New study reveals how teenagers view video games

Publication date: May 13, 2024

New study reveals how teenagers view video games

By Movieguide® Contributor

A recent study by Pew reveals new insights into teen video game usage and how people view the good and bad of the past.

As many parents would guess, almost all teens (85%) play video games on a regular basis, regardless of gender. This is especially true for teenage boys, 97% of whom said they play video games on a regular basis. However, despite this prevalence, only 40% of teenagers identify as “gamers”.

This self-awareness is primarily based on the time spent in the game and the person's view of the past as a whole. Roughly 7 in 10 (71%) of teens who identify as gamers play games every day, compared to 7 in 10 (71%) who identify themselves as not gamers. Only 30%. Gamers are also much more likely to view video games as a social activity than non-gamers.

Nearly all teens who play video games do so with friends, but gamers are also more likely to make friends through video games (68%) than non-gamers (29%). %). Gamers are also increasingly participating in gaming communities through online platforms such as Discord (44% vs. 20% of non-gamers) and Twitch (30% vs. 9% of non-gamers).

The study also investigated why teens play video games.

“Most teens say they play video games for fun or 'entertainment reasons,' and about three-quarters say they play to spend time with other people. . They said they did not think gaming was harmful to themselves or their lifestyles,'' CBS News reported.

Teens also identified areas of their lives that they thought were improved by playing video games, including problem-solving skills, friendships, and the ability to collaborate with others. Notably, however, boys were much more likely than girls to attribute these improvements to video games.

“More than half of teens make new friends online, and one-third (36%) of them say they met a new friend while playing a video game. 57% of boys who have played video games online have made friends by playing video games (compared to just 13% of girls who have made friends online),” Pew previously reported.

However, those surveyed also understood that video games come with negative consequences. Her 41% of teens who play video games believe that the activity has a negative impact on the amount of sleep they get. Meanwhile, more than four in 10 (41%) teenage girlfriends have experienced being called an offensive name while playing an online game. Less common, but still noteworthy, are 12% who have experienced physical intimidation while playing a game, and 8% who have sent unwanted sexually explicit material because of a video game. There have been some things that have happened to me.

Based on these experiences, 80% of teens believe that harassment and bullying through video games is a problem, and 29% say it's a big problem for their peers.

The prevalence of violent games among teens is also very high, with more than half (56%) saying they play at least some violent games on a regular basis. However, this experience is largely skewed among men, with 69% having played a game that involves at least some violence, compared to just 37% of women.

Keeping in mind the pros and cons of video games, 58% of teens think the amount of time they spend playing games is about the right amount. Meanwhile, 13% of teens think they spend too little time playing video games, while 14% of teens say they spend too much time playing video games.

It's encouraging to see that many teens are learning to control the amount of time they spend gaming, with 38% saying they've cut back on gaming in the past.

Movieguide® recommends that parents also monitor the amount of time they spend on leisure activities. Gaming is a major social outlet for young people, but spending time in the real world is also important. Not only is face-to-face interaction proven to improve mental health and strengthen communication skills, video games can also be addictive and lead to destructive habits.

Movieguide® previously reported:

Video game addiction is a serious problem that affects thousands of adolescents and takes the joy out of every aspect of their lives.

Brigham Young wrestler Logan Visser learned firsthand how addictive video games can be. After arriving at his university, Visser's favorite pastime took over his life and became a problem he could not control.

The then 18-year-old told the New York Post how he played League of Legends all night and slept all day. During his first semester at school, Visser gained weight and dropped out of most classes.

“When you get that deep, you carry a ton of shame and feel like the only place you can turn is to go back to the thing that's causing all the problems,” he said.

“The game just took over. I was completely wasting my life,” he continued. “I wanted to keep getting better at this inconsequential thing.”

“I can see why older generations look down on people who are addicted to gaming. But they are literally faced with something like this that is designed to keep users interested and keep them coming back.” I never did,” Visser added.