WILL it help? Parents can't seem to decide if classifying games as M18 (Mature 18) would stop children from playing certain games.

They are also divided over whether video games are good or bad for their kids.

These are some of the findings from a poll of 100 adults conducted by The New Paper.

Four in 10 believe that video and computer games are bad for children.

Ms Kavita Sivaratnam, 34, who has two children aged 9 and 6, said: 'Video and computer games are highly addictive. Once the kids get hooked, it's hard to stop them.

'They will spend more time playing and less time on other activities.'

Of those polled, 44 per cent feel that classification of games would not help.

Student Marcus Goh, 21, noted: 'Even if there is classification, they can still play at other people's houses or download the games.'

Teacher Sally Wong, 40, feels that 'peer influence' played a major role in gaming. She said: 'Children will continue playing if their friends do.'

She added that the problem sometimes lies with enforcement. Though movies are classified, young people can still buy the DVDs without getting checked.

Ms Sangeetha Pushparaj, 29, who has a 1-year-old son, thinks that unless the parents play their part, classification would not do much good.

'Parents should know what their kids are playing and stop them if they are playing either too much or playing unsuitable games.'

But most of those polled - 56 per cent - welcome the introduction of the Video Games Classification System by the Board of Film Censors under the Media Development Authority (See report on right).

Housewife Ong Yin Yin, 36, who has two children aged 7 and 6, said parents often buy games for their children to keep them occupied.

TOO BUSY

'Such devices keep kids distracted while their parents work.'

Ms Ong added that most of the time, parents do not know much about the games they buy, so a classification system would be useful.

Secretary Susan Lee, 48, who has two sons aged 19 and 16, agreed.

'Some games are very violent and I bought them for my boys without knowing. I had to throw them away.'

Most parents feel that video games have benefits as long as parents themselves take care to prevent their kids from 'over-playing'.

Company executive Eileen Wong, 40, who has two children aged 10 and 5, feels that playing games made kids 'sharper' and 'more agile'.

Mr Peter Choy, 47, a game and entertainment technology course manager at Temasek Polytechnic, agreed.

'There are many misconceptions about gaming. An interest in gaming doesn't mean an addiction,' he said.

'Different genres of games help players to master different skills. For example, games like Company of Heroes, which involves resource planning, helps kids to solve problems and achieve objectives.'

However, Mr Choy said it was 'hard to quantify' the ideal amount of time to be allocated to gaming.

'A threshold of two hours should be okay, but a lot depends on individual needs,' he added.

'Some people are full-time gamers and make a living out of it. For them, five to six hours of gaming is important.

'Other people have certain health conditions and even two hours of gaming may take a toll.

'Balance is important. If you over-do, there will be consequences to your mental and physical health.'