A poll from the Pew Research Center found that 40 percent of American adults believe that people who play video games are more likely to be violent. Video games are typically played on controllers, keyboards and phones. Gaming has continued to grow in popularity being one of America’s favorite pastime and mainstream activities.
“Fortnite,” one of the most popular gaming sites in 2025, has reached over 650 million accounts since 2023. “Fortnite” is known for its free to play ‘Battle royale mode’ where players fight to be the last survivor. It is also known for its unique building mechanics; players can gather resources to quickly build walls, ramps and other structures to protect themselves from enemy players.
“When there’s a lot going on at home, I can use ‘Fortnite’ as a stress reliever,” said junior Da’nasia Williams.
Another popular game by the name of “Call of Duty” has over 23 mainline games. “Call of Duty” is best known as the long-running, best selling first person shooter franchise. This series is famous for its intense multiplayer combat, various game modes such as team death match and search and destroy. Its extreme military theme features various real and fictional military units.
“I’m usually always in a good mood when playing ‘Call of Duty’ and like to throw jokes at my opponents when I’m winning,” said junior Adrian Applegate.
However, others argue that videogames contribute to violence in adolescents.
“If you started playing gun games at a really young age it could definitely affect you mentally to where you think using guns is the norm,” said senior Jesùs Cano. A lot of videogames focus on aggressive topics like killing or “eliminating” enemies. This can set a bad image for a lot of younger kids.
While games like “Fortnite” and “Call of Duty” have violence, there’s much more to it. Both games are cross platform, which means people from all different devices can communicate and play with each other. This means that you can play with any of your friends and even meet new comrades. These games also have more PG game modes for younger kids. For example “Fortnite” has Lego Fortnite where you can go off and adventure as their character’s Lego version. “Call of Duty” also has a ‘prop hunt mode’ where players can disguise themselves as an object to hide from the hunters.
As a result, even at a young age video games can still be a fun way to engage with friends and improve your gaming skills. For many, gaming can also be a way to relax, achieve new accomplishments, and push yourself to become more creative and tactical. So whether you are playing “Fortnite”, “Call of Duty” or any other games, play the games that suit you the best, have a good attitude and game on.
