h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*Have you ever experienced a beneficial effect after playing a computer game?

Isn't this a rather silly question? People play games because they enjoy them, that's the main "beneficial effect" of playing games.


*Do you think teenagers would be turned off if they knew a computer game was 'educational'?

If it was openly educational, yes, of course. But games can be educational without it being necessarily intentional. Blue Byte's 1993 wargame "Historyline" is an enjoyable "Advance Wars"-like recreation of World War I but it also has pictures and text between levels which cover the history of the war which adds atmosphere but also gives the player a basic grounding in the period. Other games (Sid Meier's 1994 game "Colonization" for example) can educate a little as they are played.


*Do you think that we should now accept gaming as a necessary part of growing up?

"Necessary"? Certainly not. It can be a part of growing-up, of course, and I'd say the average young life would be less without it but it's hardly necessary.

*Ever come up with an idea for a great game that won't rot your brain?

Is the insinuation that playing games "rots the brain"? Quite the opposite, even simple games are mentally stimulating. Television (which they've partly replaced) on the other hand *is* often very passive.

*Do you worry about the detrimental effects of gaming 'violence' (guns, war etc.) on youngsters?

A little: the only real scientific investigation into violent media concluded there is a link with regards to aggression but there's nothing which suggests well-balanced people can become violent by playing videogames (and gamers own personal experience will doubtless agree with that). I'd say everything in moderation and that young children should be kept away from violent games.

*Is the recent trend for 'brain training' games just a promotional fad?

Yup!

*As original gamers now hit middle age, is it time to embrace all aspects of gaming as a daily part of our lives?

Of course not; games and gaming are a lifestyle choice, it's not a necessity.