Male gamers less likely to take drugs

By Fred Dutton Published 16 November, 2010

But girls get into more fights, says research.

Male teens who play videogames are less likely to smoke or take up drugs, and do better at school than their non-gaming classmates, according to new research.

However, the same can not be said of girl gamers – apparently they're more likely to get into fights or bring a weapon to school.

The research, carried out by the American Academy of Pediatrics and reported by Games Radar, surveyed 4,000 Connecticut high school students.

The study found that boys who were regular gamers generally posted a higher grade average at school, were less likely to take up smoking and more likely to claim that they'd never tried alcohol or marijuana.

On the other hand, "girls who reported gaming were less likely to report depression and more likely to report getting into serious fights and carrying a weapon to school."

76 per cent of boys and over 29 per cent of girls questioned said that they played played videogames, 61 per cent of whom claimed they played for less than seven hours a week.

The report went on to add that a small minority of those surveyed suffered more serious problems related to their gaming habits.

"Among gamers, 4.9 per cent reported problematic gaming," claimed the report, "defined as reporting trying to cut back, experiencing an irresistible urge to play, and experiencing a growing tension that could only be relieved by playing.

"Boys were more likely to report these problems (5.8 per cent) than girls (3.0 per cent). Correlates of problematic gaming included regular cigarette smoking, drug use, depression, and serious fights.

"Results suggest that gaming is largely normative in boys and not associated with many health factors," the report continued. "In girls, however, gaming seems to be associated with more externalizing behaviors and fewer internalizing symptoms."

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About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (42) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Caimbeul #1 2 years ago

    Meow

  • darkmorgado #2 2 years ago

    Watch this get completely ignored by the mainstream press because it doesn't gel with the whole "videogames are bad, m'kay?" vibe.

  • Benno #3 2 years ago

    So this means that games definitely cause Girls to carry about weapons. BAN GAMES!

  • ZuluHero #4 2 years ago

    Good job there are no girl gamers then. Especially playing MMOs. No Siree.

  • richarddavies #5 2 years ago

    Pretty much everyone I personally know that's into games has taken drugs or is a massive pothead.

  • ZuluHero #6 2 years ago

    ^^^Slander! Surely i'm not alone? :)

  • layleeloo #7 2 years ago

    Those god darn rumble roses!

  • agparrot #8 2 years ago

    "Among gamers, 4.9 per cent reported problematic gaming," claimed the report, "defined as reporting trying to cut back, experiencing an irresistible urge to play, and experiencing a growing tension that could only be relieved by playing"

    Problematic? I don't understand. Surely this is normative behaviour for real gamers?
    Edited by agparrot at 16/11/10 @ 20:18

  • Quixz #9 2 years ago

    Games cost £45 now they cant afford to buy drugs..

  • Dolly #10 2 years ago

    Literally couldn't wait to read the comments on this one!

  • retr0gamer #11 2 years ago

    Gaming is my drug.

  • nakedlunch #12 2 years ago

    Sometimes I shoot up whilst playing games. Am I an outlier?

    Just realised that after all the Twitter stuff, I don't want the police bursting in on me. So this was a joke.
    Edited by nakedlunch at 16/11/10 @ 20:42

  • AnsemsApprentice #13 2 years ago

    Hmm, interesting.

    I'm 18, don't drink, don't smoke, don't take drugs, did pretty well at school and play games about 50 hours a week. . .but I don't see what gaming has to do with any of that.. .except the playing games bit. Are they saying videogames deter you from taking drugs? I'm not really getting the correlation.

    Playing them definitely gives me a buzz though, so does that mean it sort of has some of the same effects that certain drugs can induce?
    Edited by AnsemsApprentice at 16/11/10 @ 20:47

  • AnsemsApprentice #14 2 years ago

    Thinking about it more, games are a stimulus, aren't they? Aurally and visually, they have an effect on me, more so than films or music. It's sort of a combination of the two to be fair. . but I'm seeing/controlling things that aren't real, and that gives me a high of sorts. So I'm starting to see some merit here, but still. I can't really grasp what this survey is actually saying.

    Maybe it's just Connecticut in general where males are more likely to stay away from drugs, nothing to do with games. . .?
    Edited by AnsemsApprentice at 16/11/10 @ 21:18

  • butler` #15 2 years ago

    I've yet to meet anyone in the last 10 years of online gaming that didn't drink, and I've met an awful lot of stoners (mainly back in the day on CS).

    I suppose there's quite a jump from hardcore PC gamers in the early days of online gaming and your average xbox playing high school kid of today though.

  • man.the.king #16 2 years ago

    "Male gamers less likely to take drugs "

    No need to - Videogames are addictive enough :)

  • feistycheese #17 2 years ago

    You'd have to drug me just to get me with in 10 feet of casual dance and karaoke games . . .

  • spekkeh #18 2 years ago

    I'm 18, don't drink, don't smoke, don't take drugs, did pretty well at school and play games about 50 hours a week. . .but I don't see what gaming has to do with any of that

    Well if you play games 50 hours a week and still manage to do okay at school I can definitely see how you don't have time to drink, smoke or do drugs, so I guess you have your causal link there.

  • dagas #19 2 years ago

    Perhaps, but correlation does not prove causality.

  • spekkeh #20 2 years ago

    Actually, this may be wholly explained by testosterone levels, or 2D:4D (index / ring finger) ratio.

    Men with low testosterone levels (or prenatal exposure thereto) are better at spatial tasks and more inclined to choose and be good in mathematical (or 'nerdy') sciences over men with high testosterone levels, who more often excel in the social sciences. For women this is actually the complete reverse, where high testosterone levels indicate a higher probability of good spatial perception.

