The Leisure Software program Affiliation (ESA) confirmed survey outcomes highlighting the advantages of video games for U.S. veterans, with 77% of veterans saying they imagine video games have a constructive affect on their lives.
The ESA mentioned overwhelming majority of respondents indicated that online game play gives a wholesome outlet for stress and nervousness (86%), helps them address troublesome instances (81%), provides a precious technique of staying related with others (77%) and that online game communities have a constructive affect on their psychological and emotional well-being (74%), mentioned Stanley Pierre-Louis, CEO of the ESA, in an interview with GamesBeat. It’s a approach for the ESA to assist veterans throughout Army Appreciation Month, he mentioned.
Equally, when requested to mirror on their time within the service, they indicated that taking part in video video games helped them loosen up and unwind and escape the stressors of army life (85%), boosted morale and strengthened camaraderie (78%) and supplied an efficient device for fostering teamwork and cooperation (73%).
“We now have lengthy seen the advantages of video video games past leisure, and this new knowledge provides an particularly compelling instance of the ability of play,” mentioned Pierre-Louis. “We take nice pleasure within the constructive affect of online game play in supporting psychological well being, fostering social connections and enhancing general well-being, and it’s deeply rewarding to know these advantages are felt by those that have served our nation.”
Stephen Machuga, a veteran and founder and government director of Stack Up, a nonprofit devoted to supporting veteran’s psychological well being via video gaming, added, “Day-after-day, I see first-hand the constructive impacts video video games have on veterans and repair members. Video video games have confirmed to be a robust device for stress aid, a approach to join with associates and fellow service members and a constructive outlet for rest and psychological well being.”
“There’s been a rising physique of analysis confirming the constructive psychological, social and emotional advantages of taking part in video video games,” Pierre-Louis mentioned. “We needed to know how these analysis findings apply to the US veteran inhabitants, and we have been actually happy with the outcomes that got here in. So our 2025 survey amongst US veterans exhibits that taking part in video video games has a constructive affect on their psychological well being and emotional effectively being that helps them keep related with others.”
He added, “Whereas veterans definitely play for leisure, additionally they play to launch stress and nervousness and to remain related with one another and with associates, which actually ties effectively along with plenty of good analysis we’ve accomplished on all populations, you already know, and we’ve additionally seen efforts from organizations just like the nonprofit teams Stack Up And Warfighter Engaged — who spotlight how video video games and the online game trade positively affect veterans and energetic service members by supporting psychological well being, fostering connections and enhancing effectively being.”
By way of among the particular findings, on common, the ESA discovered that veterans who play video video games have been male. I feel it’s about 63% male, 37 years outdated, faculty educated, employed full time, married with kids within the family, they usually have been enlisted for a mean of six years.
“Nearly all of veterans imagine that video video games present a wholesome outlet for stress aid and nervousness and contribute to social and emotional effectively being,” Pierre-Louis mentioned. “You’ll see some stats we have now within the examine that 86% really feel that taking part in video video games gives a wholesome ‘outlet.’”
Who’re they and the way/what are they taking part in?
Along with the affect and function of video video games within the lives of U.S. veterans, the survey explored who’s taking part in, how they play and what they’re taking part in. On common, veteran video avid gamers are male, 37 years outdated, faculty educated, employed full-time and married with kids within the family. They have been enlisted and served a mean of six years.
The overwhelming majority (79%) are taking part in with others on a weekly foundation. They like taking part in on a console (74%) over private computer systems (63%) and smartphones (62%) and luxuriate in taking part in all kinds of video games throughout genres. When requested what they play most frequently, their prime choice is for motion shooter video games (55%), role-playing (RPG/MMORPG) and multiplayer on-line battle area (MOBA) video games (39%), sports activities (31%) and action-adventure (28%).
“In relation to making connections, we discovered that video video games convey veterans collectively,” Pierre-Louis mentioned.
Survey methodology
YouGov carried out an internet survey amongst 22- to 50-year-old computer/console video avid gamers within the U.S. from January 14-27, 2025 to know the affect and function of video video games within the lives of U.S. veterans. Pattern dimension = 1,096 veteran video avid gamers, 508 non-veteran video avid gamers.
Based in 2015, Stack Up brings each veterans and civilians collectively via a shared love of gaming and geek tradition. By packages reminiscent of Provide Crates, packing containers of video games and equipment despatched world wide to veterans in want, their suicide prevention efforts via the Stack Up Overwatch Program (StOP) and their Los Angeles based mostly group heart, Phalanx Home, Stack Up has helped greater than 60,000 U.S. and Allied army service members get via deployments to fight zones and get well from traumatic bodily and emotional accidents via the ability of video gaming.
Veterans are having a troublesome second, given federal layoffs at authorities establishments within the U.S. just like the Veterans Administration. However the timing of the report is a coincidence, because the ESA’s intention was to rejoice veterans firstly of Army Appreciation Month, Pierre-Louis mentioned.
“We’ve heard [positive results from game playing] from army veterans. We’ve heard it from members of Congress who serve on the related committees. We needed to check how the final analysis on the efficient video games would possibly apply to the U.S. veteran inhabitants,” Pierre-Louis mentioned. “We heard a lot about it, and so we actually did it, fascinated about how we might contribute to the nice tales about our veterans throughout army historical past month.”
That is the primary time that the ESA did a report on veterans and video games. Machuga of Stack Up shall be one in all our audio system at our GamesBeat Summit 2025 occasion on Might 19-20 in Los Angeles. The ESA can also be doing a session on accessibility in video video games at our occasion.
“We simply discovered that video games are a chance to bond and a chance to essentially present aid from the nervousness and stress of what they have been doing,” Pierre-Louis mentioned. “In relation to making connections, we discovered that video video games convey veterans collectively. We centered on veterans, however additionally they talked concerning the impact that that was constructive throughout their energetic service. So we noticed that as a internet plus that impacted them in a constructive approach throughout service, but additionally helped them preserve these core connections afterward.”
