A new article takes a look at the research to explore the benefits offered by video games in cognitive, motivational, emotional, and social domains:
http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-a0034857.pdf
but a recent study out of Brock University showed that playing video games was highly prevalent among 13- and 14-year-olds, usually between one and three hours a day – and playing violent games was very common. Many teenagers could play these games without any evidence of a change in attitude. And non-violent games seemed to have no adverse effects on “moral reasoning”, regardless of time spent.
But teenagers who spent more than three hours every day in front of a screen, continuously playing these violent games without any other real-life interaction exhibited delays in empathy, trust and concern for others.
However it is unclear whether teens with such delays are more prone to play such games longer, or whether the playing the games results in delays.
