Being Steven Johnson

"But when you immerse yourself in a book, you get a different sort of experience: you enter the author's mind, and peer out at the world through their eyes" (p. 186).

This also is a great description of what happens in Being John Malkovich, which is a movie I happen to love. Anyway, I've spent enough time looking out through Steven Johnson's eyes that I'm pretty sure I would avoid him at a party. With few exceptions, he and I do not like the same shows, movies, or games. It turns out that I am exactly like the BBC responder who was "shocked" that Johnson could write a pop culture book without any references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (p. 203). My primary objections are not so much what he leaves out, but what he includes, mostly because I don't like so many of his examples.

His argument? I buy it. I complained in my last post that he didn't really talk about how much new technology has played a part in increased cognitive development. He covers that in Part 2, and I think the overall points he makes about the complexity of material and technology making us smarter are valid.

I strongly disagree with him that the content can be easily separated from the cognitive challenge the material presents. As a parent, I do not ever, under any circumstances, see myself recommending Grand Theft Auto to my kids (or my husband), no matter how much of a cognitive challenge it may present. However, as an interactive family activity, I have let my children watch my husband play Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Colossus and [blush] Resident Evil. The spectator kids can keep track of my husband's entire inventory, tell him which weapons are most effective, and they play complex imaginary games based on characters from the games (e.g., in one scenario, Lara Croft (TR) and Jill Valentine (RE) are best friends). My son, who does not like writing for school, writes lists of weapons, ammo, passwords, hints and draws maps for the game. My daughter reads our favorite walkthroughs when my husband gets stuck. As the family moral compass, I am in the room reading a book and vocally disapproving of violent video games. I have seen firsthand how quickly and easily the kids can absorb complex game stories, strategies, etc. and apply what they learn in one game to another. We have also had some interesting discussions about gun violence, what would happen if you jumped off a building in the real world, etc. As an unexpected bonus for me, video gaming has led my kids to look for new books in the library on a variety of subjects ranging from military weaponry to what the inside of a real Hindu temple looks like.

So, overall, I'd say playing games, watching tv, and surfing the net are all good for you...in moderation and with adult supervision, of course. For libraries and educational institutions, this means recognizing that incorporating various media types is becoming increasingly necessary to help patrons/students develop 21st century problem-solving skills.