A new study found that children who play video games for less than an hour a day are better adjusted in life.

Many studies have highlighted the various negatives of video games among children. However, a new study found that there are a few positives of this activity too. Researchers from the University of Oxford found that children who play video games for less than an hour a day are better adjusted in life.

The study was conducted on nearly 5,000 young people. They were all aged between 10 and 15 years. Researchers made note of the amount of time they typically spent on console-based or computer-based games. The participants were also asked about how satisfied they were with their lives, their levels of hyperactivity and inattention, empathy and how they got on with their peers.

Researchers noted that 3 out of every four participants played video games on a daily basis. However, those that spent most of their free time playing such games were not well adjusted. One reason for this is speculated to be because such children miss out on witnessing other enriching experiences of outdoor activities. Rather, they expose themselves to inappropriate content designed for adults.

Contrarily, those that played video games for less than an hour a day reported the highest levels of sociability and were most likely to say they were satisfied with their lives.

'These results support recent laboratory-based experiments that have identified the downsides to playing electronic games. However, high levels of video game-playing appear to be only weakly linked to children's behavioral problems in the real world. Likewise, the small, positive effects we observed for low levels of play on electronic games do not support the idea that video games on their own can help children develop in an increasingly digital world," study author Dr. Andrew Przybylski from the Oxford Internet Institute said in a press statement.

"Some of the positive effects identified in past gaming research were mirrored in these data but the effects were quite small, suggesting that any benefits may be limited to a narrow range of action games," he added. "Further research needs to be carried out to look closely at the specific attributes of games that make them beneficial or harmful. It will also be important to identify how social environments such as family, peers, and the community shape how gaming experiences influence young people."

A study conducted earlier this year also found that playing video games, including violent shooter games, may boost children's learning, health and social skills. That's not all! Video games are therapeutic for children with chronic illnesses, reported another study by researchers from the University of Utah in 2012.

Another study by researchers from Deakin University in Melbourne found that such games improve pre-schoolers' motor skills. In 2009, Annual Review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine published a study that found that gamers who suffered from mental health issues such as stress and depression were able to vent their frustration and aggression by playing video games - and showed a notable improvement.

Cognitive neuroscientists at the University of Rochester in New York found these games give players' brains plenty of practice for making decisions in the real world.

The current study was published online in the journal, Pediatrics.