Globe and Mail
Video Game Culture: Leisure and Play Preferences of B.C. Teens
Republished with permission

August 14, 1998 -- A study out of Simon Fraser University has revealed that one out of every four young people who play video games is addicted to them and troubled by a lack of control over their behaviour.

The study, Video Game Culture: Leisure and Play Preferences of B.C. Teens, conducted by SFU communications professor Stephen Kline, surveyed 650 young people between 11 and 18 living in British Columbia. Kline found that 25 per cent of those surveyed reported playing between seven and 30 hours a week. Comparing gender, 30 per cent of young males played video games more than seven hours a week, while 12 per cent of girls played as much.

Kline says he was struck by the "feelings of isolation and helplessness" expressed by many of the players. Most of those surveyed said they played games at home rather than at school or at an arcade and most said they did not play with friends or family. Young people interviewed for the survey said they often played games such as Doom, Final Fantasy, and Mortal Combat -- ultra-violent fantasy games which can be played on a home computer.

The SFU report warns that the $17-billion-a-year global video game industry is larger than the children's television and film industry and is controlling and shaping the play worlds of children.