If you believe what many in the media and on Capitol Hill say then you probably think that video games are a horrible influence on children and that gaming is making the world a worse place by teaching adolescents how to rape, rob, kill and pillage. Cheryl K. Olson, one of the authors of the book Grand Theft Childhood, has released a new article, titled "Children’s Motivations for Video Game Play in the Context of Normal Development," which says differently.

This article, which is based on a study that surveyed 1,254 middle school children, lists a number of healthy reasons why adolescents play video games. Let’s look at some of these reasons and see why they list them as healthy influences on children.

-Competition, Challenge and Mastery

"More than four of five boys surveyed indicated that they were motivated by competition, and 57% strongly agreed. The theme of competition also arose in nearly every focus group we conducted with young adolescent boys (Olson et al., 2008). For example, when a researcher asked one boy what part of a game was his favorite, he responded, 'Beating people!'"

"For boys, video games may be a means to jockey for social status, similar to the healthy developmental role filled by 'rough and tumble' play (Pellegrini, 2003). Boys can gain status among peers by owning or mastering a popular game. A study of male social identity that included 149 boys 14–15 years of age (Tarrant et al., 2001) found that “good at computer/video games” was second only to being “fun” as a desirable trait among one’s in-group members."

Not only was competition seen as a positive aspect of gaming by the children surveyed, but it also helped improve their self image.

"...Games can provide a safe space for young people to negotiate rules and discover the boundaries of acceptable behavior— such as the point where creative strategies are viewed as crossing the line into cheating or taking unfair advantage"

"Compared with other entertainment media (TV, radio, books), video game play demands a wider range of skills as well as a high tolerance for frustration. Specialized knowledge is required to install and use the game on the console or computer and to master the ever-evolving game controllers or game-specific keyboard commands. With each new game or game series, the player must figure out that game world’s regulatory mechanisms and causal connections before any fun can be had (Klimmt & Hartmann, 2006)."