Survey Claims Parents Comfortable With Video Game Learning

In a recent survey by ConsumerQuest for LeapFrog Enterprises 66% of parents of three- to 11-year-olds have agreed that they feel playing with educational video games "gives their child an educational advantage." The survey was conducted with over 1,000 parents, and from the sample, for parents of children six to eleven years old, there was a 22% decline in the number of parents who said they didn't like their children spending time playing video games compared to the study performed last year. This figure also dropped for parents of three- to five-year-olds, with 12% fewer parents opposed to video game play. 42% of all parents however take issue with their child logging hours with video games when asked about the category as a whole. The survey also revealed that 72% of all parents polled are comfortable with educational toys that incorporate children playing games on the TV. Additionally, the survey found that parents are equally at ease with their three- to five-year-olds learning from video games as they are learning from books. LeapFrog has also announced availability of two new web-connected learning game systems -- the Leapster2 Learning System and the Didj Custom Gaming System. The Leapster2 is a handheld for four- to eight-year-olds, and Didj is a learning platform for six- to 10-year-olds that allows children personalize the look and feel of the games and customize gameplay. "We believe children's interaction with the computer has positively influenced parents' perceptions and interest in educational gaming," said Fern Grant, LeapFrog's director of consumer insights. "Parents today support preschool children learning to use a computer and perceive its use to be broadly educational. As an extension of that world, educational gaming systems can offer a real win-win for parents because, while their children are engaged with the vivid graphics and latest movie and TV characters, parents see them benefit from the action-packed learning games."