Filed in the "No, really?" category, a recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research indicates that first-year college students who room with someone owning a gaming console hit the books on average 40 minutes less each day, which amounts to a 0.241 hit to their grade-point average on a 4.0 scale.

　　Speaking to USA Today, the researchers--Todd Stinebrickner, an associate professor of economics at the University of Western Ontario, and his father, Ralph Stinebrickner, a professor of mathematics and computer science at Berea College in Kentucky--noted that the goal of their study was the effect of study habits on overall GPA, not explicitly the impact of gaming on grades. According to the duo, research has yet to link studying with improved performance in the class room.

　　Aside from the drop in time spent studying, the study notes that gaming for first-year students doesn't have a significant impact on other college behavior. According to USA Today's assessment of the study, rooming with a console owner did not result in changes to class attendance, partying, study efficiency, or paid employment.

　　However, far from discounting gaming altogether, the younger Stinebrickner concludes that distractions such as games can also contribute to better grades if they raise overall happiness.