87% of 8- to 17-year old children play video games at home (Bureau of Labor and Statistics). Video games do influence children; however, many people do not realize how video games help children. The negative aspects of video games are well known. Too much time is spent indoors playing games, massive multiplayer online games can enable people to live in an alternative world, violent games can influence children towards violence, and children have easy access to mature rated video games.

On the other hand, video games provide a myriad of benefits. Of course, some video games are better than others in terms of benefits:

1. The Nintendo Wii console, released in November, gives gamers the opportunity to play revolutionary new games and burn calories at the same time. Players receive intense workouts by playing video games.

http://online.wsj.com/public/a rticle/SB11644107627 3232312-IHR8Xf3YEG61QlW0e7hA_k HAA8w_20061224.html

2. Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero are games that involve aerobic activity. Players dance or play guitar in the game.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D ance_Dance_Revolutio n

http://www.guitarherogame.com/

3. Numerous studies have demonstrated that video games improve hand-eye coordination. Playing video games can improve the abilities of surgeons:

“Researchers found that doctors who spent at least three hours a week playing video games made about 37 percent fewer mistakes in laparoscopic surgery and performed the task 27 percent faster than their counterparts who did not play video games.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46 85909/

4. Online games increase social interaction and help gamers develop networks of friends. Many of my friends play online games with each other, and they enjoy getting to socialize and play games at the same times. These games help alleviate a negative aspect of video game playing. Online games increase the social skills of players. “Off-line games were mostly solitaire in nature and had zero social aspects associated with them. Online games have allowed for a reintroduction of socialization among games. And this socialization has no boundaries, for a very diverse Internet population exists. Playing over the web will help develop friendships, whereas playing off-line can lead to a decrease in friendships.”

http://www.units.muohio.edu/ps ybersite/cyberspace/ onlinegames/positive.shtml