Most kids play computer games

NEARLY ALL YOUNG AMERICANS play computer games making the technology a pervasive part of youth culture, according to a new study.

A national survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that both boys and girls play video games at high rates.

More than 97 per cent of young respondents play video games. That's 99 percent of boys and 94 percent of girls.

Nearly two-thirds play video games to socialise face-to-face with friends and family, while just over a quarter said they play with Internet friends.

Amanda Lenhart, a senior researcher at Pew who led the report on the survey said that gamers were social people who communicate just as much as other kids.

Most kids who spent the most time playing video games weren't any less likely to be involved in their communities.

However those who played games in face-to-face social settings were more likely to say they were committed to civic participation. µ

L'Inq
AP