Angry Birds, shooter games have pluses

Study Hall presents the results of scientific studies as described by the researchers and their institutions. This report is from the American Psychological Association :

Playing video games, including violent shooter games, may boost childrens learning, health and social skills, according to a review of research on the positive effects of video game play to be published by the American Psychological Association.

While one widely held view maintains playing video games is intellectually lazy, such play actually may strengthen a range of cognitive skills such as spatial navigation, reasoning, memory and perception, according to several studies reviewed in the article. This is particularly true for shooter video games that are often violent, the authors said. A 2013 meta-analysis found that playing shooter video games improved a players capacity to think about objects in three dimensions just as well as academic courses to enhance these same skills, according to the study. This enhanced thinking was not found with playing other types of video games, such as puzzles or role-playing games.

Playing video games may also help children develop problem-solving skills, the authors said. The more adolescents reported playing strategic video games, such as role-playing games, the more they improved in problem solving and school grades the following year, according to a long-term study published in 2013.

Childrens creativity was also enhanced by playing any kind of video game, but not when the children used other forms of technology, such as a computer or cellphone, other research revealed. Simple games that can be played quickly, such as Angry Birds, can improve players moods, promote relaxation and ward off anxiety, the study said.

Brains of babies with Alzheimers gene develop differently

This report is from Brown University:

The brains of infants who carry a gene associated with an increased risk for Alzheimers disease develop differently than those of babies who dont have the gene.

While this discovery is neither diagnostic nor predictive of Alzheimers, it could be a step toward understanding how the gene variant APOE E4 confers risk much later in life.

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A new study shows benefits of violent video games for kids ...

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