It’s fair to say that video games get a bad rep. They’re violent, mind numbing and do no good for our little ones other than keep them entertained for an hour or so, right?
Well, maybe not, if this new research is anything to go by.
A recent study assessed the link between the time children spent playing their favourite games and their cognitive and scoial skills, as well as their general mental health – and the results were surprising.
Researchers from Columbia Mailman School of Public Health found that playing video games may have a positive effect on virtual thrill seekers.
They looked into the habits and lifestyles of 3195 children aged 6-11 across six European countries, and found valuable evidence in favour of gaming. Of this sample, one in five of the children played for five hours or more a week.
Regardless of the child’s age or gender, the study found that frequent video game usage was linked to 1.75 times more chance of the child having high intellectual functioning, and 1.88 times more likely to have, overall, better academic achievement.
And of those who played avidly, self reporting backed up the observance of adults around them – parents and teachers – that there was no associated between love of the virtual sport and mental health issues.
And rather than the recluse stereotypes given to kids that games, it was found that those regular players reported fewer problems among their friends.
Of the finding, Katherine M. Keyes, PhD, assistant professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health said:
"Video game playing is often a collaborative leisure time activity for school-aged children. These results indicate that children who frequently play video games may be socially cohesive with peers and integrated into the school community.
“We caution against over interpretation, however, as setting limits on screen usage remains and important component of parental responsibility as an overall strategy for student success.”
It’s all about balance, right?
And despite the bad reputation the hobby usually gets in the media, this isn’t the first study to point towards the positives instead. Previous research has shown that when games are designed to solve a specific problem, they have a great educational impact and help build skill sets. Video games also equipped kids with great transferable IT skill sets.
2015 research also proved that there are long-term positive benefits, such as increased perception, attention and memory, as well as better decision making skills.
Is it time to shake off that bad reputation given to little gamers? Let us know on our Facebook or Twitter page.