Europe says gaming is good for children

Children who spend hours on their Playstation consoles may not be rotting their brains, as mnay parentns fear. A report from the European parliament has said that computer games ar good for children and teach them important life skills.

Although some games have a violent reputation, there is no real proof that playing them has an automatic negative effect on children, for example by causing aggressive behaviour, said the report.

Instead, "videogames can stimulate the learning of facts and skills such as strategic thinking, creativity and cooperation, which are important in the information society."

Toine Manders, the Dutch MEP who helped write the report said: "We heard from computer games experts and psychologists in France, the US, Germany and the Netherlands. They told us that videogames have a positive contribution to make to the education of children."

The study called for schools to consider using games for educational purposes and asked parents to take a bigger interest in them.

The findings will surprise supporters of the stronger regulation of computer games, some of which have been blamed for influencing violent crime among children.

Last year the mother of Stefan Pakeerah, a 14-year old boy from Leicester, England, who was murdered by a 17-year old, said her son's killer was influenced by the computer game Manhunt.

The European parliament conceded that "violence in videogames can in certain situations stimulate violent behaviour" and it called for a Europe-wide limit on the sale to children of games for adults.

Total revenues from the video games sector in Europe were more than $8.8bn last year, the report said. In the UK, videogames outsold music and other video products for the first time last year.

Lesson Plan

Write the anagram of videogames on the board: devio sgaem. Ask students to guess the theme of the article. When a student has guessed - quickly check the meaning of the word. Elicit some examples of video and computer games. - 3 mins

Dictate the following two questions. Students work with a partner and ask/answer the questions. Establish the words: console, gaming. - 6 mins

1. Do you like playing video or computer games? Why/Why not?
2. How often do you play such games?

Write up the words from the article: parents, fear, children, brains. Elicit ideas about what parents think about their children playing videogames. Establish the phrase: rot one's brain. - 4 mins

Set up the following scenario: a child has been playing on a videogame for two hours, their mother or father comes into the room. Ask students to write a short dialogue between the parent and the child. Monitor and help students. Encourage two students to act out their dialogue in front of the class. - 12 mins

Write these questions on the board. Check unknown words. Give out the article. Studnets choose correct answers. - 15 mins

1. The report says videogames can be positive/negative for children.
2. There is/isn't proof that video games can make children aggressive.
3. Video games can help/slow down children in the learning of facts and skills.
4. Information for the report came from one/a number of countries.
5. The report wants parents/children to show more interest in computer games.
6. The European parliament says that games can never/occasionally stimulate violence.
7. In the UK videogames are more/less popular than music and other video products.

Ask students: Were you surprised by the article? Why/Why not? Class discussion. Encourage students to refer back to the text. - 5 mins

The article says that students can learn important skills from video games. What jobs could be helped by gaming? For example it was recently found that surgeons could develop better hand movements by playing video games. Students in small groups to think of four jobs. Class feedback. Students explain/justify their ideas. - 10 mins