Mainstream coverage of video games is painful. As folks that engage with video games and games culture, we get that. But every now and then a little slither of light, of common sense. Perhaps something akin more like a truth bomb, a sword of truth that cuts through the bullshit. Alright — I’m out of rubbish metaphors, but you get my point, every now and then some form of mainstream media does a good job of discussing games. This TED talk, which discusses how video games actually affect human beings, as opposed to imposing silly old fashioned judgements based on moral panic, does a great job of completely debunking all the rubbish we’re used to hearing.
Just as an example — playing video games is thought to actually help our eyesight, they don’t completely destroy it.
But beyond that, the TED Talk also makes suggestions as to how video games can help us improve ourselves — in terms of multitasking, focus and learning. Interesting stuff. Definitely worth watching, irrespective of your opinion of video games or TED Talks as a whole.
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