James Drogan

On July 23rd I attended a presentation entitled The Impact of Gaming on Society and Learning at the Westport Public Library.  John Fanton, President of The MacArthur Foundation, and Suzanne Seggerman, a MacArthur Fellow, and President and Co-Founder of Games for Change, were co-presenters and jointly moderated the subsequent questions and answers portion of the program.

The focus of the evening it seems to me was on improving the ability of the young to learn.  And not, in seemed to me, just any young, but rather those that had the required support structure (i.e., technology, time, family and friends). 

Now I don't begrudge this for the young are the most important assets we have.   However, what about those young who lack the required support structure?  Is gaming, this opportunity to learn, to survive, thrive, and make a difference in the world, simply adding to the hurdles they already need to overcome?  Is a cultural divide being created that may lead to alienation?

Then there is a second part of this divide that concerns me; the divide between the young and the old.  I'm prompted to raise this question because I recently became eligible for Medicare, the preponderance of the audience at this event was around my age (unscientific, at-a-glance survey), and our granddaughter has been teaching us the finer points of texting.

There was no discussion of the impact of gaming on the older members of the population.  In fact, the one searching question on this issue was avoided.

So, could gaming, as explained on that evening, be creating an archipelago of subcultures based upon one's combination of age and resource availability?  I'm inclined to think so and to further conclude that this would be unhealthy.

Now it seems to me there are three choices that face us.

1. We let things develop along the path suggested by the presenters, invoking the Pirate's Code (see Pirates of the Caribbean).
   
   
2. We recognize that there is a role for gaming in support of older citizens and, subsequently, overcoming the digital divide.
   
   Also see Suzuki, David T., and Peter Knudtson. Wisdom of the Elders : Honoring Sacred Native Visions of Nature. New York: Bantam Books, 1992, 0-553-08862-9 for some additional reasons for closing this particular divide.
   
   
3. We recognize that there may be a substantial number of the young who will be on the wrong side of the divide and that we need to work to close this gap.

The Westport Public Library is a significant institution.  Under the direction of Maxine Bleiweis, it plays an increasingly important role as a center for critical thinking in the community.  It can become a focal point for the sensing and interpretation of critical trends and issues, and support for finding resolution.  It provides a forum for the presentation of provocative ideas and needs to find a way to continue important conversations.