BOOK REVIEWS 245

vision is an industry with responsibility to our societyor another noxious influence in our culture. This is asolid work by the Group for the Advancement ofPsychiatry and its Committee on Social Issues underthe Chairmanship of Roy Menninger, M.D.

Mind at Play. The Psychology of Video Games, byGeoffrey R. Loftus and Elizabeth F. Loftus. NewYork: Basic Books, 1983, 191 pp., price $14.95.

Reviewed by Anthony D. Meyer, M.D.

Mind at Play is a simply written book for mass con­sumption which introduces the reader to computertechnology, principles of learning by reinforcement,research ideas, and the potential for educational use.The razzle dazzle of the lights and sound, the themesof death and destruction, and the sense of controlwhich underlie the attraction of the games can poten­tially stimulate acting out. The authors are quick topoint out the potential benefits if these elements areharnessed. The partial reinforcement effect providesthe ingredient for addiction; Pac Man, for example,has multiple reinforcements, such as dots, monsters,symbols, music, etc. The games also have a reinforcingquality if one needs to pay for them. Hence, cognitivedissonance accounts for the fact that the reinforce­ment obtained from the games themselves is enhancedrather than countered by having to insert quarter afterquarter.

Video games are "responsive." Fantasy appearsmore important than feedback, but fantasy itself isfeedback. In reading a book, one passively observesfantasies, but when a computer game is played, thereis active participation in the fantasy world created bythe game which alters the outcome of the game. Threebasic ingredients are inherent in the student-computergame experience: challenge, fantasy, and curiosity.Setting the level of difficulty provides the challenge.Physical images and make-believe provide the fanta­sies. An optimal level of informational complexitywhets the curiosity.

The authors provide a readable review of the cog­nitive system, stressing sensory memory, tension,short-term memory, and long-term memory. Elementsof video games are sorted into these categories. Thesebecome building blocks for expectancy as well as ver­bal and visual distinction. One is stimulated to refinetwo mental functions at the same time. Motor andcognitive independence are achieved with practice sothat eye-hand coordination become autonomous andautomatic.

A section is devoted to the arcade subculture withanalogies to former subcultural hangouts and activi­ties, such as drive-in restaurants. The video arcade is

a modern day drive-in. The obvious difference is thatthe video arcade can be a solitary experience. That is,the arcade does not require social interaction as thedrive-in once did. Spontaneous verbalization is fre­quently found in the player talking to the machine.The arcade may be then social or nonsocial, dependingon the kind of personality which the person brings toit.

Death and destruction playa large role in the com­puter games. Research regarding whether violence invideo games produces violent behavior in people hasyet to be systematically reported.

A considerable portion of the book is devoted toeducation or how intrinsic motivation and computerbased interaction are combined. The authors stresscomputers as interactive devices which, in contrast totelevision, require an active engagement and self-di­rection in the learning process. As an introduction tocomputers, video games may be invaluable. For ex­ample, the video game provides the motivation to learnenough about how to program a computer to be ableto create video games. In so doing, a great deal islearned about computers. The question, however, re­mains as to whether the child can transpose the tech­niques and skills learned from video games to largerproblem-solving schema.

Education-oriented video games may stimulate stu­dents to learn faster, more efficiently, or to begin tolearn at all. Graphics, fantasies, bells, and whistlesmay all reinforce learning. Spelling, reading, math,and learning physical laws may all be helped by videotechniques. It is obvious that computer games have anunlimited capacity to stimulate one's interest andfacility in computer technology.

The book is a good primer for those interested invideo games, computers, and their potential beneficialeffects. Unfortunately, the authors have not providedeven a basic appreciation of a child's cognitive andemotional growth and fail to present the issues in adevelopmental perspective.

Identity and Intimacy in Twins. By Barbara Schaveand Janet Ciriello. New York: Praeger, 1983,136 pp., $21.95.

Reviewed by Martin G. Allen, M.D.*In the preface, the authors state that the book iswritten for mental health professionals, parents oftwins, and twins themselves. They appear to haveachieved this goal of addressing a multiple audience.

* Dr. Allen is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the GeorgetownUniversity School of Medicine, and Instructor in Psychoanalysis atthe Washington Psychoanalytic Institute, Washington, D.C.