Technological advances, such as the internet and mobile
devices have contributed to the popularity of gaming and the
growth of the gaming industry. Video games can now be
played in different ways on different platforms, diversifying
their impact. After the USA and Japan, the UK games
market is the third largest in the world. In 2010, 63 million
console and PC games were sold in the UK, with games
with violent content among the most popular. As gaming
increases particularly among children and adolescents (see
Box 1), so have concerns over the games’ content,
influence and excessive use. While the main focus of
research and policy has been on violent games, other
impacts of games on addiction, brain development, social
interaction and education are also considered in this note.