On the other hand, Amazon.com also notes accolades for Everything Bad is Good for You from Time Magazine, the New York Times, the Boston Globe and other publications.

Tony, Las Vegas: When my son is playing games he becomes so focussed that the time just passes away. I have made him aware of this fact and have even asked him to do equal time w/ reading vs playing computer games. He agreed but it did not last long. He is on the computer from when he wakes up until I get home. He does play competetive soccer and is in great shape. Is it healthy for him physically and socially to play these games at great lengths of time?

Ben: I think gaming is good. I think having a healthy lifestyle is a good thing and that includes lots of things besides games. However, playing lots of interesting games and learning from them isn't itself bad. We must learn to understand that maybe this is a media form that will take the place of other things like watching TV or movies. It may even take more time from reading but we can't say right this second that's bad itself. We're all having to adjust to a change in our media lifestyle.

Lisa Herrick, Washington, DC: What do you know about the latest video games which require the viewer to move around in a camera-eye, which simulates movement within the video game being watched - are there games coming out aimed at children, which would actually get a child moving aerobically in order to keep up with the game and score points? Are there any you recommend for school-aged children, and are there some that are better for girls vs. boys?

Ben: There are more games of this type coming. Sony actually produces these games in England. When I was there this summer there were a ton of them vs. all the ones released here. Disney even had one. I think by this Xmas you'll see at least 3-4 new EyeToy games.

Some companies are looking at specialized plug-and-play games that involve dance pads for kids. They're not out yet. I've worked on a few prototypes but so far most stuff is aimed at "older" kids.

Overall though our position on Games for Health is these are great games and it's neat with dance pads and EyeToy we can create new types of games that can be integrated into an overall health lifestyle.

Max, Wellesley: Why do adults always think video games are bad for kids? Why do adults think video games cause violence in kids, as opposed to bad parenting or TV?

Ben: Throughout history society has always had problems with new media. Books even were seen as problematic when the printing press was invented. TV was seen as bad, Movies were seen as problems. This pattern isn't new.

I think it's a generational issue. We force new technologies to prove that they're not the worst thing ever and eventually when we sort it out we relax a bit. My guess is the next generation of parents won't be so apprehensive.

At the same time these concerns force everyone to think about the bigger issues of life, balance, and self-control and that's not a bad thing.

So it's a fairly knee-jerk reaction that many people often have to new things they don't understand. If we survive that it will be because the reaction is wrong.

Maggie Osborn, Tampa, Florida: I have read that the ratings on games are assigned by the industry, which is kind of like the fox watching the hen house. It has also become clear through my experience that these ratings and even friendly recommendations from other parents are much more liberal than my taste as a mother. What resources are available to get true information regarding game content or recommendations for what may be more appropriate for my pre-teen daughter?

Ben: The ratings board is set up by the industry but it is run with an objective set of criteria like the MPAA is. That doesn't mean it's a one-size fits all perfect solution. I think the best thing is to use it to start and then use user reviews and other sites like gamerdads.com , etc. to figure things out beyond that.

I think that part of it also involves game literacy. Your daughter may be able to consume a "wider array" of gaming she likes if you're able to engage her over it and discuss what the games have and don't and to work through things you might see as problematic such as the potrayal of a certain character, etc.

Pat Brock, Waterloo, IA: Oh boy...HOW LONG (session length) should a child be given to play computer or video games and how many times in a 24 hour period? What should a parent/provider look for in educational games?

Ben: I think the biggest thing to do isn't to limit the gaming itself, but to decide what else a child should be doing besides playing games that are musts. Such as homework, playing outside, watching the news, etc. Once you've eliminated that then let your children do what they want. If they want to play games vs. watch TV, or play games vs. build with legos. If they're doing the other things in their "activity diet" then I don't see a problem. It shouldn't be about setting limits - it should be about setting goals for what an overall healthy cognitive and physical entails and communicating that effectively.

Maggie Stack, Madison, WI: What do you think about the Leap Frog line of educational games and toys? Do you recommend any of those for children?

Ben: Leap Frog is very focused on a market that hadn't existed which is very young toys and electronic learning games. I think they found a market that existed but was underserved. Some of their stuff seems neat but I also worry about people feeling they "need" this stuff at such an early age due to how its marketed. Say what you will about computer games but I don't think they try to create a belief that your kid will fail out of school if they don't play Civ4.

Baltimore, MD My 15 year-old son wanted to buy Grand Theft Auto-San Andreas. After looking at the rating and content, I deemed it too violent so didn't allow him to buy it. What are some age-approriate video games that would have the adventure and excitement of a Grand Theft Auto without the mature rating?

