"Those games are marketed toward an older population, just like some books and movies are," Mr. Kapp said. "To paint with a broad brush and say all (video) games are bad, because they influence bad behavior and kids are wasting time in front of the television, isn't sensible."

Three credible sources have supported Mr. Kapp's position by identifying video games as a new avenue to teach children in the classroom.

"The National Science Foundation, Federation of American Scientists and the Entertainment Software Association have all said video games should be in schools, because they teach skills not consistently taught by teachers," Mr. Kapp said. "When playing video games, a child is solving problems, making rapid decisions and can be working together with a teammate.

"These things are taught schools now, but not a lot. Teachers today spend more time on individual needs and fundamentals. The question is how to get kids beyond the fundamentals."

Additionally, Mr. Kapp says the new trend of online gaming is actually helping young people develop skills that are attractive to potential employers, particularly those in the corporate world.

"As well as teaching aspects of teamwork and problem solving, video games put players through a series of fast cognitive processing," Mr. Kapp said. "The new online component is adding another level to this process by bringing together people who have never met before.

"Can I trust this person? How do I best communicate with them? These are valuable skills corporations want in their employees."

According to Mr. Kapp, studies have also shown that video games develop visual skills, enabling people to better recognize changes in their visual field. Many businesses, including the military, have jumped on the bandwagon and started using video games to train employees and troops, Mr. Kapp said.

"This is especially helpful for certain job areas, such as tank operators, where the inside of the tank is much like a video game with no access to real people," Mr. Kapp said. "One ice cream company uses a game where trainees have to pull levers testing their skills in determine how much ice cream should come out.

"If you pull too much, the company loses money. If you pull too little, the customer gets mad. The game helps teach the company's philosophy. It really cuts down the learning curve."

Cisco Systems Inc. is one national business that uses video games, Mr. Kapp said, using a game system to train its employees on how to set up networks.

"This is definitely a growing trend," Mr. Kapp said. "People who have grown up playing video games are now in the workforce. We need to wrap learning around what this generation knows how to do, which is video games."

Mr. Kapp said he hopes his book can give parents a better understanding of why their children enjoy video games so much, as well as see how effective video games can be as a learning tool.

"It would be good for people to see that learning can occur outside the classroom," Mr. Kapp said. "We don't have to line people up in front of a person dictating a lesson. People can learn through other fashions."

For more information on "Gadgets, Games and Gizmos for Learning," visit Mr. Kapp's blog at www.karlkapp.blogspot.com.