Sixteen Ton – Whaddya Get?

To the editor: I have to congratulate your last issue which detailed a variety of stories revolved around educational approaches to gaming. What a fresh, diverse approach to the subject matter. I consistently look to your articles to enlighten, educate and inspire me. So often in a gaming genre periodical the subject matter only revolves around reviews of the art, gameplay or surface structure of any given game. I appreciate your approach to stepping outside the box to examine the more often overlooked.

Thanks for all the great writing,

– David

In Response to “D&D Therapy” from The Escapist Forum: This is a wonderful article. It demonstrates the incredible power of the anecdotal evidence on our side of the debate, which is probably the ideal counter to the equally anecdotal evidence on the other side of the debate. More, it does so with a balance and a measure that every voice on the anti-gaming side sorely lacks. It will be nice, someday, to have some statistics, but in the meantime it’s as least as good to have talented writers like Ms. Lafferty to encourage us in the face of gaming’s foes. Thank you, Ms. Lafferty.

– TinPeregrinus

In Response to “Purchase is Participation” from The Escapist Lounge: That’s an interesting way to think of being a gamer.

Hmm, after looking at my own view on the subject I see this philosophy of purchase is participation as purchase puts one foot in the door to a community. Actually interacting with the community is what puts your other foot through the door. So while purchase may in some form be participation that person is missing out on the community he/she is claiming to be apart of.

So to someone who only believed in this philosophy I would say you have a lot of open doors waiting for you to walk through.

– Lex Darko

In Response to “Learning the Gaming Way” from The Escapist Forum: After reading this article and the Australian article linked in the text, I bought a DS Lite and copy of Brain Age for my mother. She is forgetful sometimes and is afraid of Alzheimer’s almost to the point of phobia. She likes playing Sudoku and word games, and she does some gaming of that nature on her iBook, but finds it a little heavy to be as portable as she’d like. I think the DS Lite with its bright screens and simple interface, will hit the spot.

– Ajar