Whether they happen to get their fix on a Wii, laptop computer or cell phone, just about every American ages 12 to 17 — young teens and older teens, girls and boys, and teens from across the socioeconomic spectrum — plays video games (97%), and most do so frequently. In a fall 2008 survey, half of all teens reported playing a computer, web, portable or console video game “yesterday.” Most use consoles like the Xbox, PlayStation or Wii (86%) or computers (73%), but roughly half of teens (48%) play games on their cell phones. Teens play a wide variety of games, from racing to adventure to role-playing, and girls (6) play just about as many different genres of games as boys (8). However, boys (50%) are much more likely to cite a “mature” game — heavy on violence, gore and rough language — than are girls (14%) as a favorite. Read More