A report from The British Board Of Film Classification into the habits and behaviour of gamers of all ages has discovered that negative press coverage for a violent game will significantly increase its uptake.

The research also found that younger gamers are also influenced to play particular games by peer pressure and word of mouth.

Other findings included that children have begun to play games at an increasingly early age and that the overall age of games players is getting older. In addition, the BBFC discovered that females prefer strategic life simulation games like The Sims, whilst males favour FPS titles and sports games.

Director of the BBFC David Cooke said: “We take this part of our responsibilities under the Video Recordings Act very seriously. Players and the parents of young players can be sure that all aspects of the game have been taken into account before reaching a classification. 

“This research provides some valuable insights into why people play video games and what effect they think playing has on themselves and friends.  It has also highlighted parental attitudes to video games. 

“We hope that it will provide some food for thought for the industry, and everyone who has an interest in the impact of games and we will be taking the research outcomes into account as we review our games classification policies over the coming months.”

The report in full can be downloaded from the BBFC site here.