Games getting serious

While videogame violence grabs a lot of headlines, there's something else parents of gamers may want to know about: the "Serious Games Movement." The movement has even had its own summit. It's all about "creating games that play roles in areas such as education, health, public policy, science, government and corporate training," USATODAY reports. One source called it "stealth education." The most well-known example is America's Army, with about 5 million registered users. Originally designed as a recruiting tool, its really viewed as a game (which gives people a pretty good feel for what combat's like). But there are more "serious" examples. One is a project at University of Washington looking at whether game technology can "help adolescents and young adults manage chronic diseases like diabetes."