Why Games Are Good For You
The article “Why Games Are Good for You” by Steven
Johnson, from the book “Interface
Culture: How New Technology Transforms the Way We Create and Communicate”
(1997). Has a very awkward look and intake on modern pop culture, and the
author explains a personalized opinionated compare and contrast of video games
and reading. He explains that reading isn’t all it’s thought out to be, in fact
he feels that, “reading follows a fixed linear path and that video games engage
the young in complex social relationships with their peers.” Johnson’s intent
of this passage is to explain the subject of reading and video games through a
younger more scientific perspective. He is directing the passage towards the
middle-aged parents of teenagers and young adults. Do to the fact pop-culture
is modern day technology and advances and most of the users of technology is
our youth, and most of the down lookers are their parents or guardians. Johnson
talks about what the world would be like if video games were brought up before
reading and how people would criticize reading. Like how reading is less
interactive and makes our youth less outgoing and more shut off from
interaction with other students.
Steven Johnson’s states how he sat down and played SimCity with his nephew, and just
explaining the game to him made his nephew talk about how “high tax rates in
industrial areas can stifle development.” He talks about how people might think
the knowledge earned in games is because of the flashy graphics, and violence
and sex. However he goes on to say, “Most of the best-selling games games of
all time –have almost no violence and sex in them.” He believes that most
critics of gamers and video games are in fact not gamers themselves and do not
understand the complexities of gaming. Games can be very frustrating, because people
get stuck on complicated levels. These levels take so long to figure out people
think about how to beat the levels while conducting other everyday things like,
work, school, shaving and playing sports. People spend hundreds of dollars of
their hard earned money on guides to help people pass these levels. Johnson
says, “I’d wager that I spent somewhere shockingly close to a thousand dollars
buying assorted cheat sheets, maps, help books, and phone support to assist my usually
futile attempt to complete a video game.” The frustrating aspect of these games
creates long thoughtful nights and stressful days trying to figure out ways to
complete levels or games. Video games move and connect the neurons in your
brain and help memory and other hand-eye coordination and stimulations. Johnson
talks about how kids in school learn algebra however ninety-nine percent of
those kids will never engage their algebraic skills again. He makes the point
of, it’s not the skill they are being taught it’s the mental muscle for which
he says will come in handy somewhere else. “We teach algebra to children
knowingly full well that the day they leave the classroom, ninety-nine percent
of those kids will never again directly employ their algebraic skills.
Conclusively, Steven Johnson explains differences and
similarities between reading and video games. While not talking down on reading
he explains the technological advances of video games today and how they have positive
reactions on young or even older gamers. He states that if video games were
invented before reading that people would look down on reading like they do
video games today. People don’t understand the stimulants and positive brain neuron
movements that video games create. However reading is still the most valuable
way to give and receive information and create exclusive thoughts and stories;
video games can create and involve almost the same type of learning and positive
reactions on children or any gamer at that.
Work
Cited
Johnson,
Steven. “Why Games Are Good For You.” Literature: From Inquiry to Academic
Writing. 2nd ed. United States of America, 2012. Print.
