atmospheres, it's safe to say that in that instance of cheating at a high stakes environment, she would condemn it, the same way she would react if someone was caught cheating in a sport or a test. Consalvo's purpose in writing this was to address cheating that was used recreationally, not where it can affect others online.
DeleteAlso, cheating in real social situations is drastically different than in video games. Video game cheats are seen as harmless while cheating in social scenarios can hurt others and your own self in life.
-Jonah Bahr
In Consalvo's "Cheating is Good for You," the author writes about an instance in which cheating is acceptable, gaming. She describes it as being harmless, as most players who cheat are justified with the game having bad design or being stumped in order to progress. Consalvo believes that cheating in a game setting is not comparable to real life social situations due to them being two different things. Cheating in a game is for the most part benign, with users watching walkthroughs or using cheat codes to progress or get more from a game. Cheating in social situations, however, can bring serious ramifications in not only others but oneself.
ReplyDeleteHowever, different from video games, there is not acceptable reason for cheating in real life situations. Whether it be in school or work, cheating inhibits the process of learning the material necessary as well as the potential habit of cheating more in the future. Not only can it hinder yourself, but also the people around you. Some say that cheating is dishonest and unfair to those who put the time and effort into doing tasks legitimately. Often, cheaters receive good grades without any work. When students start cheating, others feel that they are being cheated out of a grade that they earned and begin cheating as compensation.
Other than the use of cheating in a video game, any other instance is unacceptable and unjustifiable.
-Jonah Bahr
I completely agree with you. While cheating can be fun and perhaps even beneficial in virtual games, it should not be justified in such a way in the real world. Something you wrote did catch my attention though, regarding the spread of cheating. I'm not entirely clear as to when that situation would apply. For instance in school, suppose someone cheated off of you and therefore got the same grade. If they were able to get away with it, how would you know they cheated off of you? Would you still feel cheated out of a grade somehow? One of the greatest powers of cheating is that if someone does it successfully, no one may ever know they cheated.
DeleteClaire Liu
"Cheating Is Good for You" by Mia Consalvo discusses the uses and motivations for cheating in the virtual world. Consalvo supplies four reasons for cheating in a video game: the player may be stuck, there is a desire for power, the player has become bored with the game, or the player is simply a jerk. Through these four major reasons she compares the pros of cheating in virtual games while affirming that such behaviour can not be translated into the real world. Although cheating may be harmless online, the consequences of real life are much more harrowing.
ReplyDeleteConsalvo uses organization to heavily support her argument. She first describes four major motivations before listing their four benefits in the same order. In her descriptions, she also drives a point of keeping cheating in the virtual world by constantly inserting examples of virtual situations that could require each moment of cheating. While it isn't very dimensional, her message carries a type of effectiveness.
As I almost never play video games, I can't really connect to this personally. From what I know with my brother's experience in video games and my own thought, I agree with Consalvo's main points. "Cheating" in video games is more like finding glitches in coding and manipulating them, therefore giving more freedom to the players. However, cheating in the real world is absolutely unacceptable and should not be treated in a similar fashion. It is important to separate the two worlds and their differences of behavior.
Claire Liu
Claire is correct when she says that "cheating in the real world is absolutely unacceptable and should not be treated in a similar fashion." In my essay on the subject, I concurred. Efforts to build an analogy will fail. It is also good that Claire notes that freedom-augmenting "cheating" bares little resemblance to other forms of cheating which harm others. Cheating in closed, single-player systems, she suggests, is markedly different from cheating in a zero-sum game with many "players."
DeleteI believe that Consalvo's mentality behind cheating in everyday life is wrong - but cheating on games isn't - is that cheating in games does not really matter. Who is going to be negatively impacted by a cheater in a game? Exactly, nobody is, apart from yourself not knowing how to advance farther in the game at a later point (especially on games in the puzzle genre.) On the contrary, cheating in real life can leave negative impacts on people. You could potentially ruin someone's career, family, etc. through cheating in real life.
ReplyDeleteCheating in a gaming environment may be beneficial for game developers. The developers can test their game for any glitches, cheats, exploits, etc. to make sure players can’t cheat their war through a game or take major shortcuts using glitches or any other programs that are used to help skip through games. Consalvo’s points do not really support my argument, as she only talks about cheating in a gaming environment being used when people are stuck, being “jerks,” or want to “play God.” As my argument presents, these are not the only reasons cheating is used in a gaming setting.
-Ashton Anda