In spite of all the negative publicity that video games seem to garner from opportunist politicians and misinformed groups, a new study conducted by PopCap and Solutions Group says that casual games are bringing families together.
Out of the 2,300 surveyed in the study, 80% said that they played games with their kids or grandchildren.
But not only that, 92% of the respondents said that games brought the family closer by allowing them to "bond with, or better relate to" their children.
Aside from the family unit benefits, almost half of the gaming families reported an observable increase in their kids’ interest in the skills of reading, spelling and other academics– all as a result of playing casual games.
Other interesting tidbits in the report, as presented by Next Gen, include:
47%: Percentage of respondents who "observed an increase in their child’s level of interest and/or understanding in spelling, reading, vocabulary, and/or history as a result of casual game play."
49%: Percentage of grandmothers and mothers (49 percent each) observed [educational] benefits more often than fathers (41 percent) and grandfathers (38 percent)."
23% vs. 6%: Percentage of parents vs. grandparents who "noticed a correlation between children playing the games and becoming more relaxed."
11%: Percentage of who "also said that they purchase casual games for, and/or play casual games with, a child with a physical or cognitive disability."
24%: Percentage of respondents who said their children or grandchildren "play casual games daily."
71%: Respondents who said "child/grandchild game-play at least once a week."
96%: "Limited childrens’ game-playing sessions to two hours or less."
"Weekends (55 percent) and ‘after school on weekdays’ (43 percent) were cited as the most popular times for kids to play casual games, with 32 percent also enjoying the games at night before going to bed."
If anything, the study seems to indicate that casual video games are a positive influence, rather than the typical negative image that video games are often associated with.