Kurt Great question—one of GTA's most appealing features is its open-endedness. Unfortunately, there's a lot of other stuff that comes along with it. You might check out Sid Meier's Pirates, another game with some of that open-endedness. Some of the images of women are less than perfect there, but it's a relatively open, free form game.

Laramie, WY: We have found that video games are a major factor in attracting kids to our drop-in center, but are concerned about the impact they may be having on the youth we serve as well as the public perception of using them as a "lure" to more productive programming. As the experts, what's your take?

Ben: If you can use games to motivate kids to use computers, and to think about how games are made and that becomes a path to working with 3D graphics, programming, math, science and other things then wow! That's a big deal. Microsoft and others think this is a big way to motivate more young kids to go into computer science. Game programmers and artists are some of the most technically adept people in the software industry. But making that connection and providing the resources to get kids to move behind the game so to speak takes effort.

Tired of Fighting in Baltimore, MD: Can you suggest some strategies to get an uninterested 16-year-old to study for his SAT? He would spend all day playing video games if I allowed it, but won't spend a minute to study for the SAT online or use the programs I purchased for that purpose?

Kurt: That's a good question, one which I'm not sure if I can really answer. Most of those programs tend to be drill and practice, which can be quite dull. Unfortunately, I don't know of anything in that space that is really good. Most of the software tends to be somewhat dull, as are the videos. Ben?

Cathy Weisbrod, St. Louis, MO: I have a 17-and-a-half-year-old and a twenty-year-old. (Both males) They play Final Fantasy 11 more than I would like them to. Do you have any positive feedback on the game or skills it develops?

Kurt: It's difficult to talk about the skills that games develop outside of contexts. Having said that, I do know a lot of people who have played MMOs and have developed much better social skills -- particularly leadership skills as a result. With games like that, there are opportunities to lead groups and so on. However, much like sports, it's not necessarily a "sure thing" that just because they're playing they're necessarily learning those things. I highly, highly, highly recommend trying to play with your kids—if at all possible. Adult mentoring and feedback is a great way to help kids develop in this context. Also, it can be great fun.

Margaret, Alexandria, VA: Are you aware of any adult literacy applications that have been applied to games and gaming?

Kurt: Sadly, no. Educational gaming is still in its infancy, and this is an area no one has explored. However, there are lots of stories of people using games as contexts for learning. Games like Age of Empires have a lot of language in them. Many friends of mine from other countries used adventure games -- things like the Monkey Island series -- to learn English, and there are opportuniteis there, but no one has really made a compelling adult literacy game to date that I've seen.

Kelly, Alabama: What are some general recommendations you have of games you think are good for kids of different ages? Why do you like these particular games?

Ben: Personally I think strategy games are the best. I like games that require lots of allocation of resources, lots of iterative decisions, and which force you to think about systems and all their intricate parts. The other games like this tend to be role-playing games where you progress a party of characters through a game figuring out how to grow them so you can advance through the game and solve various problems.

In general I think the best games are really major commercial games and not always simple educational games. These games tend to really push the player and are often usable by kids even if they're not made for them specifically. That isn't to say there aren't good educational kid games. If you check some sites like gamerdads etc. look for educational games that have stood the test of time. They've done that for a reason.

Alabama: What research is being done and has been done to show that some types of video games can be good for kids?

Ben: There are a variety of different pockets of research. In general all of it is fairly new in the grand scheme of things. Kurt Squire can probably better specify exact papers, etc.

In general though what we're seeing is that games are presenting new ways of learning things, they are presenting new styles of learning, and they are making it possible to teach things (like systems thinking and experiemental problem solving) that maybe weren't as easy to do previously.

Much of it is theory, and observation for now but as people grasp and focus on various comparative advantages vs. other ways of teaching I think we'll begin to see not only consensus but various types of peer-reviewed research that will play out.

The problem is we're not only beginning to rethink what games are and what they can be used for but how we optimize these things to create better games that bring the best of this thinking out in practice so it's still a bit chicken-and-egg.

Kurt: There are about a dozen of us doing these kinds of studies. I've been interviewing people who play a lot of the historical simulation games—trying to see how, if it all it affects how they think about history. We find that they use historical terms and concepts from games, and use games to think systemically about things, particularly history. Every person I've met who has played Age of Mythology or similar games has checked out a book from the library based on their game play.

