Do video games make you smarter?

For years, psychologists have been telling us that video games are just junk food for the brain. Now some cultural observers are taking the opposite view. Video games, these observers say, actually make you smarter.

Video games provide an invaluable mental workout, says author Steven Johnson. The worlds created in games such as Myst are incredibly complex. Getting around in them involves real-life problem-solving skills that "ate just as important as the [skills] exercised by reading books."

But several educators disagree. A recent study from Leeds University in the United Kingdom reports that 11- to 16-year-olds who regularly play video games get consistently lower grades in school. The problem is more serious in boys, the study says. Girls, who typically use their computers to do schoolwork, are outpacing boys who spend much of their time playing video games.

What do you think: Do video games make you smarter?

YES

Playing video games requires strategy and dedication, says Calvin Baker Jr., 9, of The Dalton School in New York City. To win Star Fox: Assault, for example, "You have to get through a really hard level, and then you have to fight the Aparoid Queen and defeat her three times." To survive, Calvin says, you need alertness, skill, and the ability to think on your feet.

For author Steven Johnson, the value of video games comes from "the mental exercise of solving these puzzles or keeping track of these complex structures." This is essential, he believes, for "the interactive world" in which we live.

Calvin also sees a practical advantage to playing video games. When he grows up, he says, he wants "to be a video game maker."

NO

"I think video games are basically mindless," says Chalyce Sherman, 14, of Winneconne High School in Wisconsin. "Problem solving is more than doing simple tasks," she adds. "Reading books is better because you can soak in the information."

Experts are worried that kids are reading less these days. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the number of 17-year-olds who never or hardly ever read for fun rose from 9 percent in 1984 to 19 percent in 2004.

Cody Perk, 14, of Yankton High School in Yankton, South Dakota, agrees with Chalyce. "The best thing video games can do is make your reflexes better," he says. "But I don't think they make you any smarter." Real knowledge, Cody adds, comes from books.