Seattle Post Intelligencer
12-03-06
Living Well: Violent video games just can't be good for kids
By BOB CONDOR
For about a decade now, psychology researcher Craig Anderson has been
putting together a scientific case for why violent video games are simply not
healthy for kids. He has conducted his own studies, analyzed others and
collected dozens more.
"There really isn't any room for doubt," said Anderson, chairman of the
psychology department at Iowa State University. "Aggressive game playing
leads to aggressive behavior. The naysayers don't have a leg to stand on."
The naysayers include more than a video-gaming nation. Some researchers,
notably University of Illinois researcher Dimitri Williams, right there in America's
heartland, contend there simply is no direct empirical link to increased aggressive
behavior or any other "real-life effect." Williams isn't saying violent video games
are healthy, just that there are no measurable adverse results.
Gut feeling: Violent video games just can't be a good thing, no matter who is
measuring what.
And I'm happy to report a study presented at last week's Radiological Society of
North America meeting in Chicago -- the heartland again -- supports parental
instinct about freezing the joysticks. Indiana University physicians found that
adolescents who play violent video games may exhibit "lingering effects on brain
function." The researchers found the teen video gamers experienced greater
emotional arousal and reduced self-control, focus and attention.
"Our study suggests that playing a certain type of violent video game may have
different short-term effects on brain function than playing a non-violent -- but
exciting -- game," said Dr. Vincent Mathews, professor of radiology at Indiana's
School of Medicine in Indianapolis.
Mathews and colleagues assigned 44 teens to either play a violent video game
for 30 minutes or a non-violent game. They used functional magnetic resonance
imaging and found in players of the violent game less brain activity in the
prefrontal region where self-control originates and more activity in the amygdale
region, the brain's emotional-arousal center. Mathews said he hopes to conduct
additional research to measure long-term differences, while the naysayers will
say, hey, it's just a short-term deal.
But in its 11th annual MediaWise Video Game Report Card, the consumer
watchdog National Institute on Media and the Family provided plenty of material
to offset any wait-and-see attitude. Among the findings: While the video-game
industry characterizes typical gamers as males in their 20s, a new NPD
independent research survey shows half of all "heavy gamers" are 6- to 17-yearolds.
The institute conducted student and parent surveys that are revealing. For
instance, 55 percent of kids say they sometimes try to stop playing video games
so much.
Think about that for a moment. The children themselves know they are overdoing
it. Another finding is that kids who have video game access in their bedrooms
play at least five hours more each week than the players using a family room or
common area in the home.
The parent-related answers are even more enlightening. While about two-thirds
of parents say they have family rules about how much and when video games
can be played, only about a third of the kids reported the same. Half of the
children surveyed said their parents never discuss video gaming with them.
Three of every four parents say they "always" help decide what video games
their children may buy or rent, yet, you guessed it, only 30 percent of the kids say
that is the case.
OK, there's more in this something's-got-to-give scenario. Parents report their
kids average about five hours of video-game playing each week. Boys say it's
more like 13 hours while girls say six.
On the plus side, the National Institute on Media and Family praised retailers for
working to keep adult-rated games out of the hands of children. And it says the
ratings system is working, as 75 percent of parents regularly refer to them and
almost all of those mothers and dads find the ratings helpful.
The report card touched on video-game addiction, a health-related issue that
may well gain more visibility in the coming years. To wit, the South Korean
government has acknowledged the issue by supporting more than 40 videogame addiction programs.
Just in time for shopping season, the institute published its top-10 lists of games
to avoid for too much violence and games recommended for kids and teens. The
Parent Alert list (worst is first) includes some familiar names amid the high-tech
violence: "Gangs of London," "The Sopranos," "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Stories," "Reservoir Dogs," "Mortal Kombat: Unchained," "Scarface: The World Is
Yours," "The Godfather: Mob Wars," "Saints Row," "Dead Rising" and "Just
Cause." All games are rated "M" for mature audiences.
The recommended list is somehow less jarring on the psyche just by title alone:
"Lego Star Wars II -- The Original Trilogy," "Mario Hoops 3 on 3," "Super Monkey
Ball: Banana Blitz," "Roboblitz," "Madden Football '07," "LocoRoco," "Dance
Factory," "Brain Age," "Nancy Drew: Danger by Design" and "Mario vs. Donkey
Kong 2: The March of the Minis." All of these games are rated "E" for everyone,
except the Lego game and "Roboblitz," which are rated "E 10-plus" for ages 10
and older.
Bob Condor is the managing editor for MSN.com health content at
health.msn.com. He writes about health a