“Video games can boost kids' skills” plus 1 more |
| Video games can boost kids' skills Posted: 05 Jan 2011 03:21 AM PST Dear Leanna: Over the holidays, my brother, who is a brain surgeon, argued with me over video games. I think they're time-wasters, so I monitor my boys' time and use them only as a reward. He says research shows that they are actually good for their brains and I shouldn't be so strict. How can that be? Answer: There is a growing body of research that suggests that some video games can improve real world skills as kids develop their brains. Daphne Bavelier, a University of Rochester professor of brain and cognitive sciences, has conducted more than 20 studies on video games and says that "live-action games are far from mindless." What does that mean? Gamers she studied performed better than non-gamers on tests of attention, speed, accuracy, vision and multitasking. Gamers are better at contrast sensitivity -- the ability to see subtle shades of gray -- and are better able to read small typefaces than non-gamers. She also found that gamers have better attention spans -- they stay focused and are less distracted by events in their surroundings. They can switch activities much faster than non-gamers, making them better multitaskers. They also have better reaction time. Jay Pratt, a brain researcher and professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, studies spatial cognition -- the ability to see and mentally manipulate 3D figures, an essential skill for math and engineering. Women usually do much worse than men on tests that measure spatial cognition. Pratt tested a group of women with little or no gaming experience and found they scored poorly. Then he gave them 10 hours of training on action video games, retested them and found that they scored nearly as well as the men. Pratt notes that gamers perform better in another area of spatial cognition called "the useful field of view" -- how wide you can see at any given moment. He says gamers are better able to pick up irregularities in environments. That skill helps us react more efficiently and guide our behavior. So your brother has a point. But you do, too. You'll note that this research was done on live-action video games, which immerse players in a fast-paced environment. Many live-action video games have adult ratings. Another drawback is that kids hunched over a game aren't getting any physical activity. So what's a mom with a brainy brother to do? Be choosey. Common Sense Media ( commonsense.org) rates games and can help you find appropriate choices. Do you have a question about your child's education? E-mail it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com . This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Posted: 05 Jan 2011 12:47 AM PST Winkler, Canada (Vocus/PRWEB) January 05, 2011 Children's Camps International has launched ZuCamp, the first faith-based online interactive campground developed for children ages 8 through 12. This fun, action-packed online environment provides a large variety of robust multi-level kids' online games and social networking in a safe, monitored environment. Rock Roper is one of many ZuCamp games that present a thrilling challenge. With single- and multi-player options, players match scrolling on-screen arrows in a race to the mountaintop. Paintball is another captivating game in which players, suited with paint packs, direct their mouse to hit fast-moving squirrel-wielding targets that randomly appear within the dense forest. As players master each level, the game gets increasingly challenging. Whether navigating through the adventurous Ropes Course maze, at archery practice using flying chickens, or in the lodge challenging a BFF camper to a game of air hockey or pool, this virtual campground is sure to keep children captivated for hours of good, clean fun. Many ZuCamp games are mulit-player, so children may compete against each other or a computer component. Characters are personalized. Each avatar has his own cabin, which may be decorated with items bought at the ZuStore using Zunnies—ZuCamps' equivalent to dollars earned by good game playing. This massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) campground is a follow-up tool for keeping children united after attending Christian camp. It also serves to instill and reinforce the many important life lessons beneficial for all children, such as kindness, friendship, generosity and cooperative community. "As a camp follow-up coordinator, it broke my heart knowing that once the kids left camp, they didn't stay connected and there was no way to reinforce lessons learned," said Zacharias. "ZuCamp is a great way to keep kids connected to the awesome experiences they had at a summer camp." ZuCamp is membership-based with safety being a priority. Chats are monitored 24/7 by a live person and of the world's most advanced automated chat filtration systems. Taking the fun of camp to the online space is the brainchild of Children's Camp International President, Ray Wieler and Executive Producer, Steve Zacharias. Wieler and Zacharias are veteran camp ministry leaders who began their careers more than a decade ago in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Since then they have expanded their focus to the developing world and now work in a growing number of countries in Asia, Africa, Central America and the South Pacific. ZuCamp will spearhead the company's online outreach to the developed world. As a non-profit, non-denominational evangelical organization venturing into the competitive for-profit online kids' games world via an innovative digitized business model, ZuCamp creators took a leap of faith in its making. However, where many charities have downsized significantly over the last year Children's Camp International has steadily grown, providing a strong foundation and motivational force to move forward. In fact, once word spread about the company being in the beginning stage of ZuCamp development, an influx of high-ranking professionals joined the team--Bill Baumgart, Executive Producer of KIDMO being one of them. With the launch of ZuCamp, Zacharias and Wieler are pioneers in taking the charity world virtual. All profits from ZuCamp will go directly toward serving children around the world. By presenting players with the opportunity to designate which Christian camp programs will receive a portion of their membership dues, ZuCamp promotes and instills philanthropic values. "Where other online games for children strictly focuses on the user themselves, ZuCamp gives kids the opportunity to join us in having an impact in the lives of children less fortunate." For more information about ZuCamp, please visit http://www.zucamp.com. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| You are subscribed to email updates from kids games - Yahoo! News Search Results To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment