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There are a number of benefits to playing video games. Of course, some video games are better than others in terms of benefits:

1. The Nintendo Wii console, released in November, gives gamers the opportunity to play revolutionary new games and burn calories at the same time. Players receive intense workouts by playing video games.
http://online.wsj.com/pu blic/article/SB116441076273232 312-IHR8Xf3YEG61QlW0e7hA_kHAA8 w_20061224.html

2. Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero are games that involve aeoribic activity. Players dance or play guitar in the game.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w iki/Dance_Dance_Revolution
http ://www.guitarherogame.com/

3. Numerous studies have demonstrated that video games improve hand-eye coordination. Playing video games can improve the abilities of surgeons:
"Researchers found that doctors who spent at least three hours a week playing video games made about 37 percent fewer mistakes in laparoscopic surgery and performed the task 27 percent faster than their counterparts who did not play video games."
http://www.msnbc.msn.co m/id/4685909/

4. Video game simulations improve the skills of pilots and soldiers. Both the military and airlines use video game simulations to train pilots. The military employs video games to train soldiers for combat situations: "Developed by the U.S. Joint Forces Command, or JFCom, a division of the Department of Defense, the $195,000 program is a combat simulation on a massive scale. It pits two opposing teams of soldiers against one another in a fight for control over a city under siege, and it's capable of modeling the behavior of the nearly 1 million entities -the soldiers, civilians, cars, tanks and so on - that might exist in such a conflict."
http://www.wired.com /news/technology/0,1282,65403, 00.html

5. Video games assist the military in recruiting soldiers. The military developed "America's Army" for use in recruiting.
http://www.military .com/NewsContent/0,13319,FL_ga me_030405,00.html

6. Online games increase social interaction and help gamers develop networks of friends. Many of my friends play online games with each other, and they enjoy getting to socialize and play games at the same times. These games help alleviate a negative aspect of video game playing. Online games increase the social skills of players. "Off-line games were mostly solitaire in nature and had zero social aspects associated with them. Online games have allowed for a reintroduction of socialization among games. And this socialization has no boundaries, for a very diverse Internet population exists. Playing over the web will help develop friendships, whereas playing off-line can lead to a decrease in friendships."
http://www.units. muohio.edu/psybersite/cyberspa ce/onlinegames/positive.shtml

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