Many kids are spending less time exercising and more time in front of the TV, computer, or video-game console.

The mindless activity of punching buttons and watching the screen can effectively take the mind away from stressors and focus energy in a positive direction. Although video games are reportedly addictive, they can also help reduce stress and therefore increase levels of health.

, the best games for this type of stress relief are repetitive games that are easy to master but which have a goal that can be difficult to achieve.

Video games can also reduce stress by giving the hands and the mind something active in which to partake. It doesn't take a significant amount of energy to play a video game, but it is a constructive use of the hands and involves hand-eye coordination.

When the younger brother won, the older brother got up and started kicking him and yelling insults

Mario Cart," which is really not a very violent game; the object is to win a car race by coming in first while maneuvering through different courses.

"Beta wave activity in people in the [highest amount of video game playing] was constantly near zero,

There are three types of aggression, measured along a mild-to-violent severity continuum: physical, verbal, and relational. Violence refers to physical aggression of which the victim is likely to suffer serious physical injury.

One study did find an increase in reports of bullying, noting, "Our research found that certain patterns of video game play were much more likely to be associated with these types of behavioral problems than with major violent crime such as school shooting

On April 20, 1999, 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and a teacher in the Columbine High School massacre. The two were allegedly obsessed with the video game Doom.

when action is taken upon the frustration and stress, and the action is taken out in anger and aggression, the results may be very harmful to both the aggressor and the person being aggressed against, mentally, emotionally, and even physically.

, violent video games were considered to be more harmful in increasing aggression than violent movies or television shows due to their interactive and engrossing nature.

Although there have been studies that have found video game violence to have little negative effects on their players,

The origin of video games lies in early cathode ray tube-based missile defense systems in the late 1940s.

the 1960s, more computer games were developed

In September 1971, the Galaxy Game was installed at a student union at Stanford University. Based on Spacewar!, this was the first coin-operated video game. Only one was built, using a DEC PDP-11 and vector display terminals. In 1972 it was expanded to be able to handle four to eight consoles.

“You play as a thug with problems you must steal and shoot your way out of, but the problems this time are disconcertingly more realistic.

(ie: of the level that shoots and steals his way out of problems?? Wouldn’t this indicate some psychopathic tendencies? Do parents actually buy this game for kids?)

The killing and stealing bothers this writer not at all, just the curse words. And, there is this comment, barely literate and disturbing: “dis game is tight the graphocs rock one thing i enjoy is that you get to kill people and take peoples nice cars and in one mission u can buy a big plane like ones at the airports”.

There is a lot of controversy about how bad video games are for children, in regards to violence, and general obsession with playing, so much so that nothing else matters to them. Having been quite involved in more than one video game in my time, I can attest to the fact that they can become quite addicting and there is a kind of obsession that drives you to keep playing until you’ve won the game

Video games have many benefits to children which most of us never even think of. Video games promote good eye-hand coordination, problem solving skills, critical thinking and competition.

The article gives some details about HR 669, a bill pending in Congress which would make it illegal to sell ultra-violent video games to children. 

A Boston Globe article examines arguments in a U.S. Court of Appeals case brought by the industry against a St. Louis County ordinance that restricts minors' access to violent video games

Playing violent video games can increase aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior, say researchers in the BBC News article

The law would impose $1,000 fines on stores that sell violent video games to people under 18.

Some of the Grimm’s fairy tales are quite grim,” he added. “Are you going to ban them, too?”

n fact, over eighty three percent of all those adults who buy computer games or video games for children against the publisher's age recommendations are the parents themselves.

well over sixty percent of all those who do play or buy such video games are over the age of eighteen.

that parents don't realise just how much computer graphical capabilities have developed in the last few years.