Spatial skills, or the skills needed to perform complex mental actions such as reading a map or assembling something, can be improved with hard work and the right tools, according to new research. Improving spatial skills is important because children who do particularly well in spatial tasks are more likely to excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The research analyzed "217 research studies on educational interventions to improve spatial thinking."

Researchers at Deakin University (Melbourne, Australia) have come to the conclusion that pre-school aged children who play interactive video games (such as those found on the Wii) have better motor skills than those children who do not regularly play interactive games. Deakin University researchers and a researcher form the University of Wollongong conducted a pilot study in 2009 of 53 pre-schoolers ages three to six years old (31 girls, 22 boys) to determine if there was some sort of association between playing games and the fundamental movement skills of children.

Using the Unity 3D game development engine, researchers from North Carolina State (who are leading the development), Arizona State University, and Indiana University, have developed a simulation that allows crime scene investigators to look at a crime scene from multiple angles.

Libertarian-leaning publication ReasonTV has produced an entertaining five minute video about how video games have gone from being murder simulators and the scourge of parents everywhere (accused of causing everything from obesity to the loss of empathy in children, for example) to useful tools in the medical and mental health fields and fine art at museums.

According to new research from the University of Luxembourg, violent video games suffer from what researchers describe as the "Macbeth Effect" (see Lady Macbeth Effect). Dr. André Melzer from the University of Luxembourg and Dr. Mario Gollwitzer from the Philipps-University Marburg examined the behavior of 76 players after they played 15 minutes of "violent video game play."

According to data gathered by research firm DFC Intelligence, League of Legends was more popular in Europe and North America than any other PC game - including World of Warcraft. This data comes from social gaming and matchmaking platform Xfire.

In the old days, Supreme Court Justices had very little information to turn to outside of legal briefs presented by combatants and case law when making a ruling, but a new study by William & Mary law professor Allison Orr Larsen finds that justice are increasingly turning to information on the Internet to shore up their opinions. According to research from Larsen, there were more than 100 instances where justices used information on the Internet in their opinions.

A new study disputes the claims that using exercise video games at home can change the sedentary lifestyles of children in any significant way. A study conducted by researchers at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas found that children overcompensated in "other areas" after playing active video games - basically making any calories burned a zero net gain.

According to research from energy firm E.ON, girls prefer video games to dolls. The research also reveals that boys prefer electronic gadgets and game systems to building sets. This shift from traditional toys to electronic entertainment comes at the expense of toys such as Lego, Meccanno, Barbie, and Cabbage Patch Dolls, according to the data - gleaned from a survey of 2,000 participants.

In an obvious bid to promote the new book he co-authored with Danya Braunstein, "Growing Up Fast And Furious: Reviewing The Impacts Of Violent And Sexualised Media On Children," Macquarie University Children and Families Research Centre (in Sydney, Australia) deputy director Dr. Wayne Warburton tells Adelaide Now that years of research from every corner of the globe show a definitive link between time watching violent media and the "likelihood" of aggressive behavior in kids.

E3 Expo owner the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) offered some lovely statistics on the industry and the gaming populace at the opening of the event today in Los Angeles. According to the ESA, 49 percent of all American households are playing games in some form, with a large number of households playing their favorite game apps on smartphones, tablets and handheld devices. More than 30 percent play games on their smartphones, compared to 20 percent last year.

We hear a lot about the explicit language found in many video games but a new study by a Brigham Young University social sciences professor says that the level of strong language in many popular teen novels is substantially worse than what is found in most video games on the market. According to a new study by Brigham Young University social sciences professor Sarah Coyne, bestselling novel meant for teens are rife with cursing - they contain twice the rate of cursing of most video games.

This CNN article written by Dr. Philip G. Zimbardo and Nikita Duncan to promote the new TED Book, "The Demise of Guys: Why Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It," concludes that the Internet-using-male-gamer out there is addicted to pornography (sex) and video games (violence), and as a result isn't quite capable of achieving academic goals, real-world relationships, or taking any chances.

A new study out of Iowa State University, seemingly the nexus of anti-video game research, has found that children who play prosocial games are more inclined to be helpful while those who play violent games demonstrate more hurtful behaviors.

