Memorial Day reflections

This weekend the two grandsons got three new games for the PlayStation 2. The room resounds with the clash and bang of competing armies and navies and combatants as they guide them through the maze and the mayhem. I had qualms about so many new violent games. And with tomorrow being Memorial Day is all seemed somehow inappropriate. But then I received this in an e-mail:

“I couldn’t help but smile at your post about mining videogames. As I grew up I spent a lot of time playing very number/rule heavy videogames like civilization, railroad tycoon, simcity, etc. Now as I grow up I find myself attracted to reactor design and flowsheet design for some of the same reasons - a problem to play with that needs optimizing. When the numbers go up, you know you’re having more fun.”

The writer is working on a masters in hyrometallurgy.

Watching the boys at the PlayStation and at the table with a new set of Pokimon cards I was excited to see how they cooperated to find their way around the games and tackle the problems. I am convinced it is good for their social interaction, planning-skill development, and manual dexterity. I am in full support of such games, as I suspect that they will lead to commercially and life-style productive activities later on.

I recall my son in the early days of computer games playing in a similar fashion. True he abandoned all such games when he turned 15 and discovered girls. His activities increased when he joined the ROTC and he put on a white uniform; the local girls found this irresistable, and we had many a father-to-son talk. Now he is on the USS Chousin and I am not supposed to know were they are sailing, but I do watch the news of Gulf activities carefully and despair at the statistics from Iraq.

So as we head for the beach and the pool tomorrow, I, like so many, will pause for but a minute in tribute to the military and those who fight and die for our freedoms and the right to play video games that hopefully will lead to better miners and analysts and fewer fighters infused with vain bravado and anger. We owe them more than we can express.