The research findings suggest that Australians’ media use is changing; however, the use of traditional media like TV and radio remains the most common activity.

Participants  acknowledged that protecting children from accessing inappropriate or unsuitable content online is particularly important. While many saw this as the primary responsibility of parents, it is an area where participants thought there was also a responsibility for both content service providers and government.  To see this section, click here

To read the report click here

Connected Continent is the first serious attempt to describe the importance of Australia’s burgeoning digital economy to the nation’s economic outlook. Already, the digital economy contributes the same amount to our GDP as some well established parts of our economy and it is set to grow rapidly in the coming years.

Key Findings – The Internet contributed $50 billion, or 3.6% of gross domestic product, to Australia’s economy in 2010, equivalent to the size of iron ore exports, and is growing at 7% to reach $70 billion over the next 5 years.

The report also shows that households benefit from greater choice, convenience, and easy access to information via the Internet, which is valued at $53 billion. Businesses, particularly small businesses, have seen their productivity rise dramatically as they use the Internet – worth $27 billion last year.

You can download the report along with other information on this website: www.connectedcontinent.com.au

To access the report, click here

This analysis of the available literature shows that:

• there is no conclusive evidence that violent computer games have a greater impact on players than other violent media, such as movies or music videos
• there is stronger evidence of short-term effects from violent computer games, than long-term effects
• some research finds that violent computer games are a small risk factor in aggressive behaviour over the short term, but these studies do not thoroughly explore other factors such as aggressive personality, family and peer influence and socio-economic status.

The introduction of an R18+ classification for video games will be discussed at the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting in Canberra on Friday 10 December.

The literature review is available at www.ag.gov.au/gamesclassification

You can listen to Peta’s interview here:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayFYWibyHBM

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOZ1O1Q5xvk

For those who want to read through Chris Ferguson and John Kilburns’ paper, you can find it here.

Hat tip to Aaron  from Grow Up Australia for getting this interview up on Youtube.

Sydney, Australia – 8 October 2009: Tried and proven, Aussies who game for around 30 minutes a day are more likely to use their imagination daily – thus keeping their creativity alive. These are some of the findings from a recent survey* of ‘Gaming and Creativity’, conducted by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, which revealed that over 85 per cent of Aussies are regular gamers.

The survey showed Australians are a social nation, and find that the best way to keep our mind active is by trying something new every day. We enjoy reading to learn (45 per cent of  respondents) compared with drawing, dancing or playing music (24 per cent).

Not surprisingly, the survey also revealed that the busy lifestyles we lead combined with the constant demands from society, have made us a time poor nation and as such has forced the birth of ‘game snacking’. Nearly 50 per cent of those surveyed game regularly for under an hour each day, while 32 per cent game for under 30 mins each day – proving that we no longer have the time to sit down for hours on end playing games (with less than 2 per cent of Aussies surveyed admitting to spending over three hours a day gaming).

“The definition of a snack – or ‘snack food’ in it’s most commonly used term, is something that is typically designed to be portable, quick and satisfying. Game snacking, alike food snacking, has numerous benefits, from stimulating the brain to relieve from stress or boredom.” said Joel Graham, Manager of Public Relations APAC for Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment.

“The survey was inspired off the back of a new game that is taking the world by storm; Scribblenauts. Scribblenauts embodies this notion of game snacking and more. It’s a fantastic place to stimulate creativity and imagination – much like what you would idealise as the perfect school classroom. Thinking outside of the square is what leads to the learning and the solution of the puzzles,” he stated.

Launching in Australia on September 30, the game has already captured the attention of the world – securing no less than 37 awards from the world’s leading video games journalists.  The objective of the game is to complete puzzles by conjuring up objects which are created by typing in the object’s name on the touch-screen. Armed only with a stylus, notepad and your imagination, players must help lead-character Maxwell acquire the Starite in each level.

Lateral thinking is key with players encouraged to experiment and try as many different ways as possible to solve each level – of which there are thousands upon thousands of possibilities and different combinations.  There is no single correct answer for each scenario – only multiple solutions opening up the game to endless replayability.

“Aside from the game’s obvious benefits of teaching spelling, lateral thinking and problem-solving in a fun way the game also teaches players the consequence of their decisions – forcing the player to think more about the impact their here-and-now decision has on the longer term problem. For example, adding a shark to the water might solve the problem of the piranha, but if you have to cross the water what will you do with the shark? A quick fix is not always the best approach and this game encourages you to stop and consider the longer term implications of your actions,” Graham continued.

