Jemma is immersed in the best video game ever. She has already conquered two continents and taken 400,000 prisoners. If she can only get past the vampire meerkats guarding the rocket-launching site, she can start invading Mars. But then she hears her mother's voice: "Get off that game now, before it rots your brain!"

Many parents worry about how video games affect their children. But researchers at VermontA state in the north east of the USA. University think they should have a more relaxed attitude.

The study involved 1,957 children aged nine or 10. They included 679 who spent at least three hours a day playing video games. The others did no gaming.

All were given tests to measure their brainpower - and the gamers did significantly better than the rest.

The researchers also carried out MRIMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in healthcare to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. scans. These showed that the parts of the brain which handle challenging tasks and take in new information were more active in the gamers. 

Another study, in Italy, found that video games could improve children's reading, even if they did not involve any words. Half of a group of 150 pupils aged eight to 12 played an action game for two hours a week over six weeks. The other half played a game that taught them to code.

Those playing the action game increased the speed and accuracy of their reading more than the others did.

But other research has had worrying results. A team from Brigham Young University found that while 90% of teenage gamers suffered no harm, 10% showed higher levels of anxiety, aggression, depression and shyness. 

In The New York Times this month, an entrepreneurA person who sets up their own business. called William Siu admitted that he would not allow his young daughters to play the games designed by his company.

In China, the government has imposed harsh rules about gaming. People under 18 are only allowed to play on Fridays or weekends, or during the school holidays. Even then they are restricted to one hour, between 8pm and 9pm.

One reason given is that too much time on screens damages your eyesight. There has been a big increase in myopiaShort-sightedness around the world in recent years - though experts argue about whether gaming has played a part.

Addiction is another worry. A study in Britain, Germany, the US and Canada¹ estimated that 1% of adults are so obsessed with gaming that they cannot lead their lives properly. 

Yes: The results from Vermont University indicate that they can do something hugely beneficial - improve memory. They also demand a high degree of concentration, which is why they help with reading.

No: Even if gaming is limited to two hours a day, as the UK government recommends, that is still a huge chunk of your life which could be better spent doing other things. Addiction is a real problem.  

Or... Board games offer the same benefits as video games, but also help your social skills, because you are dealing with other people face to face and not tiring your eyes by looking at a screen.