Writing an Outline
NOTE: This outline has less detail than the outline in 6.05’s lesson, but if you get stuck when writing your
essay, you can refer back 6.05 for more details about what exactly to write.
Directions—Replace the text prompts below with your own ideas and information you plan to use for
your essay.
I. Paragraph 1: Introduction.
People who play video games tend to have superior sensorimotor decision-
making skills. Engaging in video games can yield numerous benefits for real-
life applications, including enhanced cognitive skills, problem-solving abilities,
and social interaction.
II. Paragraph 2: Body Paragraph #1: The 1 reason why your claim is true.
st
Playing video games has been linked to better working memory, attention,
task switching, spatial resolution, and more, according to research. Evidence
you will use to support this reason. “Video games are played by the
overwhelming majority of our youth more than three hours every week, but
the beneficial effects on decision-making abilities and the brain are not
exactly known,” said researcher Mukesh Dhamala, an associate professor in
Georgia State’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and the university’s
Neuroscience Institute.
III. Paragraph 3: Body Paragraph #2: The 2 reason why your claim is true.
nd
Furthermore, online games allow people the freedom to talk with and get to
know people in a safe environment. Nowadays, and, always, relationships
were and are hard, meeting new people, and socializing, everything is hard,
but with video games, everything becomes easier, someone can explore
being a social butterfly without the fear of people distancing from you, and
then, with time, people can translate this to the real life.
IV. Paragraph 4: Body Paragraph #3: Counter-argument and rebuttal.
Excessive engagement in video games can lead to negative health effects,
social isolation, academic performance decline, and reinforce harmful
stereotypes. Even if in the long run it is true, it is not always like this. For
obvious reasons, if a person plays 10 hours of video games, they will end up
having those effects that were previously mentioned. Nevertheless, a study
showed that with kids over the age of 6, the American Academy of Pediatrics
says 60 minutes on school days and 2 hours on non-school days, makes the
perfect average to create an average so people can get only the benefits of
playing videogames. In another study by researchers from the University of
Rochester in New York, experienced gamers were shown to be able to pay
attention to more than six things at once without getting confused, compared
with the four that most people can normally keep in mind.
V. Paragraph 5: Conclusion.
Taking part in computer games can yield various advantages for genuine
application, including upgraded mental abilities, critical abilities to think, and
social communication
Works Cited
Cleveland Clinic. “Are Video Games Good for You?” Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, 15
Nov. 2022, health.clevelandclinic.org/are-video-games-good-for-you/.
Manis, Emily. “People Who Play Video Games Tend to Have Superior Sensorimotor Decision-
Making Skills, Study Finds.” PsyPost, 11 Sept. 2022, www.psypost.org/2022/09/people-
who-play-video-games-tend-to-have-superior-sensorimotor-decision-making-skills-
study-finds-63890.
Miller, Caroline. “Healthy Limits on Video Games.” Child Mind Institute, Child Mind Institute,
July 2019, childmind.org/article/healthy-limits-on-video-games/.
Ryan. “Video Games Are Good for You | Why They Are Beneficial for Brain & Body.” ID Tech,
iD Tech, 9 May 2018, www.idtech.com/blog/video-games-are-good-for-you.