“The spelling aspect of the game provides great stimulation for the left side of the brain while your right side is free to conjure up vampires, time machines, dinosaurs or even a panda bear riding a bicycle – whatever it takes to solve the puzzle.”

Additional findings from the survey include: 

• Game snackers are more creative than avid gamers or infrequent gamers:  Aussies who game regularly for under 30 mins each day (coined ‘game snackers’) use their creativity more often. Nearly 90 per cent of those game snackers surveyed use their creativity daily (20 per cent of which use it every hour). This is compared with  83 per cent of avid gamers (someone who games regularly for more than an hour each day) and 79 per cent of infrequent gamers (someone who rarely plays games at all)

• Busting gaming stereotypes, the survey revealed that respondents who game regularly also have a greater social life. Over 20 per cent of those respondents game for around 30 mins each day prefer socialising with friends in their spare time over watching TV, drawing or reading.

To entertain or to train the brain, here are the reasons why we game! Brain verse Brawn: Male V’s Female

• Down time: Women prefer to spend more time socialising in their spare time (32 per cent) compared with men who prefer to play games in their spare time (40 per cent)
• Waking the imagination: Trying something new was seen equally by both men and women as one of the best ways to  keep your mind active and your imagination flowing  - as voted by nearly a third of respondents from both sexes
• A third of women also stated that reading books and newspapers was a great way to  stimulate your mind while over a third of men preferred the idea of physical exercise through playing games and sports
• Accessing your imagination: Over 82 per cent of women use their imagination everyday – 28 per cent of which admit to using it every hour. Men came out a little less imaginative, with nearly 20 per cent ‘fessing up that they only use their imagination once in a blue moon – if at all
• Why play games? There was a clear distinction in the survey findings behind the reason that both men and women game. Over 52 per cent of women game to enable them to challenge their brain and think differently while 51 percent of men game to escape from reality
• How do you get your game on? This was echoed in the types of games that men and women prefer to play. Guys came up trumps when it came to console or computer gaming – receiving over 67 per cent of the votes, while women, who weren’t too far behind with the console and pc gaming (37 per cent) preferred to problem solve with puzzles, crosswords and board games
• Game on: Nearly 60 per cent of men game for under an hour each day compared with 41 per cent of women
• Left or right? Overall, despite women constantly wanting to stimulate the left side of the brain for through puzzles, crosswords etc. women actually rate themselves more as a right sided bunch – with over 72 per cent stating they are creative thinkers. Men on the other hand, voted themselves as more logical, with nearly 60 per cent stating they have a more systemic approach to solving problems.

About the Scribblenauts

Scribblenauts was created and developed by 5TH Cell and allows players to use their imagination to create their own unique experience, allowing the game to appeal to gamers of all levels. In Scribblenauts, players use the stylus and touch screen to help Maxwell acquire the “Starite,” the prize earned from solving the puzzle in each challenge.  Entering any noun that comes to mind, players can utilize it in order to reach the goal and combine countless objects to create wildly original scenarios.

Scribblenauts recognises tens of thousands of words and every level has hundreds of objects that can be used as a solution, offering extensive replay value. Players can also create and share levels with the Level Editor via Nintendo DS Wi-Fi Connection.

Scribblenauts is rated “PG” and is now available at Australian retail stores nationwide on Nintendo DS and is Nintendo DSi compatible for a SRP of $59.95.  For more information, visit www.scribblenauts.com.

 For additional information, images or to interview Warner Bros. regarding the survey findings, please contact;

Howorth                                                          Howorth

Kathryn Colliton                                             Rebecca Tannous

+ 61 2 8281 3812                                           +61 2 8281 3809

kathryn@howorth.com.au                          Rebecca@howorth.com.au

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Joel Graham

+61 2 9495 3139

joel.graham@warnerbros.com

*This survey was conducted between July – August 2009 by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment through Livewire’s members based of more than 2500 member, various primary and high schools and other outlets throughout Australia. Participants aged 7-79 years.

Read the Report at Nielsen

Children in this age group spent an average one hour and 11 minutes watching television per day, 44 minutes watching DVDs and videos, seven minutes using computers and three minutes playing electronic games. Use of electronic media and communications: Early childhood to teenage years, a report released today by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, brings together the ACMA’s research on media use by 8-17 year olds and new findings about 3-4 and 7-8 year olds from the Australian Institute of Family Studies study Growing Up in Australia; The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.

View the Full Media Release