Smartphone games help in family bonding?

Enjoy playing smartphone games with your kids? New research announced last week finds that games such as Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies can increase quality bonding time for the family.

The study, however, was conducted by video game maker PopCap Games in conjunction with the University of London in an online survey of 3,250 parents and grandparents. The study examined the role of 'casual games,' such as puzzle or strategy games, and what role they may play in creating a bond between parents and grandparents and youth under the age of 16.

One-third of survey participants said they play smartphone games with their children every day, and 80 percent of this group described it as a 'quality time' activity within their family.

The study also stated that games such as Angry Birds are helping children as young as two to become proficient in smartphones and tablet devices. Whether or not this is a good thing is still a bit of a question mark for some, since 88 percent of parents in a 2010 survey of 800 people still believe that smartphones hold little educational value compared to the Internet or video games. Still, 27 percent of parents say they loan smartphones to their kids every day to play games.

New research is also emerging that suggests educational smartphone games can play a positive role in kids' lives. One study found that educational apps could help young children learn, with one app they tested boosting vocabulary scores by as much as 27 percent.