The mainstream media takes a shot at pop culture every chance it gets. Politicians join crusades to ban video games. Reality TV is brain-dead entertainment. Steven Johnson says it all makes us smarter, a gutsy cry for people to use common sense when dealing with these things, and he pulls it off.
While the deep scientific communities may argue he hasn't performed any hard research, everyone else, those who can simply process a basic thought, will make perfect sense of Johnson's argument. There's really no need for research. He showcases his side via every day examples, relaying back to the reader previous points that simply make you say out loud, "This guy is right!" He makes his case starting with video games, moves to TV, and then the internet. He then wraps it all up in convincing style that's easy enough to anyone to pick up and read over a short weekend.
Early in this somewhat short book, Johnson makes a perfect example from a High School math equivalency test, and then compares it to a section in Nintendo's Zelda. Not only does the comparison make sense, he makes the perfect argument that either way the problem is presented, the thought process to make it to the end answer is the same. He even tackles the topic of media violence briefly before the book finishes, stating the one stat that most major news outlets seem to miss: Violent crime rates have taken a significant hit as media violence has increased.
He also makes his case through television, using the multiple plot lines some shows now feature. Thirty years ago, a show like CSI never would have worked, simply because other television shows were so straightforward. After years of exposure, we've now managed to move past the simplicity of Mork & Mindy, and into an era of complicated stories that require, at times, a deep thought process just to follow. Johnson slowly works his side, pulling you in by example, and then sending you back out thoroughly convinced.
At times, he takes multiple pages to explain how all of this works. That's fine. It makes for a stronger argument, and one that's hard not to believe when you're done. It's a book more people should read then they will, and hopefully, his argument will enter into mainstream thought. At the very least, if you don't buy the fact that Zelda can make kids smarter, you'll understand that a kid isn't just sitting there brain-dead for hours at a time.
Article comments
1 - extreme unction
i saw him being interviewed on The Daily Show, his argument is very very weak. he does not mention the opportunity cost of playing these "intelligent" video games (labryinthine plots, multi-move combos, etc are not intelligent, just complicated). would hours spent playing these games be better spent reading? does metal gear solid develop a person's vocabulary? does it foster social skills?
would a parent wanting their child to grow up and be a lawyer or a doctor, etc, provide a selection of video games to enhance intelligence and promote academic performance?
i don't think so
it's a joke
2 - Matt Paprocki
So, playing through a Final Fantasy title with hours of text dialogue doesn't count as reading? If reading is the ultimate educational tool (and I'm not arguing it's not), then does it matter how are kids are doing it? Reading in a game is actually deeper than a book. Not only does a child need to follow the storyline, they need to process the tasks at hand, and complete complicated puzzles that aren't that different from questions on a high school quiz. That's a lot of work for a young (or even older) mind, and it's going to make them think far more than the latest Harry Potter book.
How can a child program a VCR and most parents can't? It's an old joke, but a true one. Your kid may not know what year Abraham Lincoln was born, but he can use a computer, and that's going to get him further in life and in his career. If games are their pathway to becoming interested in them, so be it.
Read the book. You'll understand.
3 - Ken Edwards
Did you see the author of this book was on The Cobert Report a couple nights ago? They have a video clip of it on on the Comedy Central website.
As usual for Cobert, its pretty funny.