The advent of computer games comprises half of my childhood, but it was more like Nintendo games such Super Mario and Milk Nuts, and then Counter Strike and Diablo later on. To be honest, I still play them occasionally to this day. I love the nostalgia I feel each time I encounter the obstacles that used to make me burst into mega rage back in the day.

But I also can’t help but be envious of today’s kids who’s awareness blossom around this technological era. They’ve got cooler stuff that I’d never even heard about when I was a kid.  Hell, if someone were to tell me when I was 5 that I’d one day own a touchscreen phone, I’d likely get all giddy in excitement or sigh in disbelief, wondering what a smartphone is, not to mention a touchscreen.

Children these days are deeply submerged into the internet culture, and gaming is an accompanying phenomenon that’s brought new meaning to the mobile device. Among children ages 2-17, those ages 2-5 are the wildest video game adapters with 17 percent growth since 2009, says NPD. The child demographic is only increasing by 1.54 percent, but children who play video games grew by 12.68 percent.

“Year-to-date through August 2011, kids comprised 44 percent of new physical software dollar sales, representing a vitally important consumer segment for the games industry,” says NPD Group industry annalist Anita Frazier.

“Knowing how kids are spending their gaming time and dollars in both traditional and non-traditional outlets is key to staying relevant to this highly engaged audience.”

Regardless of how cool video games are, anything in extreme use can be dangerous.  A new study at Iowa State University shows that video games are just as addictive as gambling. A lot of kids up to 17 years old allocate at least 7 hours a week for video games, and it leads to problems in school and can imperil the child to obesity.

“It’s very common for children to snack away at unhealthy foods while they’re playing video games,” says child expert Deann Davies. I’m not a child anymore, but I am guilty.

The propagation of mobile devices is also a major contributor to this surge in gaming. In 2009, gaming on mobile devices was only 8 percent, increasing significantly to reach 38 percent today. Meanwhile, gaming on traditional portable devices increased from 38 percent to 45 percent in the last two years. iOS and Android have spurred a good deal of mobile devices floating around, and their associated app marketplaces make it easier than ever to access and play games on-demand.

More than that, video games affect children’s dopamine levels, sometimes leading to aggressiveness. “89 percent of the video games available for children do include some level of violence,” said Davies. “That tends to increase the aggression centers of the brain.” Approximately 10 percent of the kids surveyed are said to be addicted, and they hide the addiction from their parents by naming a non-violent video game as their favorite when their pick is, in fact, a violent one.

To support the previous finding, a study conducted by Nottingham Trent University in Britain and Stockholm University in Sweden, reveals that many video game players use virtual experiences to find “violent solutions” to their real-life problems.  Experts call this Game Transfer Phenomena. Gamers integrate their virtual life into real life, inevitably carrying out game play action outside of game play.

But not everybody sticks to the former findings. In a separate research study conducted by respected academic figures Benjamin Engelstätter, of the Centre for European Economic Research, Scott Cunningham, of Baylor University in Texas, USA, and Michael Ward, of the University of Texas, gamers are actually ‘too busy’ playing to cause much trouble in the real world. Good riddance, if I may say so.

“Many researchers have argued that these (violent) games may also have caused extreme violence, such as school shootings, because laboratory evidence has found an abundance of evidence linking gameplay to aggression.

“Yet few studies before this one had examined the impact of these games on crime.

“We find that the social costs of violent video games may be considerably lower, or even non-existent, once one incorporates the time use effect into analysis.”