Parents have long had misgivings about gory video-game scenes, but research suggests yet another reason to limit time at the joystick.
A study by Adelphi University researchers in New York suggests that long-term video-game use could make boys easily frustrated and impatient. In a pilot study of boys ages 11 to 14, those who had more experience playing the games spent less time working on an unsolvable puzzle, according to researchers Eric Schleifer and Rebecca Curtis.
Schleifer's hypothesis: The control and instant gratification provided by video games make players more impulsive. But he is pursuing a more in-depth study before drawing conclusions. "It may be that kids with lower frustration tolerance, who are more impulsive, are drawn to video games because of the control it offers," he explains.
Schleifer believes his study is the first of its kind. Much psychological research studies a game's content and links to violence or other bad behavior.