Other studies have looked at broad correlations between gaming and social behavior, but found very few patterns. In the 80s, they found that people who game more than 30 hours a week at arcades didn't do quite as well in school as other students, which wasn't a really big shocker, really.

Other studies are looking at online gamers—something very interesting is that online games provide spaces where 14-year-old kids can game together with adults—and a lot of very good mentoring can happen in these spaces. A colleague of mine, Constance Steinkuehler is looking at issues like that in games like World of Warcraft.

Leslie, D.C.: I'm concerned that my brother spends almost all day playing video games. He's 19 now, and this has been the case for the last 4-5 years. Can this kind of activity be healthy physically or socially?

Kurt: In some cases, yes, but like anything (work, sports, excercise), it really depends on the person and the context. Games can be and usually are profoundly social -- most of us game as a way of connecting with friends. Usually, I recommend that people stop gaming when it interferes with other things that they like or want -- (relationships, jobs and so on). I find that usually people do stop when it becomes too much, but sometimes we have to help them there :).

Lisa Herrick in Washington, DC: I have found that setting rigid limits on "screen time" for children often creates both endless power struggles with parents, and an endless yearning for MORE screen time in the children. How do you recommend parents approach the balancing act needed to encourage children to spend time outside, get their homework done, while still allowing - or encouraging - time on the computer or video game?

Kurt: Great question, and I would think that in part it would depend on the child. One thing I stronlgy recommend for parents is to try gaming with their kids. Often times they're surprised at the amount of reading, problem solving, and complexity that goes into it. But to the heart of your question, it's a complex thing, helping children develop notions of healthy boundaries. I hate to give too much advice as I'm no expert in child rearing, but I'd definitely suggest sitting down and talking with kids about how much time is appropriate for them.

Dave, D.C.: I am 23 years old, and feel that I was lucky enough to grow up in the "glory days" of video gaming. Games like Zelda, Final Fantasy, etc without question helped me build critical thinking and problem solving skills. My question is whether the experts feel today's games do the same. Games like Grand Theft Auto that I've seen glimpses of look far from educational.

Ben: Well that's because you're looking at the "skin" of the game as opposed to the underlying logic. GTA is interesting because it really allows the player a lot of freedom in how they solve problems. It was very new in that sort of "go anywhere do anything" goal many developers have. At the same time it also allows you to just play in the world and not advance the game—another form of freedom so to speak. In this vein GTA offers a lot of interesting ideas architecturally and in a game design sense. That same idea of a game system could be and is being applied to ideas beyond the motif of stealing cars and advancing through a crinimal underworld.

Laurie Foster, DC: Do you know of any studies suggesting that violent video games increase violent behavior? Do you think we know enough about their effects on the development of children?

Kurt: There are a number of studies out there—but none have yet to show any causal link. The only real link I've seen is that if players perceive a game as being "aggressive" that they think that game characters are out to get them—they may tend to be a little more aggressive afterwards. There are also studies that show that after, say, watching wrestling on tv or playing a wrestling game, kids tend to wrestle and / or play rougher. However, in general games have never been shown to be a primary cause of violent crime, and violent crime has actually gone way down at the same time that game playing is going way up.

There's still a lot we don't know about game play and development. There is reason to believe that it might be very good for kids, in certain contexts, but the most important thing we know from past research is it's all about how the game is used. If the child is thinking strategically, asking questions, thinking hard to solve problems and communicating with friends and peers, it's generally good. If they're sitting back, not necessarily paying much attention or trying very hard, it's probably not going to be very good. These kinds of findings came out of the research on Sesame Street, and they probably hold true for games, which is why it's so important that parents and / or siblings game with children, to help "ratchet up" their game play into something intellectually productive.

Kelly Snowden, Anniston, Alabama: A recent article in The New York Times talked about a key code that can unlock sexually explicit scenes in the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. What can parents do to protect their kids from gaining such codes? How many video games, and which types of video games, have this embedded material which can be unlocked?

Ben: This is sort of a controversial story. It's not clear if this content is in the game as it shipped and then is unlocked. If I recall (and I'll check the newswires while I'm answering other questions) it may be this is a user-created patch to the game.

In general Cheat Codes as they're known can be good things and they unlock different ways to play a game, or give a character extra powers making the game easier for someone who is struggling. Other times games lock things and once a gamer achieves a certain level they are rewarded by unlocking them. For example many racing games don't let you drive the best cars until you prove yourself. So this design mechanic is often used to great effect and is a key feature of many games.

In this instance the story may be slightly abstracted from the truth or if it's actually part of the game as shipped then honestly—someone made a mistake.

