APART FROM a few rumblings, there haven't been too many videogame scaremongering news stories of late. That was, until last month, writes JOE GRIFFIN

First, a study of adolescent males concluded that they sometimes imagine videogame imagery in real- life events. So say researchers from Nottingham Trent University and Stockholm University, who catalogued relevant experiences for their academic paper on gaming. (Their study on the effects of bears defecating in the woods has yet to begin.)

“Game Transfer Phenomenon” is the name the wonks gave it. Examples include young men who imagine power bars above footballers heads while they’re on the pitch, picturing a drop-down menu of responses in a conversation, and – an extreme example – instinctively trying to press the R2 button when a sandwich was dropped. Oh, god, no! Not the sandwiches! Oh, the humanity!

Forgive my flippancy, but this is really nothing to get alarmed about. Videogames are escapism, just like books, music, cinema, ballet, spectator sports and so on. And, just as romantic comedies can affect how you view relationships (for better or worse), or sport can nurture a competitive instinct, videogames can augment your thinking.

You shouldn’t be surprised to learn that, if you consume any media for long enough, some of it will sink in.

As long as videogames are played by the age- appropriate, and as long as those players have their priorities straight, I believe games are harmless, not to mention utterly joyful. Which brings us to our next story – "Middle-aged man attacks boy over Call of Dutyvideogame".

After losing a game of Black Opsonline, Mark Bradford, a 46-year- Englishman, stormed over to his 13-year-old opponent's nearby house, walked into his living room and put his hands around his throat.

That's a pretty terrifying story, and the tabloids (including the Mirror, from whom the headline is borrowed) were quick to pounce on it. Apparently the teen was a bad winner, and had goaded Bradford a bit too gleefully, prompting the attack. Thankfully the child was uninjured.

A few questions linger. Why was the boy allowed to play an 18-cert game? And where were his parents when he was hanging out with a middle-aged man online?

Obviously Bradford’s behaviour is inexcusable, but it’s unclear whether games should be the scapegoat here. The story is either another indictment of violent games, or a cautionary tale about allowing your kids adult material and free reign online.