Sims creator says gaming good for the brain, does Second Life prove him right?

Posted Mar 21st 2006 4:11PM by Marshall Kirkpatrick
Filed under: gaming

Will Wright, creator of TheSims series of video games, has a new article in Wired describing how he believes gaming is fostering imagination and problem solving in a new generation of young people. Want to see a fascinating example of this? Check out the crazy world of Second Life from Linden Labs. Some people say it's not a game, but Wright's analysis relies on the simulation of social interaction and I know of now better example.

From just the two most recent posts on W. James Au's fantastic New World Notes blog.

The 1920 film Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is being shown tonight in the Pixel Cinema.
There's a Linux users group meeting this weekend.
The Second Life Music Fest will occur simultaneously in Philadelphia and in game.
There was even a protest this week over failure to support key characters in other languages. Weird.

Seems Wright's conclusion about gaming is past the point of deniability, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it appears that it takes some brain power in 2nd Life to get past the glut of sex and commerce there. Perhaps it's just that gaming has a great potential to help with imagination, etc.

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. Everything bad is good for you?

Posted at 5:14PM on Mar 21st 2006 by John

2. Maybe, John, maybe that is the lesson here.

Posted at 5:18PM on Mar 21st 2006 by Marshall Kirkpatrick

3. Just the other day I read that certain video games can help older generations sharpen their minds and delay the onset of dementia.

Posted at 11:30PM on Mar 22nd 2006 by gadget boy

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