Among most "intellectual" adults it's widely considered that video games are bad. They rot the brain, cause obesity and encourage violent behavior. But do they really? Well I'm just going to come out straight away and say that in my opinion they mos definitely have a lot to answer to in terms of obesity even with the help of... Wii... fit... yeah right... However as far as obesity is concerned you can be addicted to literature (which is considered a good trait), and be obese because you sit around all day reading books. I'm not trying to save video games or bash books on this topic. I do a lot of gaming and reading and I'm pretty sure I put on just as much weight if i sit on my arse all day and read or play games. When it comes to what video games do to your brain though its a lot harder to say whether they are good or bad. That's why i have to leave it to the pros and do some research, so here's what i came up with. The key difference that you must realize between something like watching television or reading a book and video games is that in video games you have an input on what happens. Already you are using your brain far more than if you were simply receiving information through a TV program or a book. Then we have to take into consideration the fact that your not just telling the character on screen to walk in a straight line by holding down one button, you are having to direct it in various directions and with often a large number of commands such as jump, reload, pick up etc. Therefore you are using even more parts of your brain to complete different tasks. In the real world direction and positioning yourself (as in knowing where you are) use a completly different part of your brain from the part used to identify an item on the floor and pick it up. The biggest part though is that games are about problem solving and therefore use the same part of your brain that you would use to solve a math problem. You probably think I'm talking about solving puzzles in games like Zelda Ocarina of Time but its alot more common than that. Say for example you find yourself in a room surrounded by enemies, you must find the easiest way to kill all the enemies around you using all the tools you have in the game and your surroundings. See, problem solving. Erik Hoftun, publisher of The Book of Games Volume 1 and 2 said: “All video games, and adventure games in particular, encourage scientific method of the purest kind. They follow the classic formula of trying something, failing, try something different, and figuring out what works,” Hoftun said. “In scientific terms: Develop hypothesis, test, prove or disprove, adjust hypothesis, test again. So if you want to develop small scientists, get the kids away from their passive book reading, and have them play video games.” James Paul Gee, Professor of Reading at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said: “Better theories of learning are embedded in video games than many children in primary and secondary schools ever experience in the classroom. If schools want to engage their students in the same way as computer games, they need to drop their snobbish antipathy and begin learning from them instead.” So, maybe instead of looking at games as if they were things for children and of no more value to the mind than the latest Rambo film, they should learn from them and see that video games do help your mind. What about violence? Do video games make people violent? A lot of studies have concluded that they do but these are also "studies" that come from internet polls so they aren't what you could call reliable. However a large amount of independant studies have concluded that violent video games can have a negative effect on younger children. So lets look at that for a second. What these studies are saying is that if a 10 year old plays a game like GTA IV the chances are its going to have a negative effect on the child's mind. Hmm... so what is there to stop a 10 year old from playing violent games? Well, the big 18 stamp on the front for one thing (Rated R in the US). It's important that parents pay attention to these stamps when they buy games for their kids, THEY ARE THERE FOR A REASON! Paul Jackson, of Elspa (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers' Association) said: "The video game industry was too often blamed for everything from obesity to youth violence. It is just not true and it's not appropriate." A big question we must ask ourselves is why are video games being targeted so much when there are so many other mediums that regularly show nudity, violence and drug use, namely television. Why is it that video games have to take such a huge chunk of the responsibility when it is clear that they have such large educational value? Well its because you always need a scapegoat. Marline Manson and heavy metal were blamed for the shooting at Columbine High School, Comic books were blamed for violence in the 80s the list goes on and on all the way back to certain musical notes being banned by the church in the dark ages for causing heresy. There will always have to be a scapegoat, and at the moment its video games. But it will pass, and eventually people will realize the advantages of video games in the same way they realize the therapeutic and relaxing properties of music. Womblemaster.