I came across a story on page three of the Telegraph yesterday, boasting of the benefits of gaming. While the article conceded that violent gaming could lead to violent behaviour, it also quoted Professor Craig Anderson of Iowa State University as saying that pro-social games – games with a positive message that encourage positive behaviour – could have positive effects on those who played them. Conveniently, Anderson was giving a lecture that night at Macquarie University, a lecture that the newspaper touted as being a “must see for any parent”. So, being the parent of an Xbox 360 and numerous other consoles, I decided to head along to this lecture after finishing up my work at the newswire. While I was at it, I also agreed to cover the lecture for IGN Australia and Kotaku AU.
Not knowing exactly what the lecture would be about, I walked in with an open mind. I must confess that, as open as my mind was, I was hoping I’d get a good hour and a half of some academic telling me how good videogames were, because that’s what I wanted to hear. But that’s not what I heard. Well, not really.
