I had a skype call yesterday with my two gorgeous grandsons in Australia. The youngest was delighted with a new little app on my son's I-phone and I have to say it was rather fun! He could press an egg on the screen and each time a different animal would appear. First a mouse, then a rabbit and next a fox and so on ....press, pop and another animal ..very more-ish for a three year old!!
However, at the same time, it gave me food for thought too ..each time he told me which animal it was, I had quite a different chain of connected images to go with the animal which related to events which had just happened in the last couple of day. The rabbit, for example reminded me of the one my cat had just brought in that very morning and was the first sight of my day, as I went downstairs and into the kitchen ....very real indeed!! The fox reminded me of a visit to a friend's place a couple of days earlier..he has two large ponds and the little strip between the stretches of water is a favourite run of a rather friendly fox..trouble is, it is also a nesting place for a family of what was a pair of ducks and seven ducklings..now sadly down to a pair of ducks and three ducklings thanks to the fox!
The ipod was giving instant thrilling instant images, whilst for me in the countryside, each animal was very much part of the chain of life and living with a very physical and inter-connected element to it.
I do wonder just what long term effects the instancy and dis-connected factor of virtual reality will have on the minds of the young? With the animal app, perhaps it was simply charming and educational, but what about some of the other more aggressive virtual games?
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