Five myths about video games

Not necessarily. Henry Jenkins, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has written that almost 60 percent of frequent gamers play with friends. Roughly one-third play with siblings, he notes, and 25 percent play with spouses or parents. Moreover, games designed for multiple players are becoming increasingly popular, and researchers have found that conversations about gaming teaches participants about such things as rules, he says. Still, others believe that too much time spent staring at computer screens and iPhones is creating a generation that may get plenty of sensory stimulation, but lacks social graces and is less skilled at interacting intelligently with people. Then, too, there’s the question: Does anyone bother to go outside anymore?