bit-tech.net - Games Are Good for Children

UK site bit-tech.net posts a brief op ed based on a recent report  spotted at Eurogamer  from the Joan Gantz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop which claims that video gaming, or at least certain kinds of video gaming, may not be the villain in child development it is so often made out to be.

Here's an excerpt:

A new report issued by the creators of Sesame Street claims that computer games can be just as good for children as any traditional classroom activity or form of educational media.

The report explictly advises governmental groups and healthcare organisations to begin investigating how they can use computer games to communicate effectively with children in a positive way.

"Despite their reputation as promoters of violence and mayhem, digital games have in fact been shown to help children gain content and vital foundational and 21st-century skills," the report says.

" Well-designed digital games show significant potential to promote children's growth and healthy development. They can foster skills and knowledge that help children with academic learning, as well as habits which contribute to better health."

" Digital games offer a promising and untapped opportunity to leverage children's enthusiasm and to help transform learning in America... Games are here to stay and offer the country a rare opportunity to leverage children’s already established enthusiasm in order to reform education and promote healthy development."

If you follow the link to Eurogamer, where the article is a bit longer, it's clear the report is not looking at violent video games, but  educational ones, so the conclusion is actually fairly obvious. Also since the mission statement of the Sesame Workshop is "to foster innovation in children’s learning through digital media," they would seem to have a bit of a lean toward a positive outlook on the subject.