The argument that is made by Weiss (2012) in the essay called “Should gamers be prosecuted for virtual stealing?” is that people should not be judged in reality for actions they have taken in the virtual world. One can claim that the author’s arguments are persuasive and effective because the issue was considered from different angles. The first argument of Weiss (2012) here is the following: “reportedly, the player also beat up his victim, for which he should, of course, be punished” (para. 6). This quote compares real punishment for stealing stuff in the video game and the absence of consequences of virtual abuse. I would use this citation to argue for the meaningless of the actual judgment of a teenager for actions in the game. It brightly illustrates the inadequacy of prosecuting actions that were not restricted by the rules of the game.
The second argument in the essay “Should gamers be prosecuted for virtual stealing?” is the following: “video games are not work or investments for which people should be compensated; they are escapism” (Weiss, 2012 para. 2). By these words, the author wanted to show that virtual reality does not only has rules that are different from the real world but also cannot be taken seriously. I would use this argument in the same discussion because it is an adequate point of view and reminds readers about the border between the real and imaginary worlds.
In her work called “In defense of writing letters,” Derzic (2013) argues that people should still write letters. The author’s arguments are persuasive because she states them very shortly and structurally: writing letters takes time, is a mental exercise, is aesthetically pleasing, and has no immediate gratification. Derzic (2013) encourages people to write letters and opposes it to the constant usage of social networks, such as Facebook, and claims: “emails and text messages make us forget that people have lives outside of our own, and Facebook seems to have convinced us all that real-time status updates necessitate replies” (p. 806). By these words, Derzic tries to remind the readers that it is not right to anticipate the reply to their messages within a couple of minutes because the receivers are real people living their lives. I would use this quote to emphasize human nature and remind readers of the time without social networks, which raises the nostalgic feeling.
References
Derzic, E. (2013). In defense of writing letters. In Bullock R. & Goggin M. D. (Eds.), The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings and Handbook (5th ed.). W. W. Norton.
Weiss, A. (2012). Should gamers be prosecuted for virtual stealing?Slate.