If you asked Penn State students what their favorite things to watch on television are, you would expect to hear shows directed at the typical college audience — sporting events and comedies.

Documentaries would probably be found on the lower part of that list. Those shows would fall somewhere between the Weather Channel and log rolling competitions on ESPN2. Typically, documentaries aren't popular with young people because they don't deal with important issues and aren't based around action.

But what if there was a documentary devoted exclusively to video games?

What if a television station devoted an entire broadcast to the history and cultural aspect of the video games we waste so much of our time with?

Documentaries might just become a bit more popular with college audiences.

At 10 p.m. Monday , the History Channel will present another episode of the Modern Marvels series called "Video Games: Behind the Fun." The show promises to be one that will deal with many of the issues surrounding the video game industry.

Since the first video game, Space War, was created in 1962 video games have become increasingly prominent diversions in society. Simple games like Pong have given way to those like Everquest that allow game players all over the world to form global gaming communities.

Many years ago, the Atari Company was started for $250. In the first day after launching the Dreamcast game console, Sega generated an estimated $97 million in revenue. These simple figures show not only how popular games have become, but also how far technology has come from its humble beginnings.

This ever-evolving technology will be further discussed on the program. The show will attempt to explain the advances behind some of today's most popular computer and console systems. These advances have helped turn what was once simple hand-eye coordination games into lush epics written and designed by such well-known names as Tom Clancy and George Lucas.

"Behind the Fun" looks not only to explore the industry these games have become, but also to examine the cultural impact of the machines found in so many dorm rooms. Recently, video games and other forms of entertainment have come under fire for possibly contributing to unhealthy aggressive behavior. This and other controversies generated by games will be examined more closely by the History Channel's documentary team.

After handling such riveting topics as New York City bridges and the engineering of salt mines, the "Modern Marvels" series appears to be expanding into a more youth-oriented realm.

Perhaps if you conduct our television survey Tuesday morning, you may find documentaries higher up on the results. Perhaps students will be watching the History Channel, for educational purposes, of course.