Previously, we reported on a study done by a research team from Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Michigan State University. In that study, it was determined that violent games were more popular among kids. Now, here's an update to that: it's now said that violent games could actually be healthy for kids!

Published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, it's been said that violent games don't necessarily lead to violence among children and that they (the kids) could actually benefit from playing video games.

Massachusetts General Hospital's Cheryl Olson SC.D. commented that "this idea that 'M' rated games cause shootings or major violence just doesn't hold water."

One portion of the study focused on the actual benefits, with anger management being one possible factor on why it's healthy. Olson continues, "We don't know whether playing to get anger out is a good thing or a bad thing for any individual child, but we suspect that it might be healthy for a lot of kids."

Another benefit: social interaction. The study found that the kids are more likely to be playing with a couple of friends in tow, whether in the same room or over the net. In their study, none of the kids fell into the "solitary violent gamer up in his room" stereotype.

Do note that these findings are based on a focus group of 1,200 seventh and eight graders. And from what we know about focus groups (no matter how large), they still tend to be too limited to make a general theory out of - there's still some room for allowance here. So, the researchers still suggest constant vigilance among the parents, and that they should be aware of the types of games their kids play, nonetheless.

The conclusion, though, from Olson rests:

It's not going to ruin them, they're not going to go out and pick up a gun. Violent video game play is typical and normal for kids nowadays. That doesn't mean that parents have to like it, but they shouldn't panic about it

Now how's that for a safe, clean answer? We're not trying to recommend violent games to kids here. We're just saying that, hey!, it's normal.

Nowadays, despite people zealously "protecting" children from exposure to violence, more and more kids are getting exposed anyway. The hard fact is this: the youth are getting their fix of violence from different media - especially movies as well as video games - and they like it.

A new study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, tried to find out how popular or widespread violent video games are among American children. A research team from Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Michigan State University surveyed a total of 1,254 students hailing from Pennsylvania and South Carolina, ages ranging from 12-14 years old.

The results of the study will probably make Jack Thompson weep. Most of the boys, as well as girls, have played ESRB-rated Mature games, with the boys mostly playing Grand Theft Auto and Halo. Girls also played Grand Theft Auto, with the game even coming in as the second most played game by girls.

About 60 percent of the children studied agreed with the statement "I play electronic games because there's nothing else to do." While over half of the boys who participated in the study agreed that "I play electronic games because I like guns and weapons."

While parents and other authorities who claim that they intend only the best for the children, it should be noted that apart from video games, there are other sources of violence that can be found almost anywhere. The latest Die Hard movie, for instance, is rated PG-13 and yet, it's chock-full of violent scenes.

So what do you think? Should the authorities lighten up on video games?