Well, gaming is good recreation I guess - but I can't think of any benefits that gaming can provide for kids. I can think of more negatives that gaming can have on kids than any benefits. Gaming for one takes away a lot of potentially productive time of kids. Instead of reading up books (which I think is very beneficial for kids), they spend time sitting up close to the screen; these can be hours on end sometimes. Now, how does that benefit a kid. It doesn't - at least in my opinion.

Call me radical but I'd ban either online or offline gaming for kids under the age of 12 or so. I think the first 12 years are the most crucial time for the development of kids, both physically and mentally. I'd rather have my kids read up on the many good books that the world has to offer.