| There is mounting evidence that challenges the conventional wisdom that video games are bad for children. Now several researchers are saying while video games may have some negative effects, when it comes to a child's brain, there may also be something good going on. |
When many parents think of video games this is what comes to mind: bombs, blasts, and mayhem. One parent says, "I try to keep my kids away from those games."
Many adults do not allow their kids to play video games. However, a study from the University of Rochester in New York shows video games make people more perceptive, training their brains to analyze things faster.
Others from academia agree. Professor James Paul Gee of the University of Wisconsin says these 10-year-olds are actually problem solving. "They have to discover the rules of the game and how they can think about the game strategically like any problem solving that is good for your head."
And in the modern world of fast decisions and flashing screens, Steve Johnson, author of the controversial book, "Everything Bad is Good for You," believes these are the kind of skills kids need to succeed. "They're out learning how to think in ways that will be absolutely useful to them when they go out in the world and have to do the same kind of thinking in an office."
Mr. Johnson says while he would not want his own kids playing violent video games, he is convinced that all that time in front of the screen is not time wasted.