Myth buster

The Melbourne Age, 29 May 2008
A new book challenges the idea that games make children antisocial, says Jason Hill. The release of Grand Theft Auto IV has triggered concern from video game critics worried about the impact of violent games on children, despite its adults-only rating in most countries. There is still a lack of research on the impact of interactive games on players, so public health researcher Cheryl Olson set out to examine whether popular assumptions that link violent behaviour to violent games have any basis. more...

The research looks at reasons why young people (and not just boys) like violent games and suggests strageties parents (and to some extent youth workers) can use. The researchers came up with mixed results that "surprised, encouraged and sometimes disturbed" them. Check out the article based on their findings and perhaps forward it on to parents.