When we talk about the unique power of video games, we often cite their ability to engage us in thorny challenges, to envelop our attention and commitment, to overwhelm our senses and intellects as we strive to master physical trials of a battle or work out the optimal strategy for an economy.

Usually we’re right when we think this, no matter the subject or purpose of the game. Indeed, one of the benefits of games over media like print, image, and film is how effectively they occupy our attention, forcing us to become practitioners of their problems rather than casual observers. From algebra to zombies, good games captivate us with sophistication of thought and action.

If we imagine that this sophistication is the gain on an amplifier, we might realize that some problems don’t need the levels cranked up to 11. And not just because they are casual games, or games meant to relax us or to facilitate our interaction with friends.

No, some games just don’t take on topics that interesting. They are regimens more than experiences. Tools more than art. Drills more than challenges.

The International Civil Aviation Organization requires that flight crews provide passengers with explanations of the safety and emergency features of a commercial aircraft before takeoff.

If you are an experienced flyer, you’ve heard such demonstrations enough that you probably ignore them. “Who needs to be taught how to use the safety belt,” you might grumble as you thumb through upholstered pet beds in the ubiquitous SkyMall catalog.

Air travel is very safe, after all — far safer than driving. As distressing as recent airline crashes like Continental 3407 and Air France 447 might be, According to aggregated by LiveScience the odds of dying in an airplane crash in the United States are 1 in 20,000, compared to 1 in 246 for falling down, 1 in 100 for motor vehicle accidents, and 1 in 5 for heart disease.

For flying to become as risky as driving, a commercial jet would have to crash and kill a full complement of passengers once a month. Statistically, the flight safety demonstration would be more productively used to dissuade passengers from eating at the fast food restaurants in the terminal upon arrival.

Despite the low risk, who can’t spare five minutes? Why not figure out where the nearest exits are and remind yourself how the oxygen masks work? The best reason is not the most obvious: the airlines’ demonstration practices have actually made it harder to do so.

Read the entire article online at Gamasutra

published July 28, 2009