A description of young people who play computer and TV games

Playing computer games is the most common leisure time activity among young people. Those who play often claim to be less stressed and 24 percent of them report that they never drink alcohol. That is shown in a study by the Swedish National Board for Youth Affairs.

The study »Behind the screen – a Description of Those Who Play Computer and TV Games« shows that playing computer games and other computer-related activities are among the most common activities among youth. Seven of ten young people between the ages of 16 and 25 play computer and TV games, 31 percent play every week or more.

Young men play the most

It is the young men who play the most. The biggest difference between the sexes is among those who report that they play every day. Only 3 percent of the young women say they play every day as compared to 24 percent of the young men.

Computer games can, however, still be considered a relatively common occurrence among young women as more than a quarter of them play at least once a month.

The most highly active players are found among the younger ones, in the group of 16-19-year-olds. It is more than twice as common for a 25-year-old never to play than for a 16-year-old. The proportion of youth with parents born abroad is somewhat overrepresented among those who report never playing.

Stress, alcohol, physical training and politics

Those who play often claim to be less stressed than the rest. It is twice as common for those who never play to feel stressed every day compared to the highly active players.

Among the highly active players 24 percent report that they never drink alcohol, which can be compared with 19 percent among those who never play computer and TV games. The questionnaire results also show that young people who play often do not report training less frequently compared to those who play more seldom.

The interest in politics and the view on the future does not differ either between those who play often and those who play seldom. The results also show that those who never play to a higher degree report that they intend to go to university. Among the highly active players 44 percent say they plan to go to university, while it is 58 percent among those who never play.