There is a great deal of truth in what you said. It's a shame because a lot of what Jo Frost says later in the article makes a lot of sense, but like any amateur, she dresses up her ignorance in non-established facts. If I asked everyone here if they would brutally murder a poor innocent puppy or put a vicious cat out of it's misery after it had tried to kill a baby I could hardly draw the conclusion that gamers are all dog lovers from the results!!putowtin said:
Parental responsibility, open discussion, child responsibility and balance in activities are all good valid points that she makes, but her "research" doesn't bear up against ACTUAL research. Male OR female, playing computer games raises adrenalin levels due to the high impact rush of most games. It does have an effect on desensitising towards violence, about the same as watching the news or a violent program, it's just kids spend more time playing computer games than watching the news! What has ALSO been proven is that playing computer games affects decision making processes, often training the person to make quicker decisions based on complex data in a shorter time than their untrained equivalents. It improves reflexes and cognitive abilities, but all these things in measures. You aren't going to become Arnie by drinking protein shakes, just as you aren't going to be Braniac by playing CoD for 3 months straight. They impact on existing levels, that's all and there is an optimal exposure beyond which any benefit or detriment is minimal and I don't think it's that much from what I read? Like an hour a day or something?
As for the riots, they spread across England, involved thousands from a variety of backgrounds and areas and I don't think the common thread is ownership of an X-Box or PS3...
