American Street Fighters at Age Ten

"The American Male at Age Ten" reveals the underlying social forces that drive young boys entering adolescence through the description of Colin, an average ten-year-old boy. As Orlean introduces readers to Colin through his hobbies, interests, and endearing social commentary, readers understand the effects of American society on youth development through the bond that Orlean forms between Colin and readers. One paragraph that really held my attention begins at the bottom of page four with, "Street Fighter II is a video game in which two characters have an explosive brawl in a scenic international setting." After this striking introductory sentence, which induces images of disunion and violence elevated to a global scale, Orlean explains that this shockingly nationalistic game "is currently the most popular video-aracade game in America." This pair of introductory sentences operates together to note not only the violent tendencies promoted to young boys through their games but also the widespread hold that video games have over still-developing boys. The way the author works factual evidence into this fictional paragraph to create a sort of argument forces me to think deeper into the relevance of Colin's story in my understanding of American culture. Orlean asserts that by age ten "game prowess becomes a fundamental, essential male social marker," meaning that this need for playing video games transcends Colin as a character. For me, this paragraph made clear the important connection between the profile character Colin and the general "American Male at Age Ten." Also, because the author helps the reader identify with Colin through the specific details in the first few paragraphs, I felt urged by the Street Fighter paragraph to feel concerned and nearly protective over Colin and all of the American Street Fighters at age ten because of their exposure to this game at such a crucial point in their development.