To many it might seem counter-intuitive, but researchers have found that playing video games – including violent shooter titles – may boost children’s learning, health and social skills.

This conclusion comes from a review of studies into the influence of video games that will be published in the American Psychological Association’s flagship journal, American Psychologist.

Debate has raged for years among psychologists and other health professionals regarding the effects of violent media, with many warning that gaming can lead to addiction, depression and aggression.

The authors of the article point out that these should be noted, but insisted that gaming has many positive side-effects.

Lead author Isabela Granic, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at Radboud University Nijmegen in The Netherlands, said: ‘Important research has already been conducted for decades on the negative effects of gaming, including addiction, depression and aggression, and we are certainly not suggesting that this should be ignored.

‘However, to understand the impact of video games on children's and adolescents' development, a more balanced perspective is needed.’

While one widely held view maintains playing video games is intellectually lazy, such play actually may strengthen a range of cognitive skills such as spatial navigation, reasoning, memory and perception, according to several studies reviewed in the article.

The authors said this is particularly true for shooter video games that are often violent, such as Call of Duty 2, which was one of the titles used to study cognitive benefits.

A 2013 study found that playing shooter video games improved a player's capacity to think about objects in three dimensions, just as well as academic courses to enhance these same skills, according to the study.

This enhanced thinking was not found with playing other types of video games, such as puzzles or role-playing games.

Playing video games may also help children develop problem-solving skills, the authors said.

The more adolescents reported playing strategic video games, such as role-playing games, the more they improved in problem solving and school grades the following year, according to a long-term study published in 2013.

What’s more, children's creativity was also enhanced by playing any kind of video game, including violent games.

Simple games that are easy to access and can be played quickly, such as Angry Birds, can improve players' moods, promote relaxation and ward off anxiety, the study said.

‘If playing video games simply makes people happier, this seems to be a fundamental emotional benefit to consider,’ said Granic.

Also, people who play video games, even if they are violent, that encourage cooperation are more likely to be helpful to others while gaming than those who play the same games competitively, a 2011 study found. http://passnownow.com/?p=posts&title=video-games-are-good-for-you-even-violent-shoot-em-ups-boost-learning-health-and-social-skills-study-finds&id=5135