For many adults, video games conjure up images of blurry-eyed, caffeine-addicted, young people in dark, damp basements, squandering their precious youth.
However, a recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project – which surveyed 1,102 12- to 17-year-olds – suggests that teens who play video games may be more likely to be engaged in positive civic activities, such as following politics and current events, persuading others how to vote, contributing to charities, volunteering, or attending protests.
This is especially true of teens who play games with others in-person, and those who are actively engaged in the game, through such things as commenting on game websites or discussion boards.
Most interesting, teens in this sample were equally likely to report having civic experiences regardless of race, age, or income. This is in contrast to findings about teens’ civic experiences in high schools, which tend to be unequally distributed, with higher-income, higher-achieving, and white students experiencing more civic opportunities than their counterparts.
To view the entire Pew report, go to Teens, Video Games, and Civics.
Speaking of video games, the Troy Library will launch our own video game collection in October. Games across different platforms will be available for two weeks. For more information about this collection, contact Judy Franklin, the Library’s Teen Librarian, at j.franklin@troymi.gov.
The Library also sponsors free, monthly video game days for youth and teens. To register, go to our schedule of events.
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