My son elected to do a Science Fair project this year (used to be mandatory in my day in school, but they let them choose to do or not do one nowadays) So, he's doing his project on The effects of violent video games on children. But we are stumped on what we should use as a title. He's just pasting several fact sheets on a tri fold about how violent video games effect children, their moods, their reactions to them, their actions after they play, and so forth. Any ideas for title, or just the project itself, especially titles though, are welcome and much appreciated!
I guess I should have been more specific about his PROJECT. It is the effects of violent video games verses the effects of non violent video games. I was just asking a general quick question for a quick idea because it needed done, the title was the only thing he didn't have, he just hadn't thought of anything he liked yet. And his fact sheets are actually HIS FACT SHEETS, its how he feels it effected him after playing both types of games, and being put in certain situations, we checked his blood pressure, heart rate, and 3 of his cousins around the same age group, did all the same tests on them, watched their reactions, asked how they felt. He did use some theories he found online, but only to compare to his own, to show how differently people feel about it, and how it really depends on who you are, your personality, your background, your life experiences, what you're subjected to in your everyday life. Perception is reality, everyone perceives things differently. Anyway, his project is balanced, he did what he was told to do, on his paper it says scientific investigation, so he did good. Thanks everyone for the suggestoins!
No suggestions in a title...just a comment...there is an equal amount of research that shows there is not an effect...since this is science, I hope his report is balanced.
Isn't that part of the homework grade, meaning isn't that work he should be doing himself?
I would love to suggest the title nonsense since I don't think there is a substantial effect. But that isn't helpful.
Unless things have changed the titles my kids used were on the lines of, the effects of violent video games.... I did one of the effects of various chemicals on houseplants. That is what I called it. My kids, same thing. Not sure why they would expect anything but a title that describes.
I enjoyed coming up with catchy titles for my Microbiology lab reports, so I can see why you & your son want to be creative with this project.
My suggestion is: Aftershocks
Because the video games are violent, like an earthquake, & the effects on children are something that comes after.
You don't mention how old your son is, but if it is age appropriate, he should probably come up with a way to bring together the different effects he is researching. Perhaps a colorful pie-chart, that shows the percentage of children affected by each effect, or the percentage of total effects that each individual one comprises.
Hope the project turns out well & your son is proud of what he accomplishes! T. =-)
Interesting topic for a project, though it runs into the common problem with 'effects' studies, namely that it only gives information about possible effects right after play, not over a period of time.
About the title... I think it's actually quite important for the person doing the project to come up with the title him/herself. Titles are the place where authors pull out the most central idea of a book/essay/article/report, and making that decision about that Big Idea is an important moment. It might be okay to get suggestions and see if something hits home, however I would suggest that in the future, encourage him to keep working at it. Just a thought after having watched my kids doing projects for a few years and as someone who comes up with titles at work (for units in a course, for articles, for conference papers, as so on).
Not to be critical, but what is the nature of the "Science Fair Project"? My kids are still in school, and they were required to do them in elementary--no choosing to do or not for them! And doing a science fair project was NEVER just pasting fact sheets on a tri-fold. That's not a science project, it's a report. Big difference.
The science projects, as I remember them, required the student to actually DO a study/observation... not just report on what someone else did. So, for the effects on plants (as another poster mentioned in her response), I'd bet she actually had plants she was growing, and treated some with chemicals, and had at least one as a control plant, and then reported her findings and conclusions. THAT is a science project. Exposing some plants to varying degrees of light, to various kinds of music (and no music at all), etc...
Growing mold, some in a bag in the refrigerator, some in a bag in a bedroom, some in a bag outside, some in the laundry room with no light, etc.
But to simply past fact sheets about someone else's experiments/tests is not a true science fair project. At least not here where we live. Have you checked with his teacher (or looked at the rubric/instructions) yourself as to exactly what he is expected to do?
Try 'exposure to video violence'.
Hmmm maybe "Video & Violence Verification?" This states all the needed information. Video (games) Violence in the games and the Verification, if any, of effects of the games on people.
Let us know what you guys choose. I'm curious what you decide on. :)
I was under the impression that as long as kids stayed with games that were rated for their age group they had pretty much debunked this theory...anyway, I like the aftershocks name if the theory hadn't been done away with.
How 'bout "The Video (Game) Factor" ?
Why not just title it exactly what it is, "The effects of violent video games on children".
Well, it will sound more "scientific" if he sticks with something pretty dry, like "Anecdotal Studies of Video Game Violence in Adolescent Males." But even science geeks sometimes get a little creative, so you could go with something like Aftershocks: An Anecdotal Study of Video Game Violence in Adolescent Males. I would encourage him to come up with something fun and creative and something very descriptive, then link the two together as above.
I think it sounds interesting! And unless this is a science fair at MIT, he doesn't have to be breaking new scientific ground! Just a hypothesis, test, analyze, trifold, people... :)
I think I would suggest to him that he jazz up the tri-fold with some photos of kids playing video games and perhaps one or two photos of covers of violent video games. He could also make some observations - invite friends over to play the games and observe their demeanor before, during and after the games. For title I would use something like "The Effect of Video Games on Youth"
Good luck.
