Some parents think videogaming is beneficial for kids

A new survey from Sony Online Entertainment claims that parents across the country think that playing videogames has some benefit for their children.
Who knew?
The results were published in the November issue of Family Circle magazine and suggest that parents are seeing improved hand-eye coordination plus better problem-solving and typing skills.
The survey also suggests that game-playing is teaching kids to think strategically because many games require you to follow rules, think tactically and make quick decisions.
Yahoo!’s website, Shine reaches 10 million women per month and hosted the survey last June. It showed 87 percent of those parents surveyed actually playing games with their kids (and I’m guessing there’s a lot of Wii-playing going on).
Of all the numbers revealed – 75 percent of parents find increased hand-eye skills; 84 percent see improved typing skills; 72 percent say their kids play online most of the time – I found this most interesting:
More than 80 percent of the respondents say their kids play in a common area of the house.
I’m not big on games being in a kid’s room or letting them play endlessly. But games, the right kinds of games, can have a benefit. And the key is choosing age-appropriate and ratings-appropriate games for kids, so the experiences can be positive.
“Family video game nights are becoming incredibly popular with the variety of games out there,” said Linda Fears, Family Circle’s editor-in-chief. “Parents and children of all ages are finding games to play together, no matter what each person’s experience level.”
NOTES
• November 15 is “National Gaming Day @ your library.” Libraries of all types will participate in a national videogame tournament and an attempt to establish a record for the most number of people playing the board game "Pictureka!" at the same time. Information? Contact your local branch.
• Electronic Arts has partnered with Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook to provide team ratings and scouting reports for the upcoming “NCAA Basketball ’09,” which drops Dec. 2 for Xbox 360 and PS3. Blue Ribbon has compiled stats for 28 years. EA Sports will utilize its scouting reports and data to drive its college basketball videogame.
• The trailer for the upcoming James Bond film “Quantum Of Solace” looks phenomenal. The videogame drops Nov. 4, but a preview is up. Players can get redeemable codes for exclusive content in the game. At various points in the web game, gamers are encouraged to “get rewards” from the official Quantum of Solace video game, and once they click for rewards they’ll be sent to the rewards page where they can enter the code and gain special access to exclusive concept art, screenshots and more – the only way to access these video game assets is to play the 007.com web game. On the rewards page, players can also enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, as Activision is giving away one PS3 per week for the next eight weeks.