Do games "sophisticatedly deliver stupidity?"

It's probably no surprise that I am not a gamer. Never have been, not even as a kid. I find electronic games confusing and even a little stressful, really. So, I never quite understand why my kids and husband find it relaxing to play games that make lots of noise, go so fast and require so much concentration!

I probably did think that games were a form of sophisticated stupidity. Until I read more about them. Now, I would have to say that I value the learning benefits that games have to offer. I agree with Johnson that "it is not what you are thinking about when you are playing a game, it's the way you are thinking that matters." Games allow for collateral learning to take place because the player must make strategic decisions througout the game. Playing the game involves evaluating an objective, analyzing circumstances, weighing evidence, determining goals and making judgments. Any activity that requires all of these functions is fairly sophisticated in my book.