Real benefits of action games

Ellen Says:I'm a bit worry in particular to my kids about the effects of bloody “first-person shooter” games like Halo and Doom, which are played from the perspective of someone shooting a gun. Although the direct link to real-world violent acts has yet to be proved, brain scan research has shown that aggressive thoughts and violent scenes in shooter games activate similar parts of the brain.

On the other hand, some researchers say action games may have some real benefits, including improved spatial reasoning and sharper attention skills. Others feel that since adolescence is a time when aggression normally spikes, especially among boys, some researchers posit that violent games may have a useful cathartic effect.