Literature Review

Hinsliff 2006 reports on the discussion of age labelling video games and planned talks between Ministers and the industry regarding the information that parents need to help choose the right game titles for their children. However, Martin 2008 suggests that parents do not feel the need of taking such precautions as they trust their children enough to ‘’self regulate’’. Hinsliff 2006 also discusses the effects of violent games on young children and refers to an incident which occurred where a young boy of 14 was stabbed to death. It was said that the boy’s murderer was obsessed with a well known violent video game and as a result of this incident a campaign to have such titles banned was made by the victim’s mother.

Phillips 2005 discusses a study on brain activity using P300 response which is a characteristic signal recording of brain waves, the study was carried out on experienced gamers who had been exposed to violent games which resulted in them having a low response when exposed to graphic images. Phillips had suggested the gamers had become ‘desensitised’. Although, Metro 2008 claims that not enough substantial evidence exists to support the theory that violent video games cause violence in real life.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths: Fast learner, helpful, organised, understanding, enthusiasm

Weaknesses: Essay writing, Individual presentations (confidence to speak in public)

Opportunities: Furthering my career, gain more knowledge, develop on skills I have already

Threats: Money,Distractions

VARK Learning Questionnaire

The VARK questionnaire confirmed that I am a Kinesthetic learner which means I learn best by actually doing an activity. I believe this to be true as I often have to carry out a task to grasp the concept of how it all fits together. I think it is quite interesting to discover this as I can now work using my learning style to help me progress. My least favourite style of learning is reading and writing as I tend to not take in as much information when reading from a sheet or lecture notes and can often forget what has been written. A way of improving this could be to read the information several times and think about what has been written.

Learning Timeline

As most people I attended Primary School and then went onto Secondary School. Whilst at Secondary School I found it hard to choose a specific subject which I would choose to continue into a career and so after school I decided to go straight into work. My first job was for a company based in Kelvedon called Flying Brands. This was a simple call centre position which allowed me to develop my customer service and computer skills. As I had already gained experience in a call centre with Flying Brands I got a job with Marsh Insurance in Witham. I really enjoyed this position as it was more varied and I was able to take on more responsibility the longer I was there. Like most young people I soon wanted more money and decided to go up to the big city in search for a more beneficial job. Visa Europe was an established company where I worked as a receptionist. I thrived in this environment as I enjoy interaction with people. After 6 months of travelling to and from London I could not handle the commute any longer, it was draining on my life and money. I decided to stick to a job which was closer to home, Dalkia Lighting. This was a small company but I really enjoyed my time there. I then moved to Colchester and found a job with a media agency, it was here I decided on my next career move which was to attend University.