by Lysa

When does imagination start?

I grew up in an era where little girls played with Barbie and little boys played with G.I. Joe. A time when legos were actual instruments for creating. Blocks and lincoln logs were still around but legos in their bright primary plastic were fast taking over. Legos now come in all sorts of nifty packages of follow the instructions to make the picture on the front. Gee.

What small boy wants tiny plastic green army men when they can have a gun that looks so real the manufacturer has to paint the tip orange to alert police officers. Is it of any wonder that a small boy was shot three times for lack of this orange tip? Violent children with realistic guns is OK, isn't it? Realism gets it out of their system, right? Anorexic Barbie is still around, with more sidekicks than the local cheerleader. Little girls don't want to grow up looking like Barbie, do they?

Each generation remembers the toys of their youth fondly, while griping about the next generations choices. As we progress down the ladder our children's toys are increasingly more sophisticated, but are they really? While the complexity of the latest wave of toys is fascinating, what about the original purpose. The purpose of toys/games is to engage the child in play while activating skills for later use and stimulating the mind. It appears that the majority of toys today offer the skill of following directions.

Pokemon, Pokemon, Pokemon. What is Pokemon? Certainly still one of the latest rages sweeping through our children's wants, desires, but needs? With sherlock one can find more sites than one ever wanted. A cute charming game with a bevy of characters and well, Products. Cute and violent. My question is how does it promote the surge of imagination. Here you have a world made up, created, certain attributes for different characters.

This is not D&D, where at least the dungeon master and players were in control of creating their own fantasy world. Unless you had the misfortune of a dungeon master who happened to be a control freak with a dull imagination. There you had a game of unknowns, potentials, teamwork, leadership, and free reign to move your mind down the corridors of endless imaginary scenes. Therefore is not imagination the base of creativity? Is not having freedom to choose coupled with a well developed imagination the stuff of revolutionary thinkers?

What happens to imagination when it is not stimulated but force fed in quick flashy doses? Toys strategically marketed to capture imaginative young minds, don't allow for them to create their own personal internal wonderland. Making them dependent upon external forces to supply them with stimuli. Is this why there is a higher percentage of hyperactive kids? A creative child will entertain themselves for hours, regardless of props.

The Macintosh has often been berated as a "toy". Really? Odd. It isn't a toy that I have to follow the instructions for. At least this "toy" is one that allows an individual ease of use, sparks the imagination into infernos of creativity. Maybe PC users grew up with toys that were all about follow the instructions, have no fun, heaven forbid you use your imagination.

Lysa