Pew Research just released their studies on teen video game use and social media use tendencies during the 2023 year. I am always fascinated by the numbers and what we can learn for our own approaches for leisure, learning, and skill development in ourselves and our children.
One of the first developments should come as no surprise – 85% of teens age 13-17 play games on a regular basis. What might be surprising is that a whopping 40% consider themselves “gamers” – a term that perhaps carried more stigma only a few years ago.
As both a board and card game designer, as well as an occasional video game player, I’ve thought a lot about these numbers. First of all, games are great in moderation. What is really valuable are games that build helpful skills and tap into this clear passion area for teens. As an example, Gamestormers, our game where players DESIGN their own game to WIN the game, challenges teens to create their own 5-card game idea and narrative. Through this process, students tap into many of the popular game worlds such as civilizations, fantasy, horror, high seas, and sci fi to develop their own original story. Gamestormers allows students to hone their creativity, persuasion, and critical thinking skills through that video game passion, but in a no-screen, social environment.
Speaking of skills, the Pew Research study also explored teens’ impressions of how games affect their ability to problem-solve, forge friendships, collaborate, and manage their mental health. You can see the data below:
Teens see many inherent benefits in their gameplay overall, with 56% seeing their problem-solving skills. On top of that, 47% believed it had improved friendships, and another 41% thought it aided in their ability to work with others. With these reflections, I cannot help but think of the overlap we see in both Doomscroll and Gamestormers, our games for both education and casual play. In Gamestormers, being able to understand and communicate your game idea to other players is crucial to being effective. In Doomscroll, our social media literacy card game, players must problem-solve how to create the most engaging feed in order to sell their ads faster than anyone else.
What’s also striking to me is how much our games help teens ditch their screens and share some laughs and memories around physical cards, dice, boards, and more. One fascinating area of Pew Research’s studies involved comparing student perceptions of video game use compared to smartphone use. The results are below:
What really stood out to me was the perspective of the teens regarding their smartphone use. A whopping 40% admitted they use their phones too much, compared to only 16 percent of teens believing they play too many games. With the influx of smartphone use over the past few years, especially in terms of accessing social media, teens more than ever need a greater awareness of how platforms keep them on the screens.
That’s where Doomscroll, our newest game, can help. In Doomscroll, each player takes on the perspective of a social media company trying to keep the public glued on their screens by inundating them with their favorite topics and incendiary content. Through the gameplay, teens will hopefully reflect on their smartphone and social media use and take note of when they are themselves “doomscrolling.” We hope this will help more people unplug and enjoy screen-free activities… like board and card games!