Video Game Violence Statistics and Facts [2025*]

Introduction

Contents

Introduction
Editor’s Choice
Video Game Violence Statistics
Violent Video Games Can Increase Aggression Study
Evidence of Increased Aggression in Youth Playing Violent Video Games
Most Popular Fighting Games Statistics
Most Addictive Video Games Statistics
Global Video Game Industry Statistics
Video Games Industry Statistics
Conclusion

Video Game Violence Statistics: Playing video games is a popular activity for people of all ages. The video game industry is very profitable, making more money than movies and DVDs. Interestingly, the median female population spends the most time playing video games, while men sometimes spend half a day or even the whole day playing. Teenagers typically spend more time gaming than adults. Video games have become very realistic and addictive for young people.

Some video games require an internet connection, allowing kids and adults to play and communicate with unknown peers. While video games were initially created for entertainment, many kids now easily become addicted to them. In this article, let’s delve into the statistics of video game violence.

Editor’s Choice

Roughly 97% of youngsters are busy with games, and 85% of them prefer playing violent games.
Additionally, the amount of time spent playing video games was associated with lower academic grades in college.
A survey conducted by a high school stated that exposure to violence in video games is directly related to their behavior and thoughts and increases as time passes.
Out of the 3,034 students who responded, there was a greater number of kids involved in playing violent games and who showed a great tendency for negative behavior.
According to a study, more than 50% of all video games rated by the ESRB contain violence, including 90% of those rated as approved for kids under ten years of age.
Roughly 1.8 million copies of the game named Pokken Tournament DX are sold all over the world.
Even brief exposure to such games can temporarily raise aggression levels in all types of participants.
The video game industry has had almost USD 152 billion in past years worldwide.
In 2020, Minecraft had almost 200 million copies sold globally.
Cloud gaming is predicted to value almost USD 1 billion in revenue in 2024.
In 2020, the worldwide eSports industry revenue was almost USD 947.1 million.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people between 35 and 44 years old downloaded the most games on their smartphones.
In 2020, there were almost 3.1 billion gamers globally active.

Video Game Violence Statistics

Just 8% of the participants think that there is a direct link between violent kids and violent video games.
Nearly 49% of adults in the United States play video games, while only 10% consider themselves gamers.
The mass shooting offenders that were school-going kids at the time of the peak of violent video game play showed an almost 28% decrease in the violence rate as compared to other groups.
According to a survey done in the United States, exposing children to violent video games was directly related to violence-related behavior and change in attitude, even though it was at a basic level.
The likelihood of aggressive behavior grows by almost 10% to 20% by playing violent video games.
According to a study conducted with 244 participants, subjects who played violent games showed a downfall in prosocial behavior, moral values, and also in showing empathy.
In a survey conducted with around 3,034 children and teens, 50% of them played video games, and those who used to play violent video games were more prone to being sent to the principal’s office for starting fights at school.
According to a survey by the Pew Research Centre, almost 53% of adults don’t think that there is a connection between violent video games and real-life violence.
As per a study, people who played a violent video game for three back-to-back days showed growth in aggressive behavior and unfriendly expectations every day they played.
Grand Theft Auto V was the most popular and profitable entertainment product of old times, despite the issues about its depiction of violence.
Just 4% of the violent crimes are committed by youngsters that are attributed to playing violent video games.
Almost 52% of gamers believe that violent video games develop teamwork and communication.
Near 71% of the parents give support to the mandatory rating system for video games that are based on their violence level.
Due to huge demand, violent video game sales grew by almost 204% between 2005 and 2020.

Violent Video Games Can Increase Aggression Study

Research conducted by the American Psychological Association suggests that playing violent video games could lead to increased aggression. This could have implications for individuals’ behavior in both controlled settings and real life.
The studies published in the APA’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology indicate that habitual players of violent video games may be more prone to aggressive behavior.
Even brief exposure to such games can temporarily raise aggression levels in all types of participants.
In one study involving 227 college students, those who reported playing more violent video games during their junior and high school years were found to engage in more aggressive behavior.
Additionally, the amount of time spent playing video games was associated with lower academic grades in college.
Another study with 210 college students found that those who played a violent video game penalized a rival for a long period as compared to those who played a nonviolent game.
Researchers emphasize that violent video games provide a platform for learning and practicing aggressive solutions to conflict situations.
The interactive nature of video games makes them potentially more influential than violent television and movies.

