Everything Bad is Good For You Kristie Evans

Section 1 Summary The first part fo the book talks about how modern culture descourages the use of video games amongstthe younger generation and compares it to the way previous cultures condemned the use of books by their younger people. He argues that video game are not all that bad and actually bring benefits, but we overlook this because we are convinced they are a waste of time.

Section 2 Summary Jhonson talks about the complexity of video games and how they encourage complex thinking. He uses his personal experience as an example and shows excerpts from videogame rules to prove his point.

Section 3 Summary In this section Johnson introduces television as another entertainment device that has been condemned by scholars and parents. The author shows that, like video games, "popular television shows [...]have also increased the cognitive work they demand from their audience." By mapping the simultaneous plot lines that occur in a series like The Sopranos and comparing it to the same map based on I Love Lucy, Johnson makes a visualization of the narrative evolution of television. The Sopranos touché duo to ten underlying plot lines in a single episode while I Love Lucy would drift between two maybe three simultaneous plots.

Section 4 Summary Shows a couple decades ago depended on plot giveaways so that their audience would be able to keep up with the story, "these hints serve as a narrative handholding [...] they reduce the amount of analytic work you need to make sense of the story." New shows like E.R. openly use medical lingo even tough they know most of their audience will not be able to make sense of the doctors' dialogue. The growing need of background information that each episode holds has increased exponentially, "the average Simpsons episode contains around eight gags that explicitly refer to movies." Demanding references like these were not a factor popular shows, nowadays, they are part of every-day television material.