What is the hosts research question, and what is his answer?
The host’s research question is whether video games can become a popular spectator sport in the near future. He response is that indeed, such is likely to happen, once technology has advanced to the level that it can interpret and represent such games in a manner that engages the audience fully. Specifically, he notes that once people appreciate video game characters and plots in many places of the world beyond Sweden and South Korea, this could then become if not the most popular, then as engaging as any Olympic event.
Why do you think he begins the body of the argument with the refutation rather than the criteria to support his thesis?
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In most cases, writers will prefer the refutation to come at the end of the body. However, in this case, the author begins the body of the argument with the refutation rather than the criteria so that he can provide the real definition of sports which then invokes the argument that competitive gaming is the next big spectator sport. The definition also provides the basis for counterargument since it does not actually provide the reasons spectators watch sports. In this case, the author not only captivates the audience’s attention from the start with an engaging question, but also maintains their interest with an idea to further think about.
What are the two criteria needed to assess if something is a major spectator sport? What are some other criteria that could be used to assess if something is a major spectator sport?
The two criteria needed to assess if something is a major spectator sport are, one, the narrative for the spectators; since fans are interested because of who the players are, how they got there, if they deserve to win, and the debates that come from those questions. The second criteria is the infrastructure, which attaches emotions, such as the camera angles that are zoomed to see their faces, where commentators are there to describe their feelings.
Other criteria that can be used to assess if something is a major sport include infrastructure that are meant to support the narrative, for example, T.V networks, flying cameras, commentators, advertisements, and merchandise among other. Another criteria is a proof that sport is about the story and not who wins.
What are three kinds of evidence he uses to support his inclusion of or explanation of these criteria?
The three kinds of evidence he uses to support his inclusion of these kinds of criteria are testimonial, anecdotal, and physical. He uses testimonial evidence by citing examples like Shakespeare’s Henry viii which is an example with high credibility and High school musicals which is an example with high popularity and recognition. Secondly, by trying to prove that sports is about the story and not who wins through the illustrations of cubs and Liverpool fans, he applies anecdotal evidence. Three, by exemplifying the importance of infrastructure which attaches emotions, for example, by camera angles to see their faces, he uses physical evidence.
Does the conclusion reinforce the main point of the argument? Explain.
The conclusion reinforces the main points of the argument because he ties together his argument by giving what the announcers would need as well as explaining what the audience requires in sports in general. The author as well provides what should be done in terms of infrastructure development and he does so by trying to compare sports to professional wrestling. Finally, he reiterates his thesis statement which summarizes what he has discussed in the body.
How does the language he uses (words and sentence structure) and his tone affect communication of the argument to different levels of audience and skeptical audiences? Use at least two examples in your response.
The author uses persuasive language from the introduction in order to keep his audience interested in the argument. He keeps his audience aware of the fact that you do not have to be a sports fanatic to be interested in this argument. He maintains his aspect of persuasiveness throughout the body by trying to support his arguments with known examples such as Shakespeare’s Henry viii and high school musicals, which helps convince skeptical audiences. He as well employs a tone that is rather convincing such as when he is talking about figures, and does not guess. Instead, he provides accurate statistical evidence in figures. For example, he talks about 4.7 million people having tuned in to the previous year’s major league gaming spring championship. Numbers can effectively strengthen an argument (The Writing Center, 2011). Eventually, this makes his audience develop more trust towards his presentation.
SHORT COMPREHENSION ESSAY: write a short comprehension essay of 225-275 words. The essay will have three paragraphs: 1) summary of the argument, 2) your assessment of something that works well in the argument, and 3) your assessment of something that doesn’t work well in the argument. This is one of the assignments that contributes to the course’s word requirement, so you MUST do this essay.
The argument is about whether video games can become the next great spectator sport, and the author accepts this fact if and when some aspects are put into consideration. For example, he proposes the idea of infrastructural and technological developments to advance the popularity of video games. The author logically argues that video gaming, just like any other, sport can gain spectatorship, as he provides proof of how the sport is slowly but surely getting a following. He provides a basis with which video games can be made a great spectator sport.
The author purposely uses the refutation paragraph in building his argument strongly. This approach helps to represent the ideas in a logical manner, that is, by starting with explaining what really sport is versus what is believed to be the sport. The author as well supports his arguments with clear paragraphs such as when he talks about sports being about the narrative for the spectators. He succinctly explains this when he makes mention of Shakespeare’s Henry vii and high school musicals.
However, the author does not provide a counterargument paragraph that is precise and clear. A paragraph that should sound more objective and reasonable against his supporting points is missing. As a result, the audience can challenge some aspects of his reasoning. For instance, one may seek to know whether advancing technological infrastructure for all sports would not always relegate video gaming to the infamous sports. Discussing both opinions equally aids in credibility (Cullen, 2019). As such, the author could have dedicated more time towards addressing counterarguments to support his points.
References
Cullen, P. (2019, June 11). When should I make a counter-argument? Retrieved from https://ieltsweekly.com/when-should-i-make-a-counter-argument/
The Writing Center. (2011, December 29). Statistics. Retrieved from https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/statistics/
