Video and Computer Games and the Internet
Since the 1970s, video and computer games have developed into one of the favorite leisure activities among children and adolescents. However, the rapid rise in the popularity of video and computer games went together with a corresponding increase in the debate about their effects. Advocates usually view the games as a benign activity, with great potential to promote children's problem-solving capacities, their eye-hand coordination, and spatial abilities. Opponents are concerned that the games displace other, more valuable activities, such as homework and reading. They argue that the games hinder children's social interactions because they involve a solitary activity. Other critics believe that the games hinder children's creativity because the child player must follow preset rules to succeed. And finally, it is claimed that the games glorify violence and cause callousness and aggression in children.
In academic research, usually no distinction is made between a "video game" and a "computer game." A video game is played on hand-held machines, such as a Game Boy, or on dedicated systems that are plugged into the television, such as Nintendo or Sega. A computer game is played on a personal computer. Since the mid-1980s, however, most games are released for more than one system.
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