As we progress into the 21st Century, the videogame industry annually increases in size, complexity, and power. Games might be getting easier in hardcore players' minds (and they're right), but the reach of this medium is increasing to more "casual" and normally non-game-playing folks every day. Even my mom has heard of the game Grand Theft Auto. Eclipsing the movie industry in annual income, and in many ways mirroring it, videogames, one could surmise, are becoming the entertainment choice of this and the upcoming generations.

This is precisely the reason more researchers are studying how games affect our brains, behavior, and social interactions. There seems to only have been two kinds of studies. On the one hand, there are those that say games are bad for us. Titles such as DOOM are considered "murder simulators." They disrupt our focus, feed anti-social behavior, and teach us that shooting people is an okay "solution." These studies are generally politically inspired, using the "results" as moral lessons. The say that videogames (like movies, television, and even radio in earlier generations) are destroying our already-decaying culture.

On the flip side are the researchers, professors, and psychologists (perhaps more optimistic) who are interested in how games affect human nature. They're analyzing games from a more objective perspective. They often say that videogames are good for us. They don't promote violence; instead they engage our imaginations and test our hand-eye coordination. They are no worse than playing war games in the street with other kids, playing with Army Men, or engaging in imaginary role-playing games. They might even provide logic puzzles and challenge our intelligence from time to time. These folks generally say it's okay to play games, and just like with anything, to play them in moderation.

What we really need is a study that shows how ordinary people play games, and what, if anything is learned from those studies. What happens to their behavior? Do they look at things differently? Do they learn? Can they translate those lessons in a beneficial way to their lives?

Find out the answer here at IGN PS3.