It's all in your perspective ... reality is relative. Those, like me, who have been successful readers using books and print can't imagine a world without it. Because we are readers, we feel that reading is valuable and important. How else can one have so many experiences without leaving the safety and security of your favorite reading spot? My sons are not readers, they are gamers. This has been a source of anxiety and sorrow for me. I am NOT a gamer ... don't know an XBox from a Wii ... have never played a game. I have often wondered how they could "waste" so much time perfecting their performance on the latest game system. They have often expressed amazement at how much time I "waste" sitting in a chair with a book in hand. We have talked about it ... I would love for them to experience what I feel feel when I am in the middle of a really good read ... time and place disappear and I am transported. When away from the book I miss the characters or continue thinking of the issues ... the period of history ... the connections to my life and the world. While I am reading, I AM alone ... interacting with text instead of other people. And I would be lying if I did not admit that there were times (many!) when I have chosen my book over some type of social interaction. But it doesn't feel like alone because my mind is filled with the characters and world of my book.
My sons, especially the younger one, have often asked me to play along. My answer has always been the same - no. I have often given them a book that I know they would love. They keep it awhile, then return it unfinished. I can see my reading through their perspective - reading may look like it is isolating, insulated from life ... but it doesn't FEEL that way. I am getting an inkling that I may have similar misperceptions about gaming.
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