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Whenever some kid loses his mind and commits a heinous, deadly crime, the media and so-called experts start digging through the kid’s video game stash. Voila, Grand Theft Auto, case closed, the video game made him do it. Some research (wow, real research?) from Pew Internet goes against that mindset, suggesting kids learn valuable civics lessons from playing games, and just like another activity no one wants to admit, everybody does it.

Okay, all but three percent in Pew’s survey of 12-17 year olds didn’t play video games, online or off, mobile or immobile. I’m guessing their parents think video games lead to violence, or worse, probably sex. I have no data to back that last part up. But I think a number like 97 percent should be pretty compelling evidence against the violence theory; surely if all the kids are playing, not all the kids are shooting up their schools, right?

Not even 50 percent.

Or ten.

Or even one percent.

Every generation needs their satan to strive against. In the Fifties it was Elvis. The Seventies had Ozzie. My crew had Garbage Pail Kids and Twisted Sister.

Anyway, not too long ago Susquehanna predicted in-game advertising would grow 70 percent year-over-year to reach $1 billion. That may be set to increase even more in light of the news that pretty much the whole of the next generation of spenders are playing games. Gaming sites are the social networks of the next generation, and it might be a good idea to start learning how that generation thinks.

The Pew report offers a surprise to anyone with experience raising teenagers, and that is that, yes, they actually do think, and probably very differently. Ninety-nine percent of boys and 94 percent of girls play video games, most of them within the racing, puzzle, sports, or action and adventure categories. The typical teen plays five different types of games, and 40 percent play eight different types.

And they probably do it while texting and tweaking their MySpace account.

Three quarters play with others some of the time, 82 percent play games alone occasionally, and about two thirds play with other teens in the same room. Almost a third of them play games intended for older players, including those marked as Mature or Adults Only. Twelve year-olds do this as much as 17 year-olds. 

“The stereotype that gaming is a solitary, violent, anti-social activity just doesn’t hold up. The average teen plays all different kinds of games and generally plays them with friends and family both online and offline," said Pew’s Amanda Lenhart. “For most teens, gaming runs the spectrum from blow-‘em-up mayhem to building communities; from cute-and-simple to complex; from brief private sessions to hours long interactions with masses of others."

It’s these “hours long interactions with masses of others” that are teaching our kids about society, and it’s their diversity of interests that should get the online marketer’s attention. Let me take down another stereotype: Video games make kids vapid zombies. Not true. Over half of gamers play games that force them to consider moral and ethical issues; 43 percent play games where they practice decision-making in a virtual communities, cities or nations; 40 percent report learning about social issues. These reports were made by teens across all demographics, regardless of family income, race, and ethnicity.

Again: the whole of this generation is playing games and learning to make judgments on the consequences of the future, the latter of the two something very difficult for the teenage mind to consider. (Please no angry teenage comments about that. There’ve been studies, not that we need them to know teens are impulsive. It’s an evolutionary survival thing.)

The Pew report reminded me of a conversation I had with my 15-year-old stepson. In early August—when we were on the brink WWIII remember?—and the conflict between Georgia and Russia erupted, I explained the best and simplest I could the complex geopolitical situation

“Oh,” he said. “Just like in Mass Effect.”

It bodes well for society, I think. I hope. And, to all you communication professionals out there, reaching this group effectively with any type of message in the future is going to have to be reflective of the world as they know it, and they know it as a world bombarded by messages, usually conflicting ones. Understanding them now is understanding your next generation of consumers, citizens, and – dare I?—world changers.