Just when we were all happy in the knowledge that playing consoles actually makes our eyesight better , another study has come along to once again place feelings of guilt and worry in those who play games.

　　Whilst most studies feature the bestselling violent games of this world, only a few have focused on the effects of driving games, with many concentrating on the effect gaming has on driving a real-life car. A new study by Dr Simon Goodson and Sarah Pearson from Huddersfield University has looked at three different types of games--a first-person shooter, a driving game, and a table-tennis game--and has found that driving games should be much more of a concern than those featuring graphic violence.

　　The study focused on 30 participants, aged 18 to 45, and measured their brain-wave activity via an EEG scan, as well as their breathing and heart rate, along with agitation levels before and after playing the games.

　　The driving games caused the most change in heart rate and brain activity, and thus more aggressiveness and agitation; those who have attempted the licence tests for Gran Turismo will be familiar with this.

　　Most surprising is that the first-person shooter caused the least amount of change, under that of the table-tennis game. Commenting on the study, Dr Goodson and Sarah Pearson said, "Previous researchers have made sweeping generalisations about the nature of video games. This study is one of the first to use one of the latest games consoles that have a much higher level of realism. Surprisingly, the results showed that the driving game made participants more agitated and aggressive than the game with graphic violence."

　　Whether this will detract from the attempts to ban violent game sales to youngsters and move across to the racing genre remains to be seen. Dr Goodson will be presenting his findings at the British Psychological Society's annual conference today in Brighton.