Pew Internet Does Study On Teen & Video Game Influences

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Posted September 16th, 2008 by Padma "LadyLotus" Fuller

In the quickly growing world of video games, you can hardly turn around and every child you see is playing some sort of game..on some sort of electronic device. It might be a computer, a console, a hand held console, or even their cell phones. Let's face it...games are here to stay. The big question lately has been: What kind of effect does/will this have on my child. Well Pew/Internet did a small 1,102 kids ages 12-17) survey that yielded some very interesting results.

Here are a few snippets of the article that we found interesting:

Teens encounter both pro-social and anti-social behavior while gaming.
As discussed above, games are often played with others. In multiplayer game play, different people control different characters in the game, and make individual choices about how to act and what to say in the context of the game. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of teens who play games report seeing or hearing “people being mean and overly aggressive while playing,” and 49% report seeing or hearing “people being hateful, racist, or sexist” while playing. However, among these teens, nearly three-quarters report that another player responded by asking the aggressor to stop at least some of the time. Furthermore, 85% of teens who report seeing these behaviors also report seeing other players being generous or helpful while playing. We found no relationship between parental monitoring and teens’ exposure to these experiences.

Gaming is often a social experience for teens.
For most teens, gaming is a social activity and a major component of their overall social experience. Teens play games in a variety of ways, including with others in person, with others online, and by themselves. Although most teens play games by themselves at least occasionally, just one-quarter (24%) of teens only play games alone, and the remaining three-quarters of teens play games with others at least some of the time.

65% of game-playing teens play with other people who are in the room with them.

27% play games with people who they connect with through the internet.

82% play games alone, although 71% of this group also plays with others.

Teens who take part in social interaction related to the game, such as commenting on websites or contributing to discussion boards, are more engaged civically and politically.

Among teens who write or contribute to these game-related websites:

18% have protested in the last 12 months, compared to 8% of those who play games but do not contribute to online gaming communities.

38% have tried to persuade others how to vote in an election, compared to 22% of those who play games but do not contribute to online gaming communities.

68% have raised money for charity, compared to 61% of those who play games but do not contribute to online gaming communities.

67% stay informed about current events, compared to 58% of those who play games but do not contribute to online gaming communities.

63% are interested in politics, compared to 54% of those who play games but do not contribute to online gaming communities.

74% are committed to civic participation, compared to 61% of those who play games but do not contribute to online gaming communities.

There are many interesting facts in this survey. If you would like to read more follow this link and at the bottom of the article click on "View PDF of Report.