Sample+Societal+Perspective

Moving away from the cultural stereotype that only lonely geeks and nerds engage in games, teachers have found gamers to be more sociable. As handheld gaming has now developed wifi and local wireless functions, it can allow for multi-player games both online and offline. Such games require extensive teamwork and to win, these gamers will have to compromise and complement each other, sometimes despite not knowing their team mates in the first place. Teachers have reflected that gaming allowed students to work together with each other more effectively in comparison to non-gamers as they are better able to communicate and understand one another. Such traits will definitely be of help for these students in the future, whereby big school or even work projects require a joint effort to be completed successfully.

In fact some scientists have found that children who spend hours playing online games may be developing friendships and nurturing vital social skills. Rather than causing them harm, playing computer games can help boost the self-esteem of shy youngsters and increase their satisfaction with life, the South China Morning Post reported. The benefits of online games were similar to those of making friends in the real world, the researchers from the Chinese University in Hong Kong concluded. More than 600 primary school children were interviewed for the study, which found they spent an average of 67 minutes a day playing online games and 44 minutes using hand-held game consoles. Nearly one-fifth of the pupils interviewed said they played for three hours a day or more, according to the newspaper.

Dr Angel Leung of the university's psychology department said: "Online friendship is ... especially important to those who are extremely shy or introverted - those who have difficulties making friends in real life." However, she conceded that playing online games too much could adversely affect their academic results with English the subject most affected by game playing, the report said.