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Heartlander · 80-89, M
Yes.
In one of my previous lives I spent dozens, if not hundreds of hours inside flight simulators. The purpose of those simulators, among other things, is to give pilots and crew members an opportunity to gain confidence as they walk through very serious inflight emergencies and help them program their brains to stay ahead of their fears and apprehensions.
It was not uncommon to see seasoned pilots in simulators fail and have to repeat over and over as they gain confidence. Bang! Engine fire on takeoff! Do you continue the takeoff or abort? What's the airspeed? How much runway do you have left? Oh no!!! Not enough runway to stop, and not enough airspeed to stay airborne. Oh wait??? It was a false alarm, the engine isn't on fire. May I please have another cup of coffee? To have responded inappropriately to a false alarm could have been as devastating as a real engine fire.
Some video games are like those flight simulators. They program the brain to reach beyond ones apprehensions and fears, and perform with mechanical actions managed by a brain that has factored in all of the details.
Video games can make meaningful contributions to our lives, much like flight simulators help make better pilots. But video games that help kids kill others, even simulated others, make it easier to reach beyond their fears and apprehensions about harming someone.
In one of my previous lives I spent dozens, if not hundreds of hours inside flight simulators. The purpose of those simulators, among other things, is to give pilots and crew members an opportunity to gain confidence as they walk through very serious inflight emergencies and help them program their brains to stay ahead of their fears and apprehensions.
It was not uncommon to see seasoned pilots in simulators fail and have to repeat over and over as they gain confidence. Bang! Engine fire on takeoff! Do you continue the takeoff or abort? What's the airspeed? How much runway do you have left? Oh no!!! Not enough runway to stop, and not enough airspeed to stay airborne. Oh wait??? It was a false alarm, the engine isn't on fire. May I please have another cup of coffee? To have responded inappropriately to a false alarm could have been as devastating as a real engine fire.
Some video games are like those flight simulators. They program the brain to reach beyond ones apprehensions and fears, and perform with mechanical actions managed by a brain that has factored in all of the details.
Video games can make meaningful contributions to our lives, much like flight simulators help make better pilots. But video games that help kids kill others, even simulated others, make it easier to reach beyond their fears and apprehensions about harming someone.