October 19, 2005

• Fair's fair . . . his writing of English may be weak, but Dmitry's
  ability to read is gettin' on up there.  Turns out he actually
  reads those gaming magazines of which he's so powerful fond! 
  (It's reached the point Don tries to sneak off to the bookstore,
  otherwise Dmitry comes charging out begging either "Can I go?  Can
  I go?" or at the least pleading for a new magazine.)

  Case in point:  last night Dmitry triumphantly brought to my
  attention an article in the latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly
  ("The #1 Videogame Magazine....it says it right there on the cover),
  because said article refutes the conventional wisdom saying too much
  video gaming is detrimental to one's intellect.  "How gaming
  builds your mental muscle" was the point being made, and doggone if
  Dmitry didn't insist upon reading me  -  out loud 
  -  every single word of the piece.

  And by jingo, the vocabulary contained within it was impressive; here
  is a short sample of what Dmitry was able to read quickly and well:

  "[People assume] that what's
  happening to kids while they are watching television is the same as
  what's happening to them while they are playing a videogame.  But
  there's a huge difference between a passive medium like television and
  a participatory one like videogames.  When you see a kid staring
  at a videogame, you're seeing concentration and focus.  You're
  seeing them deal with a very complicated environment full of
  variables.  Lots of problems to solve.  That's the look of
  somebody who's paying attention, not the look of a zombie."

  I'm not addressing whether the author has a point or not, ye ken; I was
  simply impressed that Dmitry had taken the trouble to read an article
  with such complicated language, that he comprehended it sufficiently to
  realize it played right into his hands and this is something he wanted
  me to hear, and that he was able to read it fluently, only tripping a
  bit over "participatory" and "variables."

  I think he did right well, and so I told him.  

  • 2:40 pm
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