To game or not to game, the debate rages

mumbai: scientists at japan's tohoku university, led by ryuta kawashima, say they have found evidence that children who spend hours on computer games could be endangering the development of their frontal lobes, which play a crucial role in controlling violentladen behaviour and developing emotional intelligence. however, the video-game industry has pooh-poohed the research findings. according to an online trade portal, the european leisure software publishers' association (elspa) has stated that the research is only of "very limited focus". the software association asserts that it's not true that playing videogames can make children antisocial. instead, elspa quotes the findings of a recent british study which suggests that playing computer games can be as beneficial as taking part in physical sporting activity. "for too long now, our industry has been the target of ill-informed criticism and scare-mongering," the online article quotes roger bennett,dire tor general of the association, as saying. "we want to help those who weren't brought up on computer games to understand this exciting new medium and the part that it can play in a healthy balance of learning and leisure activities for all age groups." the association is also making efforts to change the image of typical game players who are perceived to be loners, sitting for hours in front of their consoles and cut off from the rest of the world. "through the study, gaming emerges as an increasingly social activity, and gamers spend comparable amounts of time socialising with friends and family," the association explains. "the researchers concluded that the stereotype of the computer gamer as someone who spends a large amount of leisure time interacting with technology rather than other people is questionable." where, then, does the truth lie? while parents struggle to make up their minds, the 'to game or not to game' debate rages on.