Active video games help children become smarter by boosting
their self-esteem and problem-solving skills besides motivating
them to exercise, says a new study. Penny Sweetser, Daniel
Johnson and Peta Wyeth from Australia's Games Research and
Interaction Design (GRID) Lab in Queensland investigated the
amount of time children spent watching TV and DVDs, compared to
playing video games. Watching TV was a "passive" experience,
while video and computer games were interactive, boosting
children's self-esteem, problem-solving skills and in some
cases, physical activity levels, said Johnson, the Australian
Journal for Early Childhood reports. "Emerging research has
shown that active video games such as Nintendo Wii, Sony
PlayStation Move, and the XBOX Kinect can be used to motivate
young children to exercise and be more active outside of the
game setting," adds Johnson, according to a Queensland
statement. "There is a lot of negative press about gaming and
that's not well-supported. Where there is a negative effect,