Activity Quiz 1.3

Read the sentence from Reality Is Broken by Jane McGonigal.

The truth is this: in today’s society, computer and video games are fulfilling genuine human needs that the real world is currently unable to satisfy.

What claim does this counterargument best address?

• The amounts of time and money spent on gaming are skyrocketing.

• The gaming boom represents a significant opportunity for profit.

• The amount of time that gamers spend gaming is wasted.

• The gaming platforms cause people to become overly engaged.

Read this excerpt from Reality Is Broken.

It’s a bit counterintuitive to think about the future in terms of the past. But as a research director at the Institute for the Future—a nonprofit think tank in Palo Alto, California, and the world’s oldest future-forecasting organization—I’ve learned an important trick: to develop foresight, you need to practice hindsight.

How does the underlined concession help McGonigal argue that the history of gameplay can help people predict its future?

• It shows that the author agrees with the opposing viewpoint on the value of gaming.

• It demonstrates that the author has doubts about using the past to predict the future.

• It allows the author to rebut the claim that historical events are never repeated.

• It gives the author an opportunity to establish herself as an authority on the topic.

Read these sentences from Reality Is Broken.

We often think of immersive gameplay as "escapist," a kind of passive retreat from reality. But through the lens of Herodotus’ history, we can see how games could be a purposeful escape, a thoughtful and active escape, and most importantly an extremely helpful escape.

Which choice best describes how repeating the word escape helps develop McGonigal’s argument that playing games offers benefits?

• It clarifies that there are many different ways of escaping and lists some examples.

• It helps remove the stigma or negative associations attached to games as a means of escape.

• It supports the claim that escapism is an important factor in gaming’s appeal.

• It emphasizes that gaming is a diverse form of escapist entertainment.

Definition: a statement where the author allows that some of what the opposing argument is claiming is true

• Concession

• Claim

• Counterargument

• Rebuttal

Definition: provides evidence and reasoning that disproves or highlights the shortcomings of the counterclaim

• Concession

• Claim

• Counterclaim

• Rebuttal