It has been no secret that video games are not just for boys anymore, but a recent study done by the Journal of Adolescent Health, which studies girls from the ages of eleven to sixteen, found that they can help girls to be less depressed and better behaved. Unfortunately for boys, the games apparently do not have the same affects.
While not all video games seem to have the same powerful impacts, collaborative ones such as Rockband truly seem to be having an impact as long as they are played in small amounts. Large amounts of game play will have the same negative affects, such as anxiety and depression, that affect boys.
I found this article to be particularly interesting because video games are usually considered to be a hobby for teenage boys. In addition, they are often discussed in a negative light. These new finding show that the technology can be used not only for bonding within families, but to improve a person as a whole.
To find out more about these interesting studies, read the article Video Games are Good for Teen Girls.
That's interesting! In high school I did a short research paper about the positive effects of video games. Sometimes my parents play video games with my brother and I, and I really think it helps us to bond, and have some social time together while having fun. It seems to affect my brother in a good way, too, even though the study says it doesn't work on boys.
ReplyDeletePlaying games can also relieve stress in a lot of ways, depending on the game (some make me feel more stressed! haha). I know the study would probably say negative things about this, but often when I'm stressed out or angry, if I take a break and play a shooting game to take out some of my frustrations, it makes me feel a lot better. It doesn't always work, but sometimes it does.