Reading v. Gaming –massively multiplayer online role-playing game RPG MMORPG –role-playing game Second Life World of Warcraft (WoW) 46 million in the US 12 million WoW –60% subscription base

Reading v. Gaming Negatives:

Reading v. Gaming Positives:

Reading v. Gaming Processing Info –Attention Sit and read for extended periods of time to finish task (book) –New words (Harry Potter) Storing Info –Memory Plot Series Visual cortex –How well you see and pay attention to objects in your visual field –Filter out irrelevant clutter Working memory –How many objects you can hold in your mind –How many objects you can work on simultaneously Encourages general learning over task training –Learning & Innovation Skills (communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving)

Reading v. Gaming 6. Video games are not a meaningful form of expression. Allow players to navigate an expansive and open-ended world Make choices and witness their consequences –Experience guilt over the actions of fictional characters In a book/movie, able to condemn character/artist when they cross certain social boundaries In a game, we choose what happens to the characters 7. Video game play is socially isolating. Meta-gaming (conversation about game content) provides a context for thinking about rules and rule-breaking –Two games taking place simultaneously: Explicit conflict and combat on screen Implicit cooperation and comradeship between/among the players 8. Video game play is desensitizing. Play allows kids to express feelings and impulses that have to be held in check in their real- world interactions  “magic circle” Punching rubber dolls = false marker of aggression –The kid who is punching a toy designed for this purpose is still within the "magic circle" of play and understands her actions on those terms. –Such research shows us only that violent play leads to more violent play.