It's All In The Game

     The other day, I read an interesting article in the Kansas City Star newspaper. The article was about whether kids who play video games were being hindered academically.

     The article went on to explain that children who play video games could actually develop necessary skills for school and every day life. A study found that playing video games, even violent ones, could help to strengthen problem solving skills, and increase persistence. These skills can transfer into the classroom.

     The study showed that children who regularly played video games were more likely to answer questions in class. Not only that, they would be more willing to keep answering until they got a right answer. This is similar to a video game in which you face a hard challenge; you may fail many times, but keep playing until you beat the level.

     However, video games are not always good. Both players and researchers can agree that too much gaming is bad for you. This has been shown to lead to poor reading/comprehension scores in school and on tests.

     There have been many students, including myself, who have been able to keep good grades and play video games. I feel that games do not hinder a person's ability to learn. So long as someone is not ruining their life by playing too many games, I feel that video games do no harm. Feel free to post your own opinion on this.

     jmers593