Are Video Games Good for Girls?

•  feel more connected to their families

• have stronger mental health

• behave better

Physical Rewards of Gaming

Studies by the Office of Naval Research and the U of Michigan show video games provide:

• faster reaction times

• increased hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity

• increased spatial skills

• allow us to process information faster

• gives us the ability to divide and switch attention, pay attention to more than one object/person – we all multi-task – games help to give us practice

• children who play video games are more creative (2011 study)

• Video games encourage us to think out of the box.  “It is the way video games defy/ignore reality that opens doors in the children’s minds saying it could be otherwise.” – Linda Jackson, professor of psychology at Michigan State.  We grow up and learn about boxes and stay in them.  Kids don’t know anything about these boxes and can thing so much broader.

• People feel productive when playing video games, you feel like you’re getting something done.  You have a clear goal.  It is nice to have some things that are predictable and more controllable.

• It’s great to see cause and effect for kids – they happen in a predictable way.

• You become more resilient in the face of failure – gamers spend 80% of their time failing – makes them more resilient to real world failure.

• Improves fundamental abilities to reason and problem solve in novel contexts

• kids are more likely to buy a guitar and learn how to play after having practiced with their virtual guitar in games.

• In every level, they are presented with a new challenge.  This becomes the norm.  Helps prepare them better for school.

• People who play video games processes information faster.

What Kids Use to Play Games (Kidsay Trend Tracker 2010)

•    – 45% of all kids 8-15 plays games on DS

•    – 37% of all kids 8-15 play games on their iTouch

•    – 37% play games most often on the Internet

Resources to Guide Your Gaming Girl

Limiting Screen Time

• American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 1-2 hours of screen time for children older than 2

• June 2010 University of California study:  Children who have clear rules about television viewing time are less likely to exceed recommended screen time limits

Helping You Pick Good Games for Your Kids

• Common Sense Media – commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews  They have ratings – positive role models, violence, blatant consumerism, the evaluate all these things – Common Sense Media

• ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) esrb.org, iPhone, and Android app

It’s good for kids to know the rating system so when they go to a friends house they know what is appropriate and what is not.

In our next article, we will cover Activision’s recommended games for girls available on the Nintendo DS.

** Images courtesy of http://office.microsoft.com.