SHOULD parents be worried about the findings of a new study that most middle-school boys and many girls play violent video games such as the notorious Grand Theft Auto? Perhaps not, according to researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital's (MGH) Centre for Mental Health and Media. They claim that children report playing in groups and that games help them manage emotions — what we might call letting off steam.The study, published in the July issue of Journal of Adolescent Health, claims to be the first to ask middle-school youth in detail about the video and computer games they play.

The study was done on children, ages 12 to 14, who play games rated M for Mature and meant for ages 17 and up. It claims to be the first to ask children why they play video games.

The researchers found that Grand Theft Auto — rated M for blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, and use of drugs — was the most popular game series among the boys surveyed. The game was also the second most popular series among the girls after The Sims, a game that simulates the activities of a virtual family. One in five girls aged 12 to 14 had played Grand Theft Auto "a lot in the past six months".

The fact is video gaming is so prevalent that only six percent of the sample had not played any electronic games in the previous six months. Most seventh and eighth graders admitted to regularly playing violent video games. Two-thirds of boys and more than one in four girls reported playing at least one M-rated game "a lot in the past six months". Wow! A third of boys and one in ten girls play video or computer games almost every day.

Many children are playing video games to manage their feelings, including anger and stress, they claim. "Contrary to the stereotype of the solitary gamer with no social skills, we found that children who play M-rated games are actually more likely to play in groups — in the same room, or over the internet," the researchers stated in their study.

In particular boys' friendships often centre around video games, they found. They also pointed out that the attempt to ban or restrict violent video games by some state governments might be based on mistaken beliefs about the phenomenon.

Many policy proposals at the state and national level focus on reducing children's access to M-rated games.

Violent game play is so common, and youth crime has actually declined, so most kids who play these games occasionally are probably doing fine, they argue.

"We hope that this study is a first step toward reframing the debate from 'violent games are terrible and destroying society' to 'what types of game content might be harmful to what types of kids, in what situations'," they argue. "We need to take a fresh look at what types of rules or policies make sense." The research certainly has political overtones in a heated debate going on both sides of the Atlantic. Last month the UK's government ratings board banned sales of Manhunt 2, produced by Rockstar Games, which also makes Grand Theft Auto.

While players in Grand Theft Auto take on the role of criminals, who shoot others to gain a pot of money, players of Manhunt 2 assume the role of an escaped mental institution patient.

The role player then goes on a killing spree in a bid to freedom. In 1997 the same British Board of Film Classification banned the sale of Carmageddon, which gives players points for driving vehicles over pedestrians.

Listen to the language the board had to use to justify banning Manhunt 2. It is practically undecipherable as to the reason.

Board director David Cooke said BBFC members were unable to approve the game because it was "distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing".

It's almost akin to the debate during the past 40 years targeting sexual and violent lyrics, one that most recently took aim at rap. Marilyn Manson has also been a target for his bleak lyrics, said to lead to violence, only because some young school killers were fans.

I fall on the side against censorship. No study has yet to unearth a link between violent music, games or movies and real life violence. People can make the distinction and we should trust them to do so. Games, like movies, are classified. It's up to parents to decide.

Interestingly, Nintendo's Wii console has added another dimension to the debate.

In the US, a coalition of educators and child advocacy groups are lobbying the video game industry's self-governed ratings board asking it to give "Manhunt 2" the strictest "Adults Only" rating possible.

They noted that the Wii version troubled them because players could act out the violence with the console's controller.

Let the games continue.

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