Joey, Virginia: The screen isn't going away. Kids and adults are in front of screens all day. We are all in front of computer screens right now.

Shouldn't the challenge be to promote exercise while we are in front of the screen? At least kids can play games like Dance Dance Revolution in front of their screens, while I sit in an office all day.

Cecilia Very good point, Joey. The Kaiser Family Foundation's research that we reported on in "Tuned-in Toddlers" shows that even our youngest children are immersed in media, spending hours watching TV, using computers and, more relevant to this discussion, playing video games.

The Kaiser report revealed that half (50%) of all 4-6 year-olds have played video games, and one in four (25%) play several times a week or more. Differences between boys and girls have already begun to emerge at this young age: 56% of boys have played video games, compared to 36% of girls; and in a typical day, 24% of boys will play, compared to 8% of girls.

Lisa Herrick, Washington, DC: Are there websites you can recommend for overweight children, and adolescents, which would provide opportunities for gaining support, information, chat-time etc. with peers and professionals who might facilitate a move toward fitness and healthy weight loss? How could an overweight child use the internet successfully in a quest to lose weight?

Kurt: I'm sorry -- this isn't something I know much about, although there are a number of games that get people up and moving around like Dance Dance Revolution, which have been used for similar purposes. However, it's not really a topic I know much about.

Art, NYC: Are ratings really necessary? If kids want to get a game, they will.

Cecilia: I think ratings are only as good as they are enforced, both by retail establishments, but more importantly, by parents. This is true for movies as well as video games. So, to take your question one step further, if we believe that ratings are necessary, what measures are we willing to take to enforce them?

I'd like to hear from parents out there on this.

Tracey, Baltimore: My son spends most of his summer job money on video games. I'm worried when he goes off to college in 2 years that he will waste book money on games. How can I get him to learn?

Kurt: Wow, tough question! Is he spending money now that he should be saving? It sounds like you're concerned that he won't budget well—that given the chance with money he won't spend it wisely. That's something that I think we all struggled with in college, and I'd encourage you to do whatever you can to gradually increase the responsibilities he has now so that it's not such a shocker when he gets there. One thing that might help—there are so many folks with games at college that he will probably be surrounded by them and won't be buying as much.

Dad in Ohio: Are the new video game systems going to be that much better? My kids are talking about them already but I don't know if they are worth spending $400 on.

Ben: If you are an avid gamer then the answer is absolutely. These new systems are going to be markedly better in many ways. However, you don't need to be the first to buy them (I do, which is good and bad ) and I can say this—at E3 the big video game show many of the games coming out over the next 18 months for the older systems also looked fantastic so there is lots of cool stuff to play without having to move on to the latest and greatest. We also have the PSP (PlayStation Portable) and Nintendo DS to check out as well. So hopefully you don't have to spend $400 this Xmas (or next) but by 2007 you might find yourself moving on for sure. One other thing to look at is getting a system of the current gen you haven't played with yet—there may be some great games you've yet to experience (like Pikmin for the GameCube) that are inexpensive, great games. Move sideways before moving on is my advice. But I can't say these new systems won't be awesome—they will.

Joan, Howell MI: Are there any games for the pc to help kids learn computer skills and games that 2 1/2 year old twin boys could play?

Kurt: There are a number of Reader Rabbit type games—and I saw a neat looking game made by Tonka that might be appropriate. I really liked that it had large controls that fit very nicely with Tonka trucks -- so the children weren't just staring at the screen all day. Also, the "Lego" games are great for problem solving and so on. there are a number of good online games associated with children's websites, such as Sesame Street, that might be worth looking at.

Lisa Herrick, Washington, DC: Are there websites you can recommend for overweight children, and adolescents, which would provide opportunities for gaining support, information, chat-time etc. with peers and professionals who might facilitate a move toward fitness and healthy weight loss? How could an overweight child use the internet successfully in a quest to lose weight?

Kurt Squire: For those parents who have a lot of concerns about games, I strongly recommend trying to play them with kids. A lot of the trends we see—fear toward games are very similar to the fears folks had about books and television—fears that they make people isolated, withdrawn, inactive and so on. Most kids love to talk about their games, and it can be a great source of contact between parents and kids. Of course, like anything, there are times when game play can become unhealthy. 99% of the time, there's nothing to worry about—kids just find games compelling in similar ways that earlier generations found comics, television, or music compelling. Helping adolescents develop boundaries isn't easy—but it is obviously important. I usually recommend helping kids identify the things they want—and then helping them restrict gaming when it gets in the way of those things (college, friends, a healthy body) and so on. Of course, these are things that we all struggle with at times.

