Video Playground

Everybody needs to play. Kids especially learn by playing. They pick up counting skills from duck-duck-goose and learn strategy from checkers, card games and sports. So when they play violent video games, are they learning to kill and maim? Many parents began asking this question when they learned that the Columbine killers were avid players of Doom--a game that teaches killing skills so effectively that the U.S. military uses a modified version to train its soldiers.

Two studies released last week go beyond anecdotal evidence and find that playing violent video games can contribute to aggressive and violent behavior in real life. The researchers studied 210 college students during and after playing Wolfenstein 3D, a game they describe as "blatantly violent." After playing, students were rated according to their aggressive reactions and feelings of hostility. The researchers noted an increase in aggressive behavior after playing a violent game. In a study of 227 other college students, the researchers found increased delinquency among those who had played violent video games throughout their high school years.

None of this should be surprising. The latest versions of Doom, Mortal Kombat and Half Life feature realistic sound effects and depictions of violence that are close to motion-picture quality, as limbs are blown off and organs splattered. These games teach kids to connect gore and glory in a fantasy world in which the most vicious killers are the winners.

The video-gaming industry, with $6 billion in annual sales, denies any link between violent games and violent behavior. But it has nonetheless developed a rating system intended to help parents and players gauge violent content. Parents whose last experience with video games might date back to Pac-Man should pay close attention to these ratings. They range from C for young children to A for adult--which indicates extreme violence. The Entertainment Software Rating Board's website, , contains helpful ratings of many, but not all, video, computer and online games. Before purchasing a game, parents should read the box carefully, looking for the rating and such descriptions as "extremely graphic violence."

Fortunately, kids who are jonesing for action and strategizing have lots of terrific games to chose from that don't involve splattering body parts--for example, Donkey Kong 64 ($59.99 from Nintendo) or Crash Team Racing ($39.99 from Sony). According to Francis Mao, vice president of Game Pro Magazine, Chu Chu Rocket ($29.99 from Sega) has even the Quake fanatics at the magazine hooked. Here at TIME, we're digging the new Shogun: Total War ($39.95 from Electronic Arts), which is more about strategy than swordfighting. As always, a family should keep its PC and gaming console in a public place in the home and pay close attention to the games that command the kids' attention. Recently, I had Sunday dinner at a friend's house, and our combined families had a blast helping her 14-year-old son play Driver ($39.99 from Sony). The good news is that my young friend has assured me that next week, if I ask real nice, he just might let me take a turn.

You can e-mail Amy at timefamily@aol.com