Is Gaming an Epidemic?

If you play video games you have probably been told that they are a waste of time. Even if don’t consider gaming a hobby, you have probably noticed that gaming has become a heavily scrutinized topic by the media in recent years. Recently, China passed a law where citizens under the age of 18 restricted to 90 minutes per weekday and have an online curfew of 10 p.m. (Click HERE for more information).

Many people believe that the rise in gamers among the current youth is evidence of widespread addiction and that gaming has serious ramifications on young people. They have cited gaming as a hindrance to academics and have even noticed a correlation between gaming and nearsightedness. Some people believe that the rise in popularity of video games is detrimental to our youth while others see it as healthy new way of fun and socialization. Which side do you see yourself on? Do you think that the United States Government should follow in the footsteps of China and place restrictions on our youth? Do you believe the Chinese Government should be allowed to restrict children’s activities or should that be up to the parents?

Getting Paid While Playing

If you are a student athlete you have probably heard in the news that recently California Governor Gavin Newsom signed off on the Fair Pay to Play Act. This legislation takes effect in 2023 and will allow student athletes of California universities to profit off of their name, image, and likeness. Examples of this could include profit from autographs, jersey sales, and independent brand deals. This law will overrule NCAA policy which prohibits this behavior.

          This act has created gained so much traction because it makes California the first state to take action against this heavily scrutinized NCAA policy. In the past many had argued that a policy like this one would create more corruption among NCAA athletes and because of this believe that this is a step in the wrong direction. They oppose California’s recent Fair Pay to Play act as they feel it will create an unfair advantage for schools in California and in future states which allow athletes to profit from themselves. 

          On the other hand, professional athletes such as Richard Sherman and Draymond Green believe this is a much needed step in the right direction. Shortly after news broke Sherman was quoted saying, “I hope it destroys the NCAA in general because I think it's corrupt and it's a bunch of people taking advantage of kids,” (You can read more about what they had to say HERE). The NCAA is a multi billion dollar industry that profits off student representing their schools in athletics. Sherman believes it is only fair that students begin profiting off their themselves as well. He thinks that this is the right step because it is the first step to abolishing this rule once and for all.

          Do you think that the Fair Pay to Play Act is necessary? Do you think it will create future problems within the industry? Do you think that other states will follow in the footsteps of California?

My Name

The origin of first name Daniel is not very complex. My parents weren’t very attached to any boy name before I was born. They didn’t know my gender before the birth so they were prepared with both boy and girl names. The name that really stuck with them was Leyla. This was a name they had picked out if they had a girl, so it got passed on to my sister, who was named Leyla. My parents liked the name Daniel because it was normal and my dad liked that it was a little bit Hispanic. He wanted me to have a Hispanic name because he is from Honduras. 

My dad was born and raised in Honduras and moved to the United States when he was a sophomore in high school. He also attended New Trier. The most interesting part of my name in my opinion is my middle name: Eduardo. This part of my name is obviously Hispanic. This is something that both of my sisters have in common with me. My dad chose it because it is similar to the middle name that him and my grandfather share: Edgardo. My dad didn’t want to give me the same middle name because he is a junior. He shares the same name as my grandfather. He always disliked the fact that this created confusion so he chose something that was similar but not the same so that it didn’t seem like we had the same name.