Many people assume that video games have a detrimental effect on young people. They believe that a lot of time in front of a screen is bad for the mind and the body. Newspaper headlines often express the same opinion and combat games cause the most concern because of the violence. But is there any evidence for this view? According to a report in American Psychologists, the truth is not so simple. Playing video games is sometimes good for children's education, health, and social skills.

Research shows that video games can improve certain mental skills. This is especially true for combat games. These games teach players to think about objects in three dimensions and this makes them better at studying science, technology, engineering, and maths. Other types of video games do not usually provide these benefits.

However, other types of video games can have other positive effects. In 2013, scientists did some research into the effect of role-playing games (RPGs) on children. The research showed that when children spend a lot of time playing RPGs, they get better grades at school than children who do not play them. Other research showed that playing any kind of video games, including violent games, improves children's creativity. But using computers or smartphones for emails or other tasks does not provide this benefit.

The word detrimental in paragraph 1 mostly means _________?