Step 3: Write the Essay (25 minutes)
You know everything you need to say; you planned it all out. Now all you have
to do is write it. And listen up, Oscar Wilde: There are no points for clever turns
of phrase. Just be clear. Here’s our first draft:
In his essay “The Real Danger of Video Games,” Bernie Krumpf argues
that video games are less beneficial for a child’s development than real-
world games. He does not take the common position that video games
make kids violent; rather he says that video games are like puzzles that do
not allow kids to come up with their own solutions. In making his
argument, Krumpf cites scientific studies and makes use of humorous
contrast, rhetorical questions, and parallel structure.
>Krumpf opens the essay with a story from his childhood, arguing that
a youthful game of “stick-boat race” gave him a lesson in physics, as well
as training in some virtues that would serve him well. This all sets up his
argument, in the last paragraph, that real-life games encourage creative
thinking and force you to learn life lessons. He opens the paragraph on a
humorous note, stating that “what all young boys want” is nothing more
than a “stick that would travel downriver faster than my brother’s stick.”
This reminiscent tone is continued in the next sentence, but then the word
“simple” is contrasted with “bouyancy, wind resistance, and ballast” to
emphasize how the basic activity involved complicated problem solving.
He ends the paragraph with the question, “Do they pay the same
dividends?” This rhetorical question does three jobs at once. It lets the
reader know that this question will guide the essay, it makes the tone
more conversational, and it encourages the reader to keep reading in order
to learn the answer.