Video Games As Cultural Participation: Understanding Games Playing in England Using the Taking Part Survey

Abstract

This study addresses the important and recurring question of whether playing video games is detrimental to the socio-economic development of a person. It does this by using novel data from the Taking Part Survey in England to establish whether games playing is associated with particular socio-economic characteristics and/or other forms of cultural participation. The results do not indicate any obviously negative effects of video games playing: those who play are typically better educated and wealthier, and games players are also more likely than non-games players to participate in other forms of culture, especially through active participation. These findings are reinforced when comparing the characteristics of individuals who did and did not play video games when younger.

Keywords: Cultural participation, consumer economics, video games, taste

JEL Classification: D12, J29, R12, Z11