In summary, the research suggests that the effects of violent video games on aggression could be significant, particularly for individuals who play them habitually. This could have implications for understanding and addressing aggressive behavior in society.

Evidence of Increased Aggression in Youth Playing Violent Video Games

Research Published and Done by Cleveland State Universality. Is there Evidence of Greater Aggressive Behavior in Youth Ages 11-18 who play Violent Video Games?

Introduction

Over the past 30 years, more young people have been involved in violence, including both bullying at school and online.
Shockingly, there’s now a school or mass shooting nearly every couple of months, a trend that started a few decades ago.
At the same time, violent video games have become more popular.
According to Harvard Health, 97% of American teenagers play video games, and 66% of these games contain violent content.
This research paper aims to explore whether playing violent video games is linked to aggressive behavior in middle and high school students aged 11 to 18.
We’ll use scientific data and experiments to examine the relationship between violent video games and aggressive actions.
By understanding how much these games impact youth behavior, we can figure out how to decrease aggression in society.

Results

A study from 2008 by Kutner and Olsen showed that 51% of boys who play mature-rated (M-rated) video games have been in a physical fight, and 60% have assaulted someone. In contrast, only 28% of boys who do not play these games have been in fights, and 39% have assaulted someone. Among girls, 40% playing M-rated games have fought physically, and 49% have assaulted someone, compared to 14% and 29% respectively among those who don’t play these games.
Another study by Anderson et al. in 2004 found that people playing violent video games for 20 minutes showed lower heart rates and less skin sweating compared to those who watched violent footage. This suggests they were calmer during and after playing the games.
In a third study, participants playing “Doom,” a shooting game, were more likely to associate themselves with aggression than those playing “Mahjongg,” a puzzle game. This was measured using a test that compared quick reactions to words related to peace or aggression. The closer the scores were to zero, the more players associated themselves with aggression.

Test Conclusion

Research shows that playing violent video games is linked to more aggressive behavior in young players.
Studies, like the one by Kunter and Olsen in 2008, found that youths playing these games are more likely to engage in physical fights and bullying.
Anderson’s research indicates that these games make players less sensitive to violence and affect their psychological state.
According to Uhlmann and Swanson, even 20 minutes of playing violent games can make players feel more aggressive.
There is a need to raise awareness and reduce the acceptance and playing of violent video games among young people.

Most Addictive Video Games Statistics

According to video game violence statistics, almost 8.5% of teenagers in the United States exhibited pathological video use.
World Health Organization predicts that almost 3% of all gamers globally struggle with gaming disorders.
According to the Oxford study, video games like Animal Crossing are not dangerous for most teenagers.
One adolescent from India died due to a heart attack after playing PUBG for six consecutive hours, which highlighted the potential dangers of excessive playing of games.
Roughly 86% of the participants in the survey believed that video games could be addictive.
Call of Duty: Mobile has crossed nearly 300 million downloads in its first year of release despite the debate over promoting welfare.
Almost 22% of the popular video games have the imagination of tobacco, in a direct way of promoting smoking to its players.
According to a survey by Super Awesome, 96% of children in the United States play mobile games, and almost 78% play games online, and most of them may have unsuitable content.
Roughly 50% of parents have seen that it’s difficult to control their kids’ screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The gaming industry is predicted to have a value of almost USD 159 billion in 2020 and has faced issues with violence and addiction.
Minecraft has almost 140 million active players every month, despite the problems with online sharks in the game.
Grand Theft Auto V was the most popular and profitable entertainment product of old times, despite the issues about its depiction of violence.
Nearly 22% of parents are worried about the amount of violence in the video games that their kids play.
A multiplayer online game has already been recognized as a platform where cyberbullying can take place. In December 2020, it had almost 500 million players.
Virtually 97% of children in the United States between 12- and 17-years old play video games, and almost 50% of the top popular and favorite games contain violence.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has been downloaded by roughly 200 million people and has been banned in many countries because of its violent outlay.
WHO has declared gaming addiction as a disease, and that portrays the effective dangers of the games.
According to a survey conducted in the United Kingdom, almost 50% of kids between 5 years and 16 years old play Roblox, which is stated as potentially dangerous by many parents.
Fortnite is an online battle royale game that is often dubbed one of the most dangerous because it is very addictive.

