Mark Griffiths', "Online Video Gaming: What Should Educational Psychologists Know?" outlines the benefits and drawbacks of online video gaming. Fortunately, the title possesses a sense of rhetorical appeal, engaging the wide variety of all age groups. According to Robert Lee Hotz, scientists have found that females make up 42% of the video gaming population, and that today's average gamer is 34 years old, playing 18 hours per week. This proves Griffiths' assumption that video gaming is becoming popular towards all the age groups is true. Griffiths asserts to readers that video gaming isn't just a meaningless activity, but can be beneficial psychologically and educationally. However, to prevent a sense of concern, Griffiths' states that a genuine gaming addiction is "uncommon." Throughout the essay, Griffiths tries to help readers familiarize on how video gaming can affect a person's everyday life. Through the use of the three fundamental appeals, logos, pathos, and ethos. He provides statistical data that proves validity, captivates readers through behavioral performance, and demonstrates professionalism.
One of the main messages that Griffiths is trying to convey, are the symptoms that define a truly addicted video-gamer. According to Vladan Starcevic, currently there is no specific meaning that really defines the meaning of addiction. While it cannot be said that the criteria provided by Griffiths, for online gaming addiction is accurate, he still makes an effort to try to help the readers understand the meaning of addiction. Statistics are included to show the professionalism that this author has in his field. For example, Griffiths mentions that he has only come across a, "handful" of genuine gaming addicts in over 2 decades. He doesn't state the exact number; instead he replaces it with a word that disguises the actual amount. It almost seems as if the author is trying to promote the use of video gaming, in everyone's daily lives by mentioning, "The average age of a gamer is steadily increasing, and more females are starting to play.