Almost every teenager in the US aged between 12 and 17 years of age plays computer, web, portable, or console games regularly according to a new report published by US think tank The Pew Research Center. The qualitative study titled “Teens, Video Games and Civics” has found that 97% of teens are “gamers”. That’s big business for the video game, console and development industry. 

The most popular game amongst survey respondents was Guitar Hero, followed by Halo 3, Madden NFL, Solitaire, and Dance Dance Revolution. 

Gaming frequency statistics
According to the study, 50% of teens played games "yesterday" and 86% of all teens included play on a console like the Xbox, PlayStation, or Wii. 

Almost three quarters (73%) play games on a desktop or a laptop computer, 60% use a portable gaming device like a Sony PlayStation Portable, a Nintendo DS, or a Game Boy and 48% use a cell phone or handheld organizer to play games. 

Gender breakdown 
Slightly more boys play video games than girls according to the study, with 99% of boys and 94% of girls reportedly playing video games. Younger teen boys are the most likely to play games, followed by younger girls and older boys. 

The study has found that older girls are the least "enthusiastic" players of video games, though more than half of them play. Some 65% of daily gamers are male; 35% are female. 

Parental control 
According to the survey, 90% of parents said that they "always or sometimes know what their children play" as a whopping 72% say that they check the game ratings and only 13% believe that video games have a negative influence on their children's behaviour. 

An interesting point is that 31% of parents choose to monitor or play along with their kids. 

Social connection 
65% of teens included in the survey reported playing games with other people who are in the room with them and 27% play games with people who they connect with through the internet. Although most teens play games by themselves at least occasionally (82%), just under one-quarter (24%) of teens only play games alone. 

About the study 
According to the reserachers, the survey provides the first nationally representative study of teen video game play and of teen video gaming and civic engagement in the US. The survey looks at which teens are playing games, the games and equipment they are using, the social context of their play, and the role of parents and parental monitoring.