Violent video games are a widely discussed part of gaming culture, from US First Amendment protections to UK content complaints. This page maps what research has tested most often: aggression, aggressive cognition, and interpretation bias, and how results can differ by individual factors. We also highlight key syntheses—from systematic reviews and meta-analyses to experiments—to show the overall size of any association.
Key Takeaways
- 62% of gamers said they play games with violence
- 19% of gamers reported playing action games
- Global spend on PC games was $40.3 billion in 2024
- Global video game market revenue is projected to reach $198.0 billion in 2025
- 54.2% of boys and 35.3% of girls reported playing violent video games (meta-survey of US youth)
- A 2018 systematic review found a statistically significant but small association between violent video games and aggression (average effect size g≈0.17)
- A 2015 meta-analysis reported an average effect size of r≈0.11 for violent video game exposure and aggression
- US Supreme Court in 2011 noted that video games are a medium with First Amendment protection (Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association) about speech
- In 2022, the UK’s independent regulator Ofcom received 2,800 complaints about video games broadcast content (approx. by year)
- 0.17 average effect size (g) for violent video game exposure on aggression in a 2018 systematic review (small, statistically significant association)
- 0.11 average effect size (r) reported for violent video game exposure and aggression in a 2015 meta-analysis (small association)
- d=0.05 overall effect size for violent video games and aggression in a 2020 meta-analysis (very small association)
- In 2023, 2,800 complaints about video games broadcast content were handled by the UK independent regulator (approx. by year; complaints volume measure)
- A 2020 lab study reported that participants exposed to non-violent game footage showed a smaller increase in state hostility than participants exposed to violent footage (mean difference in hostility scores, p<0.05)
- A 2023 peer-reviewed review reported that effects of violent games on aggression are typically small and moderated by individual differences (e.g., baseline aggression, trait hostility) (review synthesis of moderator effects)
Research links violent video games to aggression only very weakly, despite most gamers playing violent games.
Related reading
01 · Category
Performance Metrics12 stats
01
54.2% of boys and 35.3% of girls reported playing violent video games (meta-survey of US youth)
02
A 2018 systematic review found a statistically significant but small association between violent video games and aggression (average effect size g≈0.17)
03
A 2015 meta-analysis reported an average effect size of r≈0.11 for violent video game exposure and aggression
04
A 2020 meta-analysis reported an overall effect size of d≈0.05 for violent video games and aggression
05
A 2012 meta-analysis found that violent video games had a small effect on aggressive behavior (mean effect size r≈0.11)
06
A large panel study found no evidence that violent video game use causes aggression when controlling for prior aggression (longitudinal design)
07
A 2014 randomized controlled trial found no evidence that short-term exposure to violent video games increases violent crime rates
08
One US study using nationally representative panel data found that violent game use was not associated with increased youth aggression over time
09
0.11 average correlation (r) between violent video game playing/exposure and aggression, from meta-analyses
10
0.05 average standardized difference (d) between violent video game playing/exposure and aggression, from meta-analyses
11
0.09 average correlation (r) between violent video game exposure and aggression in longitudinal studies, from meta-analyses
12
0.02 average standardized difference (d) between violent video game exposure and aggression in longitudinal studies, from meta-analyses
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
From the performance metrics, roughly 54.2% of boys versus 35.3% of girls play violent video games, and across multiple meta-analyses the aggression link is statistically significant but consistently small with effect sizes around r≈0.11 to d≈0.05, while a large longitudinal study finds no evidence of a causal effect when prior aggression is accounted for.
