The Types of Violent Games Affecting Teenagers

Percentage of Teens Playing Games

• While many adolescents prefer violent blood-fest games, researchers at Pew have found that blood and guts games are not the top choices among teens. The Pew stats show that the majority of teens -- 74 percent -- report that they typically play racing games such as NASCAR or MarioKart. While these do have some violence, during crashes, racing games aren't necessarily on the same level as a sniper or army-type of theme. Additionally, the second most often played genre for teens are puzzle games such as Solitaire or Tetris. In comparison, the highest percentage of "violent game" players gravitate towards action genres, followed by adventures. The most violent types of games -- fighting and first-person shooting genres -- trail with 49 percent and 47 percent of teens playing them regularly.

Science Fiction Games

• Science fiction games include a blend of fantasy, technology and adventure violence. While you might think that genres such as first-person shooter games focus on military and war themes, science fiction games also employ this type of violence. For example, the sci-fi Halo series involves a futuristic and alien type of violence that appears to appeal more to teen males than females -- with Pew citing that 30 percent of boys and only 5 percent of girls report playing this game regularly.

Fighting Games

• As if punching your virtual opponent in the face wasn't violent enough, fighting games often feature a much more brash type of gore and aggression. Fighting games that appeal to teens such as "Mortal Kombat" or "Tekken" typically go well above and beyond a simple fistfight or staged wrestling adventure. These aggression-filled games pit one player against another, or a teen against the computer, in a fight to the finish that often results in the complete annihilation of the opponent.

War Games

• When it comes to first-person shooter genres, war and military style games do seem to rule. Games such as "Call of Duty" allow your teen to gun down his opposition in an almost life-like sense. Additionally, the amount of shooting going in simulated war games leads to an abundance of blood and bodily gore. The child development pros at the KidsHealth website suggest that parents talk to their teens about these types of violent games, helping them to put the shooting violence into perspective and ensure that they can distinguish fantasy from reality.