Watchdog group praises video game industry, retailers

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The annual Video Game Report Card came out this week. It's the thirteenth year for the influential report from the National Institute on Media and the Family, which has consistently criticized the violent nature of some games. This year the Institute gives good grades, saying game makers and retailers are taking effective measure to limit kids' exposure to violent and inappropriate content.

The report comes on the heels of recent studies suggesting that video games have positive effects on learning, social development, technology literacy, and civic participation.

We asked David Walsh, director of the Institute, to provide us with the research he finds most persuasive in showing that violent games are harmful to children. Here is what he wrote:

The book that I mentioned which gives a good overview of the research is Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Research, Theory and Public Policy by Craig Anderson, Douglas Gentile and Katherine Buckley (Oxford University Press, 2007). A recent longitudinal and cross cultural study is "Longitudinal effects of violent video games on aggression in Japan and the United States" Pediatrics, (2008) 122, e1067-1072. A meta-analysis that examines the statistical power of the body of video game research is found in Anderson, C.A. (2004). An update on the effects of playing violent video games. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 113-122. An example of the brain based research I mentioned is summarized as follows: Teenagers' brains are fired up by violent video games, while at the same time areas of the brain associated with self control become subdued, say researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine.

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November 26, 2008
A nation of cyberchondriacs

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Many Americans mistakenly conclude they have a rare illness after attempting self-diagnosis on the Internet, according to a new study by researchers from Microsoft.

The company conducted the study to improve its own search engine.

Microsoft studied health-related Web searches on popular search engines and surveyed 500 of its employees about their health-related searching.

Web search engines can increase our health-related anxieties and lead us to believe worst-case scenarios, said Microsoft's Eric Horvitz, an artificial intelligence expert and medical school graduate.

November 25, 2008
Bad economy means cheap computers

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Forecasters are expecting a bleak holiday shopping season for the PC industry -- but that means very good prices for those who will be in the market for a new computer, according to Future Tense news analyst Dwight Silverman.

November 24, 2008
Study: Internet not a time-waster for teens

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A new study by the MacArthur Foundation finds teenagers learn important social and technology literacy skills when they spend time on MySpace, send instant messages, and generally hang out with their friends online.

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