Playing video games won’t make you fat

LONDON - Playing video games might not make teenagers fat after all, but could affect their school grades, according to a new study.

Previous studies have revealed that playing video games and watching TV contribute to the rising rate of obesity than non-gamers.

But researchers at the Michigan State University found that children who played more video games didn’t suffer from obesity, had better visual-spatial skills, but suffered lower test scores and lower self-esteem, reports New Scientist.

They also found that children who use the Internet more often had better reading skills.

The researchers followed a group of 482 12-year-olds for three years and subjected the children and their parents to six major survey waves.

During that time, the participants answered questions about video game playtime, Internet and cell phone use.

The researchers also took into account exam scores, height, weight, socio- economic and race factors, and measured the children’s mathematical, visual, and reading skills.

They found that video games were no more a factor in determining weight or body-mass-index (BMI) than Internet or mobile phone use.

Instead, they found the strongest predictors were race, age, and socio-economic status.

The study is published in the latest issue of the Journal of Computers in Human Behaviour. (ANI)