Stroke experts in the United Kingdom from Newcastle University have been working with Limbs Alive to create action-focused games that help patients overcome physical side effects through therapeutic gameplay that can be used at home. Limbs Alive was founded by Professor Janet Eyre and occupational therapist Janice Pearse in partnership with Newcastle University and The Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust.

While children play at the Shirley G. Moore Laboratory School their every move is being recorded by five Kinect motion sensors tucked away in the corners of the room. No, this isn't some clever new security system or some Orwellian plot by school administrators; the Microsoft motion sensing game technology for Xbox 360 and PC is being used to detect autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in young children.

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) can greatly benefit from playing "active play" video games - as opposed to the kind that don't require any kind of physical activity. According to researchers from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and the University of Toronto.

Researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA worked together to create an online gaming system that uses players to help diagnose malaria. In the game, players distinguish malaria-infected red blood cells from healthy red blood cells by viewing digital images obtained from microscopes.

Brad J. Bushman, professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University, often conducts studies that almost always lead to the same conclusions: that video games are nothing but a bad influence on anyone that uses them. His past studies that draw the conclusion that video games do more harm than good are listed on his web page. So his latest research comes as no great surprise and is coincidentally timed with the Anders Breivik trial going on in Oslo Norway.

Parents in New Zealand and Australia are embracing the idea that video games can serve as great tools to engage and educate children, according to new research commissioned by the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (iGEA).

According to research presented at the British Psychology Society Annual Conference, Tetris, that beloved falling-block puzzle game, may be a candidate for treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Seriously.

Now, that’s not to suggest video games are the cure for PTSD, only that they may be a valuable alternative treatment for the disorder’s symptoms due to their easy accessibility and relatively low cost.

Two new articles in the Games for Health Journal suggest that video games are valuable tools for helping the elderly stay healthy and maintain a reasonably healthy lifestyle. Researchers find that "exergames," or games that give you a workout while playing, also provide cognitive stimulation and serve as a great way to encourage older folks to be more socially interactive and have fun. This can help in extending the life of older players as well.

Video Game Law, 2nd Edition is now available, for those interested in the new book that delves into the various legal issues that the videogame industry faces on a regular basis. The book was written by Jon Festinger, Q.C., Chris Metcalfe & Roch and Ripley, and published by LexisNexis Canada.

The $80, 300-page paperback covers the overlap amongst various issues including intellectual property law, freedom of speech issues, defamation, privacy issues, best practices for licensing, employment issues, and more.

Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in July of last year has talked about "training with Call of Duty" and being "obsessed with World of Warcraft" in his 1000+ page manifesto and during his ongoing trial in Oslo, Norway this week. Naturally the media is eating the whole obsessed gamer angle up and reporting on it as fact, but mental health professionals like Seena Fazel are saying that there's a real problem with connecting the dots.

An interesting report on Kotaku points out that gamers spend a lot more money on their electricity bill then they do on anything else - and that includes hardware, software, and various services such as Xbox Live, or Netflix. You could probably throw together all that stuff and the cost of power would still be substantially more.

Is the teenage gamer cursing your mother over Xbox Live acting so aggressively because he’s played too many violent games?  Or is it simply because he sucks at the one he’s currently playing?

A small study conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers found that online virtual communities can be a great way to train patients in the art of meditation and other mind and body-related techniques. Researchers used the virtual world of Second Life to conduct the research.

A new study from Charité University Medicine in Berlin has made a connection between the time a person spends playing a game with enlarged reward centers in the brain. The study published in Translational Psychiatry conducted test on casual (less frequent) and hardcore (frequent) players, and came to the conclusion that hardcore players had larger reward centers within the left ventral striatum than those who played games less frequently. Researchers also noted that even when players failed in a game, they still experienced stimulation.

HopeLab and Stanford University researchers have released new data showing that the video game Re-Mission can help activate parts of the brain involved in positive motivation. Re-Mission is a video game designed for cancer patients about killing cancer in the body.

An interesting research project at Northwestern University used the vast number of mobile users on campus to help academics retrieve photos and other pertinent data that they couldn't find simply by trolling data online. The problem researchers had to find an answer to was how to get users to go to places that they normally wouldn’t go to collect the data they needed.