I don't feel equipped to sufficiently articulate the concept of 'fail'... the interesting thing to me is that, regardless of what some kids think about 'not winning' at computer games, they keep going back. That's not always the case with 'classes' (school, swimming, music). When children (or adults for that matter) feel a 'failure' it's often simply too traumatic to go back and try again. So, you're right to say we need to change the perception of what failure means although in video games I would argue that taking away failure means there's no winning either. I love that my kids collaborate so well on something like MineCraft and the Lego games... but they still retain that competitive edge. We have Toy Story III on the PS3 and it's a great mix of competition and collaboration. The great thing though is that they can teach me. They are my Minecraft wiki - they explore the new features that I ignore ("...have you not updated yet dad?!") and show me how great they are. Great post though Derek :)

Like you I found the book interesting although such is the size of it on first viewing I wondered if he'd simply chosen to collate every story ever written rather than write about them..! However, having used it as a reference book for the last few months this is an excellent overview and time saver..! I am much indebted! :) mysteryboxes.wordpress.com