Smoking in Video Games: A Systematic Review
Susan R Forsyth1, Ruth E Malone2
1Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, CA Susan.Forsyth@ucsf.edu.
Summary
This systematic review found tobacco imagery in video games, but the link between playing games and smoking is unclear. However, problem gaming shows a correlation with smoking, and game genre may influence behavior.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Media Studies
- Adolescent Health
Background:
- Adolescents widely play video games, yet their association with smoking behaviors is under-researched.
- Smoking imagery in media contributes to adolescent smoking and normalization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review existing research on the relationship between video game engagement and adolescent smoking.
- To explore the presence of tobacco imagery in video games and its potential impact.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted across MEDLINE, psycINFO, and Web of Science.
- Twenty-four studies were qualitatively synthesized across four domains: tobacco imagery, general playing, addiction, and genre-specific playing.
Main Results:
- Tobacco content was identified in a subset of video games.
- The link between general video game playing and smoking behavior remains inconclusive.
- A correlation was found between video game addiction and smoking behavior in four out of five studies.
- Game genre appears to influence the association between playing and smoking.
Conclusions:
- Research on video games' influence on adolescent smoking perceptions and behaviors is nascent.
- Further investigation is needed to understand adolescent responses to in-game tobacco imagery and its real-world behavioral translation.
- Smoking imagery in video games may contribute to the normalization of adolescent smoking.
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