Partly, I just want to see the Pop VS. Soda VS. Soft Drink etc. fight, but also I wanted to chime in that there's already a soda that uses green tea: Cricket Cola.
They, apparently, are hiding on the intarweb and don't believe in having a company web page, so I turn you here.
I do not agree that video games are making kids dumber. Not at all. Creative, math, and enginnering skills, you say? Let's start.
Creative: As short as video games are getting these days, I'd still say that any good video game RPG gives a child a -solid- idea of narrative structure-- we can teach children stories through media other than text. People did it for thousands of years before the press and widespread literacy, so if text can supplement oral storytelling, so can multi-media.
Let's not forget online gaming. I was 12 when I started playing in mechcommander leagues-- completely constructed by players, for free, just so they all had a fun community to play in. Creating rules, social routine, maps, all of that-- it's a completely creative process. -And- other people interact with your creations. And trust me, mechcommander is absolutely tiny compared to other communities.
Math: Strategy games teach -plenty- of applied math skills. Even First Person Shooters give an idea of geometry (though, yes, the physics is sketchy in even the best games). And what about games like Black and White and The Sims: the latter is the biggest moneymaking game in the world, and it's -all- about management and creation.
Engineering: I think the above covers some of that, though this is the one area that I can't think of any but a few niche games. I will say, though, that while engineering may not be engaged in many games, MMOs can lend a very applicable sense of power structures to young gamers. Not "he has a level 10 fireball, so don't step to him," but "this guy is in charge of this group because he does X, Y, and Z." The social skills that are needed to employ this understanding need to be learned elsewhere, of course, and the internet is not the best place to learn them-- but it stands to reason that no one ever learned -everything- they needed to know about any of these subjects from Legos alone anyway.
The kids will be just fine.
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Innovation, viola! http://mail.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic= 1555
But thanks for playing.
Partly, I just want to see the Pop VS. Soda VS. Soft Drink etc. fight, but also I wanted to chime in that there's already a soda that uses green tea: Cricket Cola. They, apparently, are hiding on the intarweb and don't believe in having a company web page, so I turn you here.
I do not agree that video games are making kids dumber. Not at all. Creative, math, and enginnering skills, you say? Let's start. Creative: As short as video games are getting these days, I'd still say that any good video game RPG gives a child a -solid- idea of narrative structure-- we can teach children stories through media other than text. People did it for thousands of years before the press and widespread literacy, so if text can supplement oral storytelling, so can multi-media. Let's not forget online gaming. I was 12 when I started playing in mechcommander leagues-- completely constructed by players, for free, just so they all had a fun community to play in. Creating rules, social routine, maps, all of that-- it's a completely creative process. -And- other people interact with your creations. And trust me, mechcommander is absolutely tiny compared to other communities. Math: Strategy games teach -plenty- of applied math skills. Even First Person Shooters give an idea of geometry (though, yes, the physics is sketchy in even the best games). And what about games like Black and White and The Sims: the latter is the biggest moneymaking game in the world, and it's -all- about management and creation. Engineering: I think the above covers some of that, though this is the one area that I can't think of any but a few niche games. I will say, though, that while engineering may not be engaged in many games, MMOs can lend a very applicable sense of power structures to young gamers. Not "he has a level 10 fireball, so don't step to him," but "this guy is in charge of this group because he does X, Y, and Z." The social skills that are needed to employ this understanding need to be learned elsewhere, of course, and the internet is not the best place to learn them-- but it stands to reason that no one ever learned -everything- they needed to know about any of these subjects from Legos alone anyway. The kids will be just fine.
I'm in your google base. I'm killing your google mans!