Are Video Games Actually Good For Kids?

Video gaming is a fact of life for nearly every American teen. And a new study says it may actually be good for them. CBS News science and technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg has the first in the series: "The Games Our Children Play."


Working on a story about video games means going to the experts. So Sieberg asked two teenage girls: "Are video games cool?"

One said, "Well, yeah, there are many definitions of 'cool.'"

But what's cool for parents is that a new study finds that all that time in front of a screen isn't such a bad thing.

"I think we have this image that people who play games are playing them alone in a dark basement and in fact what we found is that the majority of teens engage with other people most of the time," said Amanda Lenhart, of the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which supported the study.

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Read the study here (75 pages).

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Today's study of 1,102 teens shows that almost all teens - 97 percent - play video games, that kids often play with someone else (65 percent) and that the three most popular types of games are not violent. Instead, they involve racing, puzzles and sports."

"Super Monkey Ball, which is really fun," said Hannah Levine, a 7th grader.

"It's a racing game. We like it," said her friend and fellow 7th grader Zoe Kushlefsky.

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Listen to Larry Magid talk to Amanda Lenhart

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"Kids are talking with each other, helping each other, sharing knowledge together," said Connie Yowell of the MacArthur Foundation, which also supported the study. "It's really peer-based learning going on.

That's because playing games often involves problem-solving, achieving goals or overcoming obstacles - skills that educators applaud.

"There's a real promise here to harness the enthusiasm of young people for games and to use that to help them learn things more effectively in the classroom," Lenhart said.

So parents, relax. You may not get it, or like it, but your kids are learning more than how to smash dinosaurs.

[heather4444]

Hey There,
I'm a smart phone game freak. I love smart phone gaming. I want viees about all experianced game freaks, should I take pledge for this game?
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/265980153/monpets
Don't know why I'm loving it. Give me your opinion please!

[DonPardo]

The other thing is that there may be social skills that they are developing that will be more useful than traditional social skills that I had always assumed would be necessary: http://daisybrain.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/why-we-should-stop-worrying-about-the-social-skills-of-video-playing-kids/

[rf35]

Everything in moderation...that is the key.

[sethw76]

Embracing new technology doesn''t necessarily mean the loss of old. And there should be room in curriculum to teach using new methods and media. I played video games as a child and read dozens of books a year, just as I play video games as an adult, but still find plenty of time to read and watch TV. The popularity of the Harry Potter books shows that reading isn''t going anywhere. Of course education isn''t always going to be fun, but a teacher should attempt to engage students as much as possible, to make the curriculum as fun or as interesting as they can. Why else did we have games and puzzles in History or Civics classes? Why else were there debate exercises that encouraged interaction? If we can use modern tools to better engage kids in the learning process then it''s useful. Of course there are extremes, but banning a technology isn''t the solution; it''s far better to learn how to better integrate it into a productive and meaningful classroom experience.

[newboomer]

This has nothing to do with the story but GO AGGIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[brianbwb-2009]

To Dennis Snyder
Teacher
Simi Valley H.S.
California

Btw, who says learning cannot, or should not be fun? I would think that a truly effective educator would know to find ways to make the subject being taught interesting, even fun.

I can speak 12 languages, am literate in eight, and I have found that by far the easiest and fastest way is to learn the scatological first, the humor aids the retention, then gradually using the constructs learned from them to expand into the general language, for example, "Abdi huyung ijut" is Sundanese for "I want to f**k", then you expand to "Abdi huyung u-ut" which means "I want a drink of water".

[brianbwb-2009]

"The old ways were not bad ways!
Dennis Snyder
Teacher
Simi Valley H.S.
California"

But they are the old ways, and not efficient forms for low bandwidth information transfer. These forms first appeared when computers used DOS operating systems, the 8.3 naming convention necessitated such condensation for recognizable files.

I am also sure that in your youth, you liked music forms, and engaged in lifestyle choices purposely intended to establish your own identity, as unique and different from your parents'', a rite of passage every generation goes through, and your parents probably decried your choices, just as you decry the choices of today.

Even the language you use to create your post is a result of this process, otherwise you might be using Victorian English, or any one of the intermediate states. between then and now.

I realize that Simi Valley is a hotbed of radical conservatism, but, as Marley said, "None of them can stop (the) time."

[draysnyder]

Are you kiding me CBS! As an educator at Simi Valley High School I am appalled at your lack of objectivity!! Where is you counter!! This is why educators today are pressured into being entertainers and not educators. Video games, emails, texting and the like are basically telling students that if it is not fun then it is not worth learning. Don''t even give it a try. Shame on you! What is wrong with getting into a book and using your imagination or interacting with a real and live human being. We are losing the art of simplicity. I cannot really explain it in this short response. I will be retiring next year after 34 years of teaching and I fear for the era of over stimulation. Kids even write like they text! The old ways were not bad ways!

Dennis Snyder
Teacher
Simi Valley H.S.
California

[ummnonymous]

Dear Dennis the menace:
I bet your students LOVE you don't they! no offense, but honestly, the fact that you just got upset about this article says to me that you did not even give it a chance. The article does not dog on education or say that video games are the only way to go. It merely said that people who play video games more often than not, do not fall under the stereotype of the "anti-socialite", "live-in-my-cave-except-to-come-out-to-eat" type of people. In the future please keep an open mind when going into life otherwise you'll contort the information and your logic will become moot. Yes, I am one of these High School students that are graduating this year, and i also enjoy video games from halo to wii bowling. I also spend a great deal of time reading and make all A's in school and work 18-20 hours a week in addition to school and a girlfriend that i spend time with regularly. I would appreciate if you did not rule out my Outlet for stress and other things merely because it's different from "The Good Ol' Days"..
With the Utmost respect:
An Anonymous Teenager with proper grammar.

[legacyabq]

Man, I''ve been saying this for years.
Within reason, game playing sharpens problem-solving skills, patience, and eye-hand coordination.
My kids have really benefitted, visibly.
And they only play once a week..