The following appeared in an editorial in a business magazine.
"Although the sales of Whirlwind video games have declined over the past two years, a recent survey of video-game players suggests that this sales trend is about to be reversed. The survey asked video-game players what features they thought were most important in a video game. According to the survey, players prefer games that provide lifelike graphics, which require the most up-to-date computers. Whirlwind has just introduced several such games with an extensive advertising campaign directed at people ten to twenty-five years old, the age-group most likely to play video games. It follows, then, that the sales of Whirlwind video games are likely to increase dramatically in the next few months."
Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.
The editorial published in the business magazine is rife with fallacies and provides illogical arguments to support the conclusion. According to the editor, sales of Whirlwind video games have declined over the past two years and based on few surveys they conclude that the sales of Whirlwind video games are likely to increase “dramatically” in the next few months.
Firstly, the Whirlwind video games take a survey based on which they assume that the declining trend in their video games is going to be reduced. The survey was based on the liking of the players like What features they thought were most important in a video game? So, instead of understanding the abate in sales, they ask players about their preferences. Hence, the survey does not provide any valid reasons for the decrease in sales. Also, the survey fails to explain the sample of the population, the survey was taken for as different age group might have different preferences for the game type.
Secondly, the editor points out that according to the survey, the players preferred games that provide lifelike graphics which require the most up-to-date computers and Whirlwind are introducing several such games which could boost their business. This is based on a false assumption. The player's preference belies the fact that not all players might have up-to-date computers, they might prefer or desire games with lifelike graphics on new gadgets and gizmos but might not own them. Also, no information is provided to understand the genre of games that the players like as this is an important detail for the games regardless of the high or lifelike graphics.
Thirdly, Whirlwind introduced their games with an extensive advertising campaign directed at people of the age group ten to twenty-five assuming that they are the consumers of the product. This is a shred of dubious evidence in support of the conclusion as only the age group of ten to twenty-five does not need to play games on devices. In this modern era, the gaming industry has spread to different ages. Different streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube consists of many successful streamers that play games and are above twenty-five years of age. Also, it is superfluous that every age group might appreciate the game as the younger age group might not be allowed to play games that contain gore or swearing in them. Hence, it is groundless that the advertisement would be of benefit to the Whirlwind games.
In conclusion, Whirlwind games should make an effort to understand their mistakes and find the reason for the decline in sales and then make an effort to change this trend. Also, making games for only up-to-date computers would further decrease their sales instead they should be looking to provide options to different users such that it does not become a necessity. Hence, the conclusion was a vague prognosis based on weak arguments.
Comments
e-rater score report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 3.5 out of 6
Category: Satisfactory Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 2 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 4 2
No. of Sentences: 20 15
No. of Words: 479 350
No. of Characters: 2362 1500
No. of Different Words: 207 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.678 4.7
Average Word Length: 4.931 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.55 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 156 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 124 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 90 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 63 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 23.95 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 9.097 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.65 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.319 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.537 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.113 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 3, column 295, Rule ID: A_INFINITVE[1]
Message: Probably a wrong construction: a/the + infinitive
...ideo game? So, instead of understanding the abate in sales, they ask players about their ...
^^^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 290, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[1]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'players'' or 'player's'?
Suggestion: players'; player's
...his is based on a false assumption. The players preference belies the fact that not all...
^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
also, but, first, firstly, hence, if, look, second, secondly, so, then, third, thirdly, in conclusion
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 20.0 19.6327345309 102% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 12.0 12.9520958084 93% => OK
Conjunction : 11.0 11.1786427146 98% => OK
Relative clauses : 15.0 13.6137724551 110% => OK
Pronoun: 35.0 28.8173652695 121% => Less pronouns wanted
Preposition: 68.0 55.5748502994 122% => OK
Nominalization: 6.0 16.3942115768 37% => More nominalizations (nouns with a suffix like: tion ment ence ance) wanted.
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2424.0 2260.96107784 107% => OK
No of words: 479.0 441.139720559 109% => OK
Chars per words: 5.06054279749 5.12650576532 99% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.67825486995 4.56307096286 103% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.64880616367 2.78398813304 95% => OK
Unique words: 216.0 204.123752495 106% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.450939457203 0.468620217663 96% => OK
syllable_count: 742.5 705.55239521 105% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59920159681 100% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 6.0 4.96107784431 121% => OK
Article: 11.0 8.76447105788 126% => OK
Subordination: 0.0 2.70958083832 0% => More adverbial clause wanted.
Conjunction: 0.0 1.67365269461 0% => OK
Preposition: 4.0 4.22255489022 95% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 20.0 19.7664670659 101% => OK
Sentence length: 23.0 22.8473053892 101% => OK
Sentence length SD: 56.4525243014 57.8364921388 98% => OK
Chars per sentence: 121.2 119.503703932 101% => OK
Words per sentence: 23.95 23.324526521 103% => OK
Discourse Markers: 5.05 5.70786347227 88% => OK
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 2.0 5.25449101796 38% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 8.0 8.20758483034 97% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 4.0 6.88822355289 58% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 8.0 4.67664670659 171% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.385428705706 0.218282227539 177% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.116907856847 0.0743258471296 157% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.095187375911 0.0701772020484 136% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.236547724027 0.128457276422 184% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.103738145338 0.0628817314937 165% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.4 14.3799401198 100% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 48.13 48.3550499002 100% => OK
smog_index: 3.1 7.1628742515 43% => Smog_index is low.
flesch_kincaid_grade: 12.3 12.197005988 101% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.36 12.5979740519 98% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 8.37 8.32208582834 101% => OK
difficult_words: 109.0 98.500998004 111% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 13.5 12.3882235529 109% => OK
gunning_fog: 11.2 11.1389221557 101% => OK
text_standard: 14.0 11.9071856287 118% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Rates: 66.67 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 4.0 Out of 6
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.