Last Updated on August 25, 2014 by James Dziezynski
It is well-documented though rarely mentioned that Thoreau’s “isolated” cabin in Walden was only about a mile from town — a short enough walk for his elderly mother to regularly bring him fresh cookies. The myth of seclusion fits so neatly with the ideas in his writings that it’s easy to overlook the fact he was a 15 minute walk from civilization.
I bring this up because at age 38, I’m working as a professional writer — have been now for almost 20 years. Like most writers, I have my routines that help the words flow. And like most writers, I do a lot of stuff that isn’t all that interesting or particularly artistic to pay the bills (unless you are a cat food label aficionado). There are times when I wish the myth of what I did was more in line with what I actually do. I do have a cat and I do brood from time to time but otherwise, it’s far less interesting. I mow the lawn or play darts for inspiration. Sadly, I don’t own a mountain cabin to isolate myself to channel genius and even if I did, my Mom’s cookies would still be 2,000 miles away.
You can say that again, Lord British!
One of the things I regularly do to prime myself for good writing, however, is play video games. Old video games, great and primitive, are at the start of many an article. I bet Thoreau would have had a Gameboy if he could have and with good reason — science is keen to point out that gaming can be incredibly good for the brain. New studies have shown that certain types of games — mostly those with complex goals such as the Civilization series — contribute to brain development, specifically in creating new neural pathways. But of course you don’t need studies to know this — the people you know who are dedicated gamers tend to be pretty bright.
Am I saying video games make me smarter?
Yes, yes I am.
I say this based on how much easier it is to actually work after 30 minutes (or, uh 4 hours) of playing games that involve deep memorization, concentration and focus. It’s kind of like yoga except instead of babes in yoga pants, there’s fat Italian plumbers. Gaming presents a trance of its own, where one’s intention and purpose are clear and the outside world simply disappears for a time — kind of like how many practitioners of meditation explain their own heightened states.
Whether we like it or not, we all have our processes that let us develop our expressive talents. And while it would be awesome if they had some kind of mystical, deep beginning, sometimes they involve a hyper hedgehog smashing into a mechanical flying chicken. As the mostly unstable Hunter S. Thompson famously said,”I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me”.
It’s like that, but a whole lot nerdier. And it works for me.
Ok, so some games might actually make you dumber.
