Playing Games
Stanford researchers report they reviewed 82 studies trying to find a link between videogames and violence. They found little to none. That’s the good news. (“Stanford researchers scoured every reputable study,” May 2, 2023, Fortune) The bad news is that Stanford, Fortune and politicians who argue one way or the other about videogames all miss the point. They are standing in the middle of a dense forest and cannot see the full reach of the tall trees.
The problem with videogames is that they sap the discretionary time of young and old alike, time that arguably should be spent on any of a myriad of other more productive endeavors, like face-to-face social life, raising kids and participating in democracy.
I have a theory. Addiction to videogames, porn, on-line shopping, substances, food . . . makes folks vulnerable to any crackpot political dictator who comes along promising to make things right for them. Study that, Stanford.
Kimball Shinkoskey
Marin County
Gift Keeps Giving
When Judge Clarence Thomas and “Adolf” Crow discussed the most recent “contribution” to the judge’s burgeoning estate, Crow told Thomas, “This gift has no family. No one knows this gift works here. It will be as if this gift never existed. All that’s left is our friendship.”
Craig J. Corsini
San Rafael
