Study says violent gaming doesn't have a major impact on sleep

A team of Australian researchers recently conducted a study to determine what effect -- if any -- late-night violent gaming sessions have on a young person's sleep cycle. Two groups of teenage boys were either made to play 50 minutes of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare or watch March of the Penguins while lying in bed. The results showed that the group who played Modern Warfare took only a few minutes longer to fall asleep than those watching the movie, causing the researchers to think presleep gaming's negative effects "may be more modest than previously thought."

These results aren't entirely conclusive, as some have taken umbrage with the relatively small 50-minute testing session, which is Sony's recommended amount of continuous gaming time. Personally, we're not convinced Modern Warfare was the best game to get these kids' adrenaline flowing. Next time, we suggest a rousing round of Flower.