Playing Video Games Has Benefits

"The big picture is that there are several dimensions on which games have effects, including the amount they are played, the content of each game, what you have to pay attention to on the screen, and how you control the motions," said Gentile. "This means that games are not 'good' or 'bad,' but are powerful educational tools and have many effects we might not have expected they could."

In a third study, based on nearly 2,000 World of Warcraft players, found that 86 percent shared their game knowledge, in discussion posts with other gamers. More than half (58%) used "systematic and evaluative processes indicative of scientific reasoning."

"Gamers are openly discussing their strategies and thinking, creating an environment in which informal scientific reasoning practices are being learned by playing these online video games," said Sean Duncan, co-author of the study.