Gaming

Playing video games as a group may help improve communication skills, according to a study by researchers in Scotland. Data shows that after two months of regularly playing video games in a group setting, a test group of students demonstrated improved communication skills, adaptability and resourcefulness. The researchers feel that having video game teams in schools, sanctioned the same way as football or baseball teams, could help students who do not want to (or are unable to) play traditional sports build the kind of life skills often gained by participation in those physical activities.

Do you have a child who is interested programming or wants to make a difference in the world? Something that might spark their interest is a game jam, a hackathon-type event where kids get together to design a computer game or app based on social issues such as immigration, climate change, or future cities. Want to know more? Check out this article called Taking Advantage of the Power of Play on the Edutopia site for ideas on how to get started.

Playing the video game Minecraft may help boost students' social and emotional skills, according to a recent survey from Getting Smart and Microsoft. Data shows that 86.6% of teachers who use the education version for group play in their classrooms said playing Minecraft had a positive effect on students' communication skills, including problem-solving (cited by 97.7 percent), creativity (95.5 percent), critical thinking (93.3 percent) and collaboration (91.1 percent).

According to a study that was recently published in the journal PLOS One, men who were worse players at online games than their peers tended to hurl more nastiness at female gamers. On the other hand, men who consistently perform well were nicer overall to both male and female players. This was found by a pair of researchers from the United States and Australia who examined interactions between players during 163 games of Halo 3 to determine when men were most likely to exhibit sexist, anti-social behavior toward their female peers. Takeaway for parents? Remind the gamer girls at your house that they still should let you know when comments go too far but to keep in mind that a lot of the vitriol they face online may just be raw jealousy.

If your kids love online gaming, it is important to keep up with the latest tips on how to keep them playing safely and smartly. Got just a minute to do that? Check out this video entitled 7 Easy Hacks for Parents of Young Gamers.

Got a new Nintendo Switch gaming system at your house? Great news. It comes with a free Parental Controls mobile app that lets you set limits on just about everything from what time the device can be turned on, to what games can be played, to how many minutes a day it can be used. Check out the video on the site for a great overview. You can also limit sharing of in-game texts and images, and restrict the ability to send screen shots to social media.