Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Cognitive dissonance

The Profit Burglar and I needed to debrief after yesterday's user group meeting, so - as it was an evening I was looking after the New Ninja Bomber - we retired to my place rather than the pub.

After we'd finished our work related chat, and after my six year old had dispatched his homework and been fed and watered, Ben and Paul started up Marvel Unlimited Alliance on the XBOX 360 in cooperative mode and fought their way together through all of the first level. Even though Paul - as Thor - fell in their climactic battle with Fing Fang Foon, Ben - as Wolverine - managed to defeat the dragon alone and fight his way through to a Shield Access Point where he could save game's current status and resurrect his brother in arms.

Thinking of the fun they had for half an hour or so leads me to conclude that - like much else - the conventional wisdom that "video game play is socially isolating", bears very little relation to reality.

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