> just a brief list of what I'd like to mention to shutdown the argument that I don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe try a puzzle game (sokoban games provi

> just a brief list of what I'd like to mention to shutdown the argument that I don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe try a puzzle game (sokoban games provide a similar experience to the one you describe), or a multiplayer one. It seems your experience with games is fairly limited, and what you've done here is basically the equivalent of listing a bunch of Marvel movies to "shut down" the argument that you don't know much about cinema. Or for a more topical example, listing the Harry Potter books and Tolkien as proof you are well read. > None of these games were ever the same experience as a book Well it's a good thing we're talking about "mental stimulation" rather than "giving you the same experience as a book". There are obvious differences between games and books. Games have a controller, books often do not. Games often have different colours in them, books rarely do. I don't see much productive in you simply telling me that a game is different from a book, I know this. It is the core of my argument. That a game is different from a book, provides a greater level of mental stimulation, and yet doesn't have the supposed mental benefits that reading does, therefore these benefits are likely overstated in books. I also hypothesise that observed benefits of reading come from ideas presented in specific books rather than the mere act of reading any text. Any difference between games and books is only relevant to this discussion as it relates to those ideas.