Susan, DC: I understand the point about playing with your kids—I try to watch their TV shows and enjoy reading their favorite authors, but for me that's just a step too far. How can I get a good idea of what's actually involved in some of these games, like Warcraft, without actually having to play it?

Kurt It's tough to do, and I really do encourage folks to try it as it's often more fun than people realize. I know of a lot of great stories where parents and kids found that gaming was the one thing they could do together without fighting. And, of course, it does help to show a willingness to "walk in their shows" Also, just fyi because most folks don't know this, the average age of gamers is now about 30. My Warcraft guild has several people in their 40s and 50s in it.

But, having said that, obviously gaming isn't for everyone! If you want to know what's in games, I strongly suggest sites like gamecritics.com. It is a very good site for reviews. If games are the "artform of the 21st century" they're trying to be the best critics out there. There are a number of good sites but gamecritics is pretty comprehensive.

Sara, NC: Ben or Kurt, What role did video games play in your childhood?

Ben: Great question. I could write a book about this and I did to an extent. Let me just say games drew me to computers. They made me interested in how I could use software to do things I had only previously dreamed were possible. It also made gaming fun. Before computer games you had to have lots of other people around to play games. With computers I didn't. People may bemoan the anti-social aspects of some games but to turn the tables for people who are gamers at heart and love strategy, and love to play games, computers made it possible for us to game even when others weren't around.

Today gaming is a big part of my business so I'm lucky to play for a living. As I look back though I think games sharpened my ability to think through various permutations of complex problems very very fast. Maybe without games I'd still be able to do it but my guess is it definitely has helped. And often for my clients that's a skill they come to me for.

Kurt: I started playing games probably at age 5 or 6 with arcades and then Atari. I was never a huge gamer -- I played as much as the other kids in my neighborhood.

When the Atari died, I, like many people, started playing computer games. Computer games introduced me to programming, as well as the basics of how computers work. Like a lot of kids, it was what got me into technology, and basically, got me where I am today.

I spent a lot of time playing history games growing up (Pirates, Civilization and so on) which got me interested in history and which is why I went to graduate school in educational technology. So for me, I kind of owe my career to gaming.

What keeps me gaming largely are the social relationships. I game with people from all around the world, and some of the most interesting, kindest people I met through online gaming.

Marcia, Washington: Which is worse: to have a kids who prefers to spend hours a day glued to a computer terminal playing online games, or to have a kids who shows absolutely no interest in any games of this nature?

Kurt: I don't think that either is good or bad, per se. One can imagine someone spending hours a day glued to a computer playing games, growing up and designing the next hit game, and becoming one of the great artists of the 21st century—or one could imagine one doing the exact opposite.

I'd be concerned if kids grew up without any passions whatsoever. In my mind, a passion toward games can be a very healthy thing. However, if my child showed no interest in games, I wouldn't be worried!

One thing that's interesting—we're seeing that as the age of the average gamer passes 30 that what's happening is that a lot of folks are watching less television and playing more games. Personally, I find that encouraging.

Ben: It depends on what else they're interested in. Every kid is different. I do think however to be a generalist that kids who don't develop skills with computers early on will find themselves increasingly at a disadvantage. Games actually encourage kids to have great computer skills so it's a start. I also think that cutting-edge training and interfaces into new work and collaborative environments will begin to resemble 3D videogames so that will be another advantage. If you've ever seen how nanotechnology works, how people hunt for oil, or how laproscopic surgery works you'd believe in the skills videogames create.

But you're child might want to be a dancer, or a guitar player, or a long distance runner, or a sculptor, and maybe that is something they can do without being glued to a computer all day.

I think it is wrong of us who say games can be good to translate that into games must be played to be good. At the same time it's very clear games can be a path toward motivating better computer skills and more advanced computer skills and that in and of itself given the direction the world is moving is not a bad thing.

Ben: Thank you everyone. We are all grappling with the ascendency of this new media form. It's forcing us to ask exciting new questions about who we are, what we will do, how we will do it, and how that affects how we budget our time and resources. That creates disruption which often is disconcerting to many people. I think though we're beginning to understand gaming better and if it displaces other things that fall by the wayside -even things that right now feel like things we shouldn't it may not end up being bad. It may end up being the new norm. That's not to day we shouldn't be careful but being careful goes both ways. What's that song make new friends but keep the old...

Cecilia: That's all the time we have today. Thanks, everyone, for a great chat. The transcript will be posted on Connect for Kids' home page.