summarize using a strategy such as BME (Beginning, Middle, and End] 

HICAGO — Imagine a hardcore video game fan, and you probably would not picture Roman
Rivera.
He grew up mesmerized by games from “Pokemon” to “Call of Duty,” and dodged the limits his
parents put on his gaming by playing his Game Boy after bedtime. Now that he is 21, he spends up
to four hours a day battling enemies in “Dota 2.”
Yet he was an honor student at Downers Grove North High School outside of Chicago, and today
he is studying at the University of Chicago. This did not come in spite of gaming, but because of it,
Rivera said.
Rivera said video games have broadened his interests and made his mind more agile. “Without a
doubt they have benefited me,” he said.
Rivera may be right.
By Chicago Tribune, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.04.15
Word Count 841
Level 1020L
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Research Says Game On!
A new wave of research has found surprising advantages in an activity that many call a waste of
time, if not an outright menace. Scientists have recently linked gaming with increased brain
power, making better moral decisions and even physical fitness.
"It seems to have really interesting positive effects,” said Daphne Bavelier. She is a neuroscientist
who researches video games at the University of Rochester in New York. She said scientists are
trying to find out what parts of gaming could be used to make society better.
Researchers have done thousands of studies on gaming since the 1980s. Most of them found that
gaming is clearly bad for kids. Video games were linked to an increased risk of epileptic seizures,
dangerously faster heart rates and violence.
With a new generation of scientists more familiar with technology, different results often appear in
studies, said Christopher Ferguson, a professor at Stetson University in Florida. "And that’s what
is happening with gaming."
Ferguson has found that violent video games do not make kids more violent. One project actually
concluded that some children who play violent games are less likely to be bullies.
He speculated that kids use video games to relieve strong feelings. It could also be that they are
busy playing games, "so they don’t have time to bully other kids,” he said.
Bad-Guy Benefits
Another take on video-game violence came from University of Buffalo professor Matthew
Grizzard.
He found that kids who played the bad guy in shooter games often felt guilty.
"Games can be this really important tool for teaching people what the right decisions might be," he
said. "Maybe one way to do that is showing what the consequences of wrong decisions would be.”
Gaming has long been identified as a factor in obesity, which means being very overweight. Yet
professor Chennan Liu found that those who play video games for three to six hours a day were
healthier than those who played less.
Gaming might burn more calories than just watching TV, she believes. It also may be that kids
holding a controller are not as likely to pick up a snack or a soda.
That theory made sense to Dan Wojtowicz, 18. He is a high school student in Illinois. Wojtowicz
spends up to seven hours a day on “StarCraft II,” “League of Legends” and other games.
“When I go on long gaming streaks, many times I don’t feel the need to eat as much,” he said. “I
can go without eating for three to four hours.”
Your Brain On Video Games
The most interesting studies may look at how gaming affects the brain. Simone Kuhn is a
researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Germany. She found
that the brain's prefrontal cortex actually grows thicker in people who play games. The prefrontal
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cortex is linked to people's personality and ability to make decisions. The changes he observed
could improve memory and navigational ability he believes.
First-person shooter games are one of the most hated types of video games. However, Bavalier
said they can help improve vision and the ability to pay attention.
Not everyone is sold on the idea that gaming is good for you. Joseph Bisoglio has studied the
subject at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. He said that the scientific studies
generally do not compare gaming with other activities that exercise the brain. Learning a new
language or a musical instrument may have even greater effects than gaming, he said.
Gaming Opened A World
Doug Bakshis questioned the value of video games when his son Noah began to play “Minecraft”
and other games for hours at a time. But then Noah, who has Asperger’s syndrome, a disability
that affects his social skills, started opening up more.
Noah, now 15, said gaming has expanded his interests. He began studying archery and Japanese
culture after seeing them in video games. His attention and focus have also improved, he said, as
has his self-awareness.
Games helped him discover "what choices I would make in particular situations,” he said. “What
I’ve found is I generally try to resolve things peacefully."
Gamers can get really attached to the characters, "and that’s not a bad thing," he said