Global Video Game Industry Statistics

The worldwide video games industry is predicted to be valued at almost USD 200 billion by 2023, due to the increasing popularity of mobile games.
Mobile games had the highest download of almost 2.8 million concurrent players in February 2022.
In 2025, the Consumer VR software was projected to increase from USD 2.2 billion to USD 19.0 billion.
Cloud gaming is a unique form of gaming and is predicted to be worth almost USD 1 billion in revenue in 2024.
In 2020, the largest age group playing video games was those between 35 and 44 in the United States, making up 21% of the total players.
The number of active virtual reality users all over the world is estimated to be 171 million in 2021.
The median age group of playing video games was 35 years to 44 years in 2021.
Minecraft was almost 200 million copies sold across the platforms in August 2020.
In 2020, STEM experienced almost 296 video games every month on average.
Roughly 21% of gamers had bought video games to stay connected with their friends during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
In 2020, the worldwide eSports industry was valued at USD 947.1 million.
Video game selling increased by almost 35% as the pandemic lockdown measures were made liable in 2020.
In 2020, almost 43% of all the Android or iPhone games were downloaded by females.
In 2020, almost 27.5% of all mobile users played mobile games regularly.
In August 2020, there were almost 3.1 billion gamers active globally.
In 2020, the Asia Pacific region had the biggest video game industry, accounting for almost 50% of the worldwide revenue.
The worldwide video game market was valued at almost USD 152 billion.

Kids and teenagers can become more involved in violent video games. They may need help to control the time they spend playing those games. They may withstand their parents’ efforts to limit their video games. Spending more time playing video games can result in the following:

They have little time to socialize with their friends and family.
Poor social skills.
Getting away from family time, school activities, and other hobbies.
Low academic grades
Less interest in reading and activities related to academics.
Low on energy and interest in exercising and become overweight.
Lowered sleep and poor-quality sleep
Violent thoughts and reactions.

Video Games Industry Statistics

In the United States, nearly 53% of people over 20 buy video games from Amazon, making it the most famous platform for video games.
The median age of video game players is growing, with almost 36% of them between 18 and 34 and almost 6% of them 65 and above.
Ontario had the biggest video game market, with nearly 235 organizations, of which 135 were small organizations with nearly five workers.
Quebec had the biggest focus of video game market workers in Canada, with nearly 13,500 employees in 2021.
Downloads of PC and console games have almost 58% share of sale volume in Germany in 2020.
EA Sports FIFA 23 was the top-selling video game in 2022 in Germany, and Quarry was the least-selling new game.
The video games industry has witnessed a noteworthy growth in value that almost doubled in 2021 in France.
19% of the video gamers in Germany are between 50 and 59 years old, which is a high rank of players.

Conclusion

The video game violence statistics in this article state that there is a wide range of different opinions and surveys on the effects of violent video games. Several studies have surveyed and found links between the type of games people play and aggressive behavior, and others suggest that the connections are not that strong and effective. Teenagers and violent video games mostly play video games that affect their mindset from a very young age. The effects of such violent behaviors can be destructive for their future.

Many gamers also feel that violent games can promote communication skills and teamwork. It shows that more surveys need to be done before coming to a particular request.

Video Game Violence Statistics and Facts

Introduction

Editor’s Choice

You May Also Like To Read

Video Game Violence Statistics

Violent Video Games Can Increase Aggression Study

Evidence of Increased Aggression in Youth Playing Violent Video Games

Introduction

Results

Test Conclusion

You May Also Like To Read

Most Popular Fighting Games Statistics

Most Addictive Video Games Statistics

Global Video Game Industry Statistics

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Video Games Industry Statistics

Conclusion

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