{"id":93904,"date":"2015-12-15T09:43:31","date_gmt":"2015-12-15T14:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2015\/12\/15\/attitudes-about-video-games\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:17:16","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:17:16","slug":"attitudes-about-video-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2015\/12\/15\/attitudes-about-video-games\/","title":{"rendered":"3. Attitudes about video games"},"content":{"rendered":"

As gaming has gained exposure to a wider audience and increasingly become part of the cultural mainstream, the content of games themselves has come under increased scrutiny. To test public attitudes toward some of these ongoing arguments, the survey presented Americans with some potential impacts of games and asked whether they consider these attributes to be true<\/em> of most games, not true<\/em> of most games, or whether they apply to some games but not others.<\/p>\n\n

Overall, the public has mixed feelings about certain aspects of video games and their relative benefits and drawbacks. The results show:<\/p>\n\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\"Mixed<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cVideo games are a waste of time\u201d \u2013 About one-quarter of all adults (26%) think most video games are a waste of time, while a similar number (24%) do not<\/em> think this is true of most games. One-third thinks some video games are a waste of time while others are not, and 16% are not sure. Whites (28%), those ages 65 or older (32%), and those with at least a high school diploma (27%) are more likely than others to think most video games are a waste of time.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cVideo games help develop good problem solving and strategic thinking skills\u201d <\/strong>\u2013 Some 17% of adults think most video games promote problem solving and strategic thinking skills, but a roughly equal proportion, 16%, thinks this is not<\/em> true for most games. Meanwhile, 47% say some games develop these skills while others do not, and 20% are unsure. Those under age 50 are more than twice as likely as those 50 or older to think most game develops problem solving and strategic thinking skills (22% vs. 10%), while men are slightly more likely than women to think so (19% vs. 14%).<\/p>\n\n

\u201cVideo games promote teamwork and communication\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 Almost a quarter of all adults (23%) think most video games do not<\/em> promote teamwork and communication, more than double the 10% who think most games do<\/em> promote these qualities. However, a plurality (37%) thinks this is true of some games but not others, and 28% are unsure. Men and younger adults are more likely than women and older adults to believe most video games promote these qualities. Some 17% of those ages 18 to 29 think teamwork and communication are promoted by games (compared with 9% of those 30 and older), along with 12% of men (vs. 9% of women).<\/p>\n\n

\u201cVideo games are a better form of entertainment than watching TV\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 Three-in-ten adults do not <\/em>think video games are a better form of entertainment than television, almost triple the 11% who think most video games are indeed a better form of entertainment than TV. Still, a third of all adults (34%) think this is true of some video games but not others, while 24% are not sure. Almost a quarter of those ages 18 to 29 say most video games are a better form of entertainment than TV (24% vs. 7% of those 30 and older), as do 14% of men vs. 8% of women.<\/p>\n\n

For some aspects of gaming \u2013 such as the portrayal of minorities and women in video games \u2013 the public is much less certain:<\/p>\n\n

\"Public<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

\u201cVideo games portray minority groups poorly\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 Fully 47% of adults say they are not sure whether video games portray minority groups poorly. Almost a quarter of all adults (23%) think most video games do not<\/em> portray minority groups poorly, more than double the 9% of adults who think minority groups are<\/em> portrayed poorly in most games. Some 20% think minority groups are portrayed poorly in some games but not others. Interestingly, just 13% of blacks and 11% of Hispanics think most video games portray minority groups poorly, compared with 7% of whites. Young adults are slightly more likely than their older counterparts to think most games portray minorities poorly \u2013 13% of those 18 to 29 say so, compared with 7% of those 50 or older.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cVideo games portray women poorly\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 Similarly, 40% of Americans say they are not sure whether video games portray women poorly. Another 18% say this is not true<\/em> for most games, while 14% say this is true<\/em> for most games. More than a quarter of all adults (27%) say this is true for some video games but not others. Notably, the responses to this question show no differences by gender. Young adults are split on the portrayal of women \u2013 24% each of those 18 to 29 think most video games do <\/em>and do not<\/em> portray women poorly.<\/p>\n\n

Compared with those who do not play video games, game players tend to agree with more positive depictions of gaming<\/h4>\n\n

While the public is largely uncertain what to think about video games, within the gaming community there is more consensus. Put simply, people who play video games are more likely to respond to the positive aspects of their pastime while they disagree with certain negative portrayals. And certain groups of game players \u2013 namely men and young adults \u2013 hold particularly strong and affirming beliefs about gaming.<\/p>\n\n

\"Game<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

Among the benefits that game players are more likely to value:<\/p>\n\n