Games Good For Kids, What Is This Madness?

Video Games Can Be Good For Young People, Australian Research States - Kotaku Australia

Sorry for the scary stock photo

The Queensland University of Technology recently collated and comprehensively reviewed a large number of video game research papers that focused on the effects on young people.  A number of interesting points have been highlighted including:

- moderate (non-excessive) levels of playing are associated with positive emotions and improved mood
- playing video games is a healthy means of relaxation and socialising
- people who play video games in moderation have significantly less depression and higher self esteem when compared to those who don't play or play excessively
- interestingly the research that suggests any negative impact acknowledges that any such effect is relatively small, a point not mentioned whenever these studies are trotted out.

The positive impact appears to come more from the flow of gameplay rather than actual content, so the better a game flows the more beneficial it can be.  Of course games that are simply inappropriate for younger gamers should still be kept out of their reach, but the same can be said for movies, books and TV.

With all the negative press gaming receives whenever any connection, no matter how minor, can be made between video games and tragic events it is refreshing to see something positive for a change.  Strangely enough this story doesn't seem to be very widely reported in the mainstream media.

The key of course is moderation, which can be applied to so much of what we allow our kids to do.  There is no reason that video games can't be part of a healthy active lifestyle.  I try to set limits on how much time my kids spend gaming but with the older of the pair now having access to a portable system it has become a bit of a game of cat and mouse!