adolescence

For those who like to play video games, or who let their kids play, a new study linking gaming to creativity in 12-year-olds may be very validating.

It reminds me of the little flutter in my chest that occurs every time I read about the health benefits of dark chocolate. Or perhaps that flutter is due to how quickly I race to the chocolate stash in my pantry.

But I digress. The research out of Michigan State University, published online in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, suggests that of the 491 12-year-olds studied, the ones who play video games tend to be more creative, regardless of whether those games are violent--and that the more they play, the more creative they are.

Head researcher and psychology professor Linda Jackson says these findings should encourage game designers to investigate which aspects of gaming are more responsible for this creative effect.

"Once they do that, video games can be designed to optimize the development of creativity while retaining their entertainment values such that a new generation of video games will blur the distinction between education and entertainment," she says in a news release.… Read more

Those who prefer the comfort and proximity of their own living rooms to the gym have good news today: so-called exergames can indeed result in elevated energy expenditures, often above that achieved walking 3 miles an hour on a treadmill.

Bruce W. Bailey, a researcher at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and Kyle McInnis of the University of Massachusetts in Boston studied the effects of six forms of exergaming--interactive "gaming activities that feature player movement"--on 39 middle school boys and girls. They assessed energy expenditure throughout 10 minutes of play followed by 5 minutes of … Read more