PA
Researchers are claiming that kids who play on computer games are more creative than those who don't.
A study in the US found that regardless of the type of game played, the children who played them showed increased levels of creativity. This flies in the face of last month's news that neuroscientist Baroness Greenacre had said computer games gave children dementia (keep up, can't you?!).
Researchers at Michigan State University tested almost 500 12-year-olds against the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, which examines problem-solving and story-telling skills.
They found that while video games could be linked to increased levels of creativity, general computer, mobile phone and internet usage could not.
Professor Linda Jackson who led the research said: 'We are the first to look at creativity and technology use, finding that no other technologies except video games was positively related to creativity.'
She said game designers should look at the findings and see what it is in their products which sparks creativity: 'Once they do that, video games can be designed to optimize the development of creativity while retaining their entertainment values such that a new generation of video games will blur the distinction between education and entertainment.'
The study also discovered that youngsters who play video games have increased visual-spatial skills, which are connected to better skills in science and engineering disciplines.
What do you think?
Have games consoles made your kids more creative? Or just more couch-potato like?