Real news from the virtual world:

TEEN SPIRIT: Who plays video games? Just about everybody — if they're ages 12-17.

According to a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 97 percent of kids in that age group (99 percent of boys, 94 percent of girls) play computer, console or portable games. So what's up with the other 3 percent? Are they being punished? Or are they doing something less anti-social?

Turns out that teens who play games with some element of civic engagement also get involved in their real-life communities. Pew defined various types of "civic gaming experiences," including helping other players, forming online guilds and making decisions about how a country should be run. The survey found that teens who played such games (like "World of Warcraft" or "Civilization") are more interested in current events and more likely to participate in civic activities, like volunteer work or charity fundraising.

The most popular genres among teens are racing ("Mario Kart," "Burnout Paradise"), puzzle ("Bejeweled," "Solitaire") and sports ("Madden NFL," "FIFA"). "Madden" also scored as the third most popular franchise, following "Guitar Hero" and "Halo" — all games that are a lot more fun to play with your buddies.

HEALTHY CHOICE? The stereotype of online gamers, particularly those dedicated to massively multiplayer games such as "World of Warcraft," are fat, red-eyed slobs surrounded by empty energy-drink cans and snack-food bags. But New Scientist magazine reports that such gamers may actually be healthier than most people.

Researchers at the University of Southern California, the Palo Alto (Calif.) Research Center and the University of Delaware surveyed 7,000 players of the role-playing game "Everquest II." They found the gamers had an average body-mass index of 25.2 compared with 28 for the average American. And the average online gamer also engages in vigorous exercise once or twice a week.

On the downside, "Everquest" players were more prone to depression and substance abuse. The University of Delaware's Scott Caplan theorized that players "may be drawn to use the game to help deal with emotional distress."

CONTROLLED EVOLUTION: "Spore," the universe-spanning "god game" from "The Sims" creator Will Wright, has stirred up some controversy — although not, as expected, from creationists outraged by its playful take on evolution.