“A large gap exists between the public’s perception of video games and what the research actually shows. The following is an attempt to separate fact from fiction.” By Henry Jenkins

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Essays on Cultural History, Theory and Aesthetics

Edited by Melanie Swalwell and Jason Wilson

“This collection of essays situates the digital gaming phenomenon alongside broader debates in cultural and media studies. Contributors to this volume maintain that computer games are not simply toys, but rather circulate as commodities, new media technologies, and items of visual culture that are embedded in complex social practices. Apart from placing games within longer arcs of cultural history and broader critical debates, the contributors to this volume all adopt a pedagogical and theoretical approach to studying games and gameplay, drawing on the interdisciplinary resources of the humanities and social sciences, particularly new media studies.”

Link to Book Description

“A pair of Harvard researchers say violent video games don’t turn children into killers. According to a newly published book, ‘Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do’, psychologists Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl Olson dispel common myths about violent games. In their two-year study, they found that there was no data to support any causation between games and real-life violence.”

“Years ago, gym teachers waged a war with video games, blaming them for turning children into couch potatoes. For hours on end, children were glued to their seats while their fingers ran rampant over controllers. That all changed when physical education teacher Don Prorok’s brother bought a Nintendo Wii over the summer.”

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“Ever since video games were invented, parents and teachers have been trying to make them boring…. ”

Link to Slate Article

Raising Virtual Children

My Daughter, the Burger-Flipping Penguin

From the New York Times:

“Anxious about the mental cost of aging, older people are turning to games that rely on quick thinking to stimulate brain activity. A step slower than in their youth, they are using digital recreations of bowling, tennis and golf.”

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