Three-quarters of Australian parents consider video games have a positive influence on their children.

Of more than a thousand parents with children aged between five and 12, half of them however, are divided on whether video games are a true social education for children.

The analysis, commissioned by video game makers THQ, discloses 97% of Australian families own one or more video game consoles and 60% of parents take an average of up to two hours a week playing video games with their kids.

Social demographer Mark McCrindle said four out of five video games are played as a family with the same number of parents saying they enjoy playing video games with their children.

The positive effects of video games can be seen where youngsters, who are undergoing painful treatment for ailments like cancer, can use video games to distract themselves from the pain for extended periods.

Certain video games that are used as part of a comprehensive program, can help autistic children and others with developmental disorders.

Studies have shown that video games can improve mental faculties, such as hand-eye coordination. More intelligent games such as strategy and puzzle games can also augment problem solving, and access intellectual stimulation as well.

Some people however, justify violence in video games, elevates violent behavior among viewers. Studies show that video games can encourage violent behavior and emotional eruptions and decrease inhibitions.

People, playing high-aggression games, were significantly more nervous than others who play only mildly violent games.

Akio Mori, professor at Tokyo's Nihon University, separated 260 people into three groups: those who seldom played video games, those who played between 1 and 3 hours three to four times a week and those who played 2 to 7 hours each day. He monitored "the beta waves that indicate liveliness and degree of tension in the prefrontal region of the brain and alpha waves, which often appear when the brain is resting"

The results disclosed a higher decrease of beta waves the more one played video games. "Beta wave activity in people in the highest amount of video game playing, was constantly near zero, even when they weren't playing, showing that they hardly used the prefrontal regions of their brains. Many of the people in this group told researchers that they got angry easily, couldn't concentrate and had trouble associating with friends"

The decrease of beta waves after the video game was turned off, implies a lasting effect.

The study shows that a lack of use of the frontal brain, or ‘video-game brain', can change moods and could account for aggressive and reclusive behavior. If the brain is so impacted by video games as to create behavioral changes, does that mean that the brain perceives the games as real?

The final conclusion is that video games have both negative and positive effect on health, depending on the type of game played and its frequency and the balance of a healthy lifestyle.