Playing outside vs video games New research from a UK organisation called Play England reveals that two thirds of parents recall frequently having had adventures outdoors as a child but worry their children do not have the same opportunities today. Many of our fondest childhood memories are of playing outside with our friends. However, outdoor activities that for our generation were part of growing up seem to be in danger of disappearing, as this research shows that: - 32 per cent of children have never climbed a tree - A quarter of children today have never had the simple pleasure of rolling down a hill - 47 per cent of adults built dens every week as a child, yet 29 per cent of today's children say they have never built a den at all - A third of children have never played hopscotch - One in ten children have never ridden a bike I'm sure you will agree that a similar situation exists in this country. Our childrens' behaviour is influenced by their love of indoor activities - TV, PlayStation, computer games and Xbox. While these activities may be engaging, they require no physical effort or thinking. Furthermore, the social circumstances in this country often make it difficult for our children to play outside, with few families having access to large secure gardens, and the threat of crime making public outdoor spaces unsafe in many instances. Playing computer and "video games" are not without their health risks. A recent meta-analysis in the Psychological Bulletin from researchers in Japan and the US, looking at 130 reports, says the weight of evidence suggests violent computer games increase aggressive and antisocial behaviour, and reduces empathy. Physical injury due to the repetitive nature of the activity is also a possibility. The risk exists that over-using joints to the extent that children feel pain, could increase the likelihood that they develop osteoarthritis later in life. An editorial in the British Medical Journal by Mark Griffiths, a professor of gambling studies, says that video games have also been linked to neck and elbow pain, nerve damage and even hallucinations. Addiction, fortunately, is probably rare, but excessive use is common. The sedentary nature of games (except possibly Wii) eats up fewer calories than chasing a rugby ball round the field. But playing virtual rugby or soccer may, it seems, make children feel as hungry as the real thing. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of 17-year-old boys found that playing football video games increased the amount of food they ate by 163 calories a day. The calories used when playing were only 20 calories an hour. This, coupled with excessive amounts of TV, may be adding to the problem in this country of 1 in 4 children being overweight or obese. It is clear that foregoing physical activity in favour of hours spent playing video games can contribute to our childrens ill-health. Limiting your child's video game play to one to two hours per day or requiring that he or she engage in some physical activity prior to playing can help to reduce these effects. However, in order to get our kids playing outside, we need to be able to provide them with a safe and fun environment in which to do so. As things stand at present in this country, one of the best ways to do so in to involve them in either formal or informal sporting activities offered by our schools and sports clubs. What is really needed, though, is more public space where our children can meet their friends in a fun, social, pressure-free and secure environment, and simply play touch rugby, kick a soccer ball around, or play "catches".