Playing Video Games Can Make You a Better Person

Video games get a bad press. Manyare unquestionably violent and, as hasbeen the way with new media from nov-els to comic books to television, theyhave been accused of corrupting themoral fabric of youth. Nor are such ccu-

Video games get a bad press. Many are unquestionably violent and, as has been the way with new media from novels to comic books to television, they have been accused of corrupting the moral fabric of youth. Nor are such ccusations without merit. There is a body of research suggesting that violent games can lead to aggressive thoughts, if not to violence itself. But not all games are shoot-＇em-ups, and what is less examined is whether those that reward more constructive behaviour also have lingering impacts. That, however, is starting to change. Two studies showing that video games have a bright side as well as a dark one have been carried out recently.