Ted Talks Inspire: Will Wright's ideas on play beyond toys

Many parents share my concern that we are breeding intolerance for longer term, delayed gratification activities in our kids. The advent of television sped up the race toward superficiality in thought, IMO, but it is only the medium, not the message. Make no mistake about it: it is people, not television, that decide what comes at us through that medium.

A fan of Elliot Jacques since being introduced to his concepts during graduate studies at Royal Roads University, I am heartened to see that Will Wright has taken up the challenge of helping future generations "see" farther toward horizons beyond the 22 minute story, 3 minute jingle or 30 second sound bite. I wonder what Jacques would think of developing the capacity for a 1000 year consciousness?

As someone famous (notorious?) for seeing the implications of today's actions 5, and 10 years down the road, I have to observed that this is lonely enough.

It is hard to iimagine the distance in consciousness one would have to adopt to allow for thought on the level that Will Wright's Genesis toy suggests.