If Henry Jenkins were not a big time professor I would be very wary of the arguments he poses in this article on the PBS website. Yes, they make sense and sound legitimate but if they were written by anyone else I would wonder if the facts were somehow manipulated or taken out of context. In this article some of Jenkins’ arguments don't seem to be solid but more like the last desperate attempts to refute a long established argument. It is important for him to establish his credibility because the issues he is arguing against are fairly well established and accepted in society, i.e. The harmful effects of video games. In order for people to take his arguments seriously he must give them a reason to trust the validity of his arguments. Jenkins uses ethos to back up his arguments, and it is very convincing.
Henry Jenkins currently is a professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts at Provost but he used to be the co-director of comparative studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Some programs that he oversees have to do with video games and their role in society. He has done quite a bit of research in video games critical studies in order to gain a better understanding of what it is about video games that appeals to certain audiences. Jenkins is the author of many books, articles, and papers, many of which have to do with video games and other entertainment media technology. Given his background and education he should be a perfectly credible and trustworthy source. His hands-on experience and research makes him a more dependable source than if this article had been written by a student who had done an afternoon’s worth of internet research.
Underneath the title of “Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked,” is written ‘Henry Jenkins- MIT Professor;” Right off the bat he is establishing his credibility. One would expect a person with such a high level of education and a position at a university dedicated to technology to know what they are talking about and be able to successfully establish and back up his arguments.
Not only does he use his own credibility and professional career to validate his arguments butJenkins merges his voice with the voices of other professionals to support his writing. To refute the argument that video games is one of the leading causes of youth violence Jenkins provides information from the Sugeon General's report as well as some arguments of David Grossman, a former psycologist for the military and moral reformer. Jenkin's ability to call on the reliable credibility to solidify his arguments which makes the reader more apt to listen to and consider his point of view on the issue of video games and their social impact.
Henry Jenkins uses a professorly voice and intellectual language to give an air of confidence, competence, and intelligence, all three of which work together to make him sound like a credible and reliable source. Because you know right from the start that Jenkins is a very educated professor with a strong background in technology, you do not think too long about the validity of his reasoning. When he uses words such as “clearly” you assume since he is an expert that when he says something is “clearly” one thing, or “obviously” another, you accept it because you trust that he has done his research and is qualified to be able to say an observation is “obvious” and nearly common sense. The matter-of-fact way that Jenkins states his arguments gives an air of confidence and cool assurance, as if he does not care if you do not believe him but you would be a fool not to.