report visual · Comparison
Violent game playing vs aggression: meta-analytic effect sizes
Across meta-analyses, the correlation between violent game playing/exposure and aggression is larger than the longitudinal correlation, with the meta-analytic average (leader) show
0.11 average correlation (r) between violent video game playing/exposure and aggression, from meta-analyses0.11
0.09 average correlation (r) between violent video game exposure and aggression in longitudinal studies, from meta-analy
0.09
0.05 average standardized difference (d) between violent video game playing/exposure and aggression, from meta-analyses
0.05
0.02 average standardized difference (d) between violent video game exposure and aggression in longitudinal studies, fro
0.02
source-verifiedpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
02 · Category
Scientific Evidence6 stats
01
0.17 average effect size (g) for violent video game exposure on aggression in a 2018 systematic review (small, statistically significant association)
02
0.11 average effect size (r) reported for violent video game exposure and aggression in a 2015 meta-analysis (small association)
03
d=0.05 overall effect size for violent video games and aggression in a 2020 meta-analysis (very small association)
04
In a large longitudinal study, the estimated within-person association between violent game play and subsequent aggression was not statistically different from zero after accounting for prior aggression (null longitudinal effect)
05
A 2014 randomized controlled trial reported no evidence that short-term exposure to violent video games increases violent crime rates (null causal effect on violent crime outcomes)
06
A 2021 peer-reviewed study found that violent video game exposure was not associated with increased aggression when controlling for baseline aggression and other confounders in a longitudinal design (non-significant longitudinal association)
Interpretation
Scientific Evidence Interpretation
Across Scientific Evidence findings, the average effects linking violent video games to aggression are consistently tiny, with effect sizes around 0.17 in 2018 and about 0.11 in 2015, even reaching very small levels like d = 0.05 in 2020, and multiple larger or controlled studies reporting no meaningful increase, pointing to a weak and not reliably consequential relationship.
03 · Category
Media Effects5 stats
01
A 2020 lab study reported that participants exposed to non-violent game footage showed a smaller increase in state hostility than participants exposed to violent footage (mean difference in hostility scores, p<0.05)
02
A 2023 peer-reviewed review reported that effects of violent games on aggression are typically small and moderated by individual differences (e.g., baseline aggression, trait hostility) (review synthesis of moderator effects)
03
A 2019 systematic review found that exposure to violent media is more consistently associated with aggressive cognition (e.g., aggressive thoughts) than with aggressive behavior (behavioral outcomes showed weaker/less consistent effects)
04
In a 2021 randomized experiment, violent-game exposure increased aggressive interpretation bias by an average of 0.18 standard deviations compared with a non-violent control (experimental cognitive outcome)
05
A 2022 meta-analysis of media violence and physiological arousal reported a mean effect size of r=0.10 for arousal outcomes (smaller than cognitive/aggression pathways, indicating modest impact)
Interpretation
Media Effects Interpretation
Across Media Effects research, the strongest quantitative theme is that violent games tend to have small effects on aggression and related outcomes, with an average increase of about 0.18 standard deviations in aggressive interpretation bias and a mean physiological arousal effect size of r = 0.10, typically moderated by individual differences rather than producing large, consistent harm.
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends2 stats
01
62% of gamers said they play games with violence
02
19% of gamers reported playing action games
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
As an industry trend, 62% of gamers say they play games with violence, and with 19% reporting action games, violence remains a prominent driver of what audiences choose to play.
05 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
Global spend on PC games was $40.3 billion in 2024
02
Global video game market revenue is projected to reach $198.0 billion in 2025
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the Market Size perspective, violent video games benefit from a large and growing ecosystem, with global PC game spending reaching $40.3 billion in 2024 and the overall video game market projected to hit $198.0 billion in 2025.
06 · Category
Industry Overview3 stats
01
US Supreme Court in 2011 noted that video games are a medium with First Amendment protection (Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association) about speech
02
In 2022, the UK’s independent regulator Ofcom received 2,800 complaints about video games broadcast content (approx. by year)
03
In 2023, 2,800 complaints about video games broadcast content were handled by the UK independent regulator (approx. by year; complaints volume measure)
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across industry oversight, the UK’s independent regulator Ofcom logged about 2,800 video game broadcast content complaints in both 2022 and 2023, underscoring sustained public scrutiny of violent game media even as US law in 2011 recognized video games as a First Amendment protected medium.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Sophie Moreland. (2026, February 13). Violent Video Games Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/violent-video-games-statistics
MLA
Sophie Moreland. "Violent Video Games Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/violent-video-games-statistics.
Chicago
Sophie Moreland. 2026. "Violent Video Games Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/violent-video-games-statistics.
Sources & references
27 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)