    Now, if you argue that people who are good at videogames are more inclined to play them (because short playtimes give them higher boosts of feelings of self-efficacy), that would explain how men that are biologically less inclined to strife with other men for dominance, and conversely women that get into fights more easily, are both more likely to be gamers.

  • Benno #21 2 years ago

    Exactly (@ dagas)

    Drug use/addiction is linked to someones social atmosphere. The guy above who plays video games for 50 hours a week, does well at school and doesn't even drink obviously has quite an annorexic social life meaning he'll never get introduced to drugs. I think this study has the causailty wrong and is actually just catching the effect I have described above.
    Edited by Benno at 16/11/10 @ 21:41

  • spekkeh #22 2 years ago

    By the way, Fred Dutton, this research was not carried out by the American Academy of Pedriatics, Pediatrics is just the (rather highly appraised) journal it was published in; it was carried out by researchers at Yale.

    Maybe it's just Connecticut in general where males are more likely to stay away from drugs, nothing to do with games. . .?
    No because the non-gamers in this research would also be from Connecticut. That would make no difference for the statistical test (although technically, it could happen that in Connecticut only the extremely poor use drugs and these don't have any money for games).

    Sad to think that they probably got a government grant for this.
    5th rate scientist = easy money.
    Oh bollocks, 5th rate scientists don't get into journals like Pediatrics.

  • AnsemsApprentice #23 2 years ago

    Nah, I just have common sense. That's why I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs. I can spell "anorexic" correctly too, that's called an education.
    Edited by AnsemsApprentice at 16/11/10 @ 21:52

  • gnrlstuart #24 2 years ago

    how can you fight and smoke if your playing black ops?

  • darkmorgado #25 2 years ago

    Just realised that after all the Twitter stuff, I don't want the police bursting in on me. So this was a joke.

    It's ok, Stephen Fry would pay your fine.

  • Benno #26 2 years ago

    "Nah, I just have common sense. That's why I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs. I can spell "anorexic" correctly too, that's called an education."

    But if you do well at school I assume you do some degree of work outside of college hours. If you play games 50 hours a week on top of that, then you obviously don't have much of a social life do you? You've taken it personally as well, so you probably know deep down you should get out more. You'll realise soon enough (hopefully not too late) that qualifications don't mean anything if you have no social skills - good look finding employment with nothing on your CV other than 'completed Black Ops on Veteran and have a level 80 warlock called Pete'. It has nothing to do with not smoking or taking drugs.

  • el_pollo_diablo #27 2 years ago

    Male teens who play videogames are less likely to smoke or take up drugs.

    Really? The teen years of myself and those around me were based almost exclusively around both.

  • riceNpea #28 2 years ago

    eh? games and mary-jane go hand in hand round my house

  • alan_stealth #29 2 years ago

    I'm a male gamer, and can't say I've ever been less likely... but it does deter, I can never finish wrapping my joint before the next match starts on Reach!!!

  • djed #30 2 years ago

    Obviously there's an information deficit on the hilarious effects of taking drugs while playing videogames.

    edit: lol spleling.
    Edited by djed at 17/11/10 @ 05:31

  • SilverInfinity #31 2 years ago

    Is the weapon girls use related to the game they play? Never seen a girl holding a BFG or Gravity Gun before :)

  • nuanimal #32 2 years ago

    "The study found that boys who were regular gamers generally posted a higher grade average at school, were less likely to take up smoking and more likely to claim that they'd never tried alcohol or marijuana."

    Ahh kids these days.

    Edited by nuanimal at 17/11/10 @ 13:21

  • ISmoke #33 2 years ago

    How so?
    I've always thought that drug taking and gaming goes hand in hand along with music too.

  • kinky_mong #34 2 years ago

    Pretty much everyone I personally know that's into games has taken drugs or is a massive pothead.

    Same here.

  • CatWeazle #35 2 years ago

    >> eh? games and mary-jane go hand in hand round my house

    Totally! Gaming & ganja just go superbly well together - helps you get into the vibe of the game.. Surely everyone does this, no?

  • arcam #36 2 years ago

    Male gamers also less likely to catch STDs or suffer a sport-related injury.

    Unfortunately this is not because of the magic healing powers of Xbox...

  • geeza2020 #37 2 years ago

    Theres got to be a joke somewhere there about STD's and red rings of death......

  • Cludge_Monster #38 2 years ago

    Its not true I am the ultimate First person shooter.....

  • mrStones #39 2 years ago

    Don't think you can really apply any of this outside of america due to the amount of variables involved, for example in my case lower drinking age (+ facial hair) made it easier to get booze than if i had to pretend to be 21.

    Most of the people i know who spend massive amounts of time gaming would mainly be due to online games which was nowhere near as accesiable for my generation and same for most people here i'd say. Anyway drink drugs and smoking when i was a teenager were mainly part of socialising with my freinds and the quest for vagina. Neither of which i would have had spending every free moment gaming.

    Oh and "bring a weapon to school" i thinks a cultural thing

  • dmcclure #40 2 years ago

    Interesting to see that they don't appear to have implemented any controls for background, at least according to a quick search. Perhaps children with a specific home life/class/economic background are both less likely to do drugs and more likely to have access to games and hardware?

  • DrStrangelove #41 2 years ago

    I can see the tabloids reporting about this.

    "VIDEO GAMES TURN YOUR DAUGHTER INTO BRUTAL THUG"

  • Sunyavadin #42 2 years ago

    Gaming's certainly more expensive than the wild drug fuelled parties of my misspent youth ever were. These days I'm looking at £30-70 for a new title/collector's edition each month. I never spent more than a tenner a week on my saturday night's worth of pills and speed...

    These days I've just not got enough left over from that to AFFORD drugs.