As gamers, we constantly have to endure the ire of uneducated goons in the media who run down our great past-time, saying that it's ruining our youth, melting our brains and generally promoting violent and sexist attitudes. However, in recent years as the attitude towards gaming has begun to shift - in large part thanks to the social acceptance of the Nintendo Wii - more and more scientists have come out in defense of video gaming as a useful tool not merely for entertainment, but for education and even health. Here are 10 ways that science does away with the myths and rhetoric, proving the one thing most of us already know - video games are awesome...
10. Child Gamers Are More Sociable
The Myth: Children who play video games are anti-social basement-dwellers with no real friends.
The Reality: Greitemeyer and Osswald found that any games which promoted team-work - a wide net that could span anywhere from Age of Empires to Call of Duty - improved the social skills of players, and with children especially, the findings suggested that, in fact, team-based games made them generally appear more likeable to other children. The upshot appears to be that video games teach you to play with others in a controlled, enjoyable environment (because what's a better bonding experience than blowing a bunch of foreign insurgents to Hell?), as opposed to the typical "real-life" method of your parents setting up a play-date with some kid you don't even like.