Everything Bad is Good for You by Steven Johnson

I first heard about this book in an article in Time Magazine and found it interesting because the author takes an unusual view about the influence of video games. I find myself in a constant battle with my son about how much time he should spend playing video games. I see (saw) little benefit from these games and picture his brain turning into mush. The author, Steven Johnson, sees video games, especially virtual reality games, as teaching us to think in a new and different way. It's not that our brain is turning into mush, it's that different types of thinking is occuring. With reality games, both reading and writing skills are included when players communicate with each other and they read the cheats or clues for solving the problems in the game. Because of this book, I have had several conversations with my son and stepson about these games. They (and the author) pose some strong arguments about the higher levels of thinking that are required to play these games. I am coming around, very slowly!