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Videogames actually good for children, says E.U.
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Video games can be beneficial to children, encouraging creativity, strategic thinking, and cooperation. At least according to a European Union report released last Wednesday and reported on by Reuters. The report cites a study conducted by the European Parliament Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, which found that gaming actually had not only a number of benefits, but no definitive links to violent or antisocial behavior. The report notes that in certain situations, certain titles could "stimulate" violent behavior. But it does not call for any Union-Wide legislation banning such titles, instead calling on the E.U.'s 27 member states to work together to enforce an existing regulatory code called "PEGI", which rates games according to content. Total gaming industry revenues in europe reached more than 7 billion euros (or 9 billion dollars) last year, the report states, while separate british research showed games outselling movies and music for the first time. The E.U. report states that not all games are appropriate for children, but also makes the point that literature and film are not exclusively the domain of children either. It also challenges conventional wisdom on who plays the most video games these days, citing statistics that state that the average European gamer was at least 33 years old.
It's an interesting story, and definitely makes a nice change of pace from all the "OMG games are the DEVIL and they will KILL YOUR CHILDREN" stuff you hear in the good old U.S.A. If anybody is still reading me, comment and tell me what you think.
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