January 30, 1983
Dear Dr. Koop:
As a mother and former operating room nurse (also instructor of operating room technic for student nurses and technicians) with 32 years in the field of medicine, I feel compelled to reply to your article or rather the article written by Arnie Katz in the February, 1983 issue of Electronic Games in which some of your statements against video games were quoted.
In my opinion and from personal experience with my son, I take opposition to your views as so stated. My son had to have surgery on both his feet when a junior and senior in high school. He had to remain in bed for several weeks when not in school after surgery. I obtained almost every hand-held game for him that was available. At once I began to see a vast improvement in his grades at school, more concentration on problem solving, mental faculties were sharpened, his math grades improved with greater understanding, better eye and hand co-ordination, tension was released, etc. I could go on and on but I think you understand my feelings. Now I have a son who graduated from a two year program in Electrical/Electronics General in college and will graduate again this August from the Electrical/Electronics Analyst program from college and he plans to go into the computer field.  All the time he has been in college he has been on the President's Honors List with a cumulative grade point average of 3.775. His grades are some of the highest that have been made in that program at the college which is the best in the southeast. I feel this is, and has to be, due in part to the games he played while recuperating from surgery and since that time to the games he has played at the arcades. Why else, if not for student improvement, would his college have several for student use when not in class? Even his college has found them to be of great use in the development of student concentration and the other points I have covered above.
I do hope that you will reverse your opinion and write it in an article or letter in Electronic Games as I am certain that you have gotten loads of mail opposing your views since the article was published. I personally would like to hear from you.
I thank you.
Sincerely,
Mrs. William B. Miley, Jr.
P.S. My daughter, who did not play the electronic games, did not do nearly as well in high school and barely graduated in the lower top third of her class.  Between the two children, I could see how much the games did for my son who played them and not for my daughter who did not play them.