Campus increases our smarts

I think it is safe to say that there isn’t one thing you can do without making you smarter. Every activity we do every day benefits us in some way. For example, sports. It isn’t just learning new rules and how to play a game that makes us more competent at the sport, but it’s the way you communicate with teammates and coaches that enhances our ability to play the game. In a game of doubles tennis, you have to communicate very quickly about who’s going to get that ball down the middle of the court, or the other team will gain those points. When you’re the quarterback in football, you better let your linemen know the play, or you’re going to get pounded by that defense. Sports are a great example of activities that make us smarter because they teach us to communicate efficiently.

Aside from sports, there are many things that can make you smarter just by living in a dorm. A great example of this is playing video games. Steven Johnson mentions that many video games involve puzzles, or instances where you think you’re lost or doing the wrong thing, but really you are on the right track. Playing the world war II xbox game Brothers In Arms will help demonstrate this. There are many times when there is a bunker with a group of soldiers behind it laying down heavy fire on you and they’ve got you pinned down. This creates a problem, because if you move, you’re going to eat a face-full of bullets. When you come across a problem, you have to solve it. The thing that is unique about Brothers In Arms is that you command two soldiers on your side. Going back to the “pinned behind the bunker” scene, you can command your troops to lay down suppressing fire on the enemy, giving you just enough time to escape. As Steven Johnson says, it isn’t just hand-eye coordination that you acquire from video games, but you also acquire the skill to solve problems.