The drumbeats for video gaming as a healthy activity grow louder following yet more research supporting their contribution to everyone’s overall well-being.

This week, the results of a survey by Washington-based market researcher Information Solutions Group revealed that video-type games — in particular, the “casual” variety — help alleviate symptoms and side-effects associated with a broad range of ailments that include arthritis, depression, even Attention Deficit Disorder.

About 13,000 regular players of video games participated — among them, 2,800 who described themselves as disabled in some way. Within that group, the overwhelming majority (94 percent) considered games helpful in helping them deal with the physical or mental symptoms of their ailment.

Besides distracting sufferers from their condition, the games strengthen their concentration and focus, boost their mood and reduce stress, the survey findings say. And the games’ social networking features allow people with reduced mobility to “meet” other players and expand their network of friends.

These survey findings follow grant announcements by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for research into how interactive games improve senior citizens’ mobility and help stroke victims regain some cognitive and motor function.

Of course, not everyone benefits. Still other research insists that games basically ruin everyone’s eyesight by forcing them to refocus too often and blink too infrequently.

One thing is becoming clear though: The days of video games creating only “couch potatoes” clearly are over.