Over half of 1,500 young players surveyed said they’re expected to conform to certain behaviors based on gender or race.
This is based on the Teens and Screens Report 2025 (via GamesIndustry.Biz), conducted by the Center of Scholars and Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA. The 1,500 young players’ ages ranged from 10 to 24.
Speaking on the issue of fear of harassment in online spaces, the survey found that over half of women and girl gamers felt as though they had to “act a certain way” when gaming because of “gender, race, or other identity.”
This was echoed by boys and men, with 64.5 percent feeling a similar pressure to present themselves differently while gaming.
“Overall, across identities, adolescents reported feeling pressure around social conformity, performance or skill expectations, and acting out or counteracting stereotypes,” the CSS noted in the study. ” The social features that make video games a place for community can also lend themselves to social pressures.”
Teen players report wanting more inclusive games
Diversity remains an important subject for younger audiences. 41.6 percent of the surveyed players consider “racial diversity in characters and storylines” when choosing games to play. That being said, 47.8 percent of them said they struggle to find games with characters that represent them—over half of Asian (55.9 percent) and Hispanic or Latino (56.3 percent) players were especially affected by this issue, the survey says.
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Meanwhile, the game and tech industries continue to regress on diversity policies and initiatives. Last year, Microsoft shut down its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) team. Meta followed suit at the beginning of this year when it released an internal memo announcing the termination of its DEI programs. Reported by Business Insider, the company’s vice president of human resources, Janelle Gale, wrote that “the legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing.”
In another report, RuneScape studio Jagex was criticized internally after pivoting from Pride Month events starting this year. Last month, Jagex CEO defended the pivot as an “apolitical” decision.