Most parent-child arguments about video games result in slammed doors from the kid and ultimatums from the parent about doing something constructive for a change, like going outside. When Douglas Gentile and J. Ronald Gentile argued about video games, the result was an academic paper titled “Violent Video Games as Exemplary Teachers: A Conceptual Analysis.” (The duo didn’t know one-word titles like “Doom” are better.) In a press release, the pair claims to have stumbled upon the revolutionary idea that games can actually teach players new behaviors, including aggression, because they use some of the same techniques “really great teachers” use. (Although my copy of Quake never grabbed me by the shoulder and shook me until my teeth rattled, like my third grade teacher did, I’ll give the Gentiles that one.)

The pair conducted a study involving 2,500 youth and their teachers to assess the link between each subject’s aggressive thoughts and their media habits. The shocking conclusion? Consumers need to be more thoughtful when choosing which games to play, while educators should take advantage of the smart technology seen in today’s games. The Gentiles waste no time before trumpeting their credentials, with the son, an Iowa State University assistant professor of psychology, calling himself “one of the country’s top researchers on the effects of media on children,” and the dad, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Buffalo, claiming to be “a leading researcher on effective teaching.” Read more here. Or do something constructive for a change, like go outside.

- David Laprad