Video games may be an effective bonding tool for parents and children

Children often bind the family together and having children often means spending more quality time together. Recently, much of the quality time has been spent in front of video games and television screens, but that may not be as bad as many people claim.

Research conducted by Brigham Young University School of Family Life, analyzed a group of 287 families having children aged 11 to 16. Researchers found that video games like Guitar Hero, Mario Kart, Rock Band, Wii Sports, and Mario Brothers are some of the favorite games of young girls. The most popular video games among young boys are Halo, Wii Sports, and Call of Duty.

Parents engaging in such activities as computer gaming together with their kids have various positive effects on their temperament and outlook towards their family.

Although minimal to boys, video gaming shows a significant improvement (up to 20 percent) among girls, especially when playing those games that are suitable for their age bracket.

Another finding was that girls who play more video games typically spend more time with dad than mom. Laura Padilla-Walker, co-author of the study, suggested that while mothers often decline their request to play these video games, fathers enjoy spending video gaming time with their children.

With video games, building and maintaining a strong connection between parents and their children has shown to be possible.