Research: active gamers are more likely to believe conspiracy theories

A new study conducted in the UK by More in Common in partnership with the AKO Institute of Storytelling at the University of the Arts London has revealed surprising results: young men who play video games are twice as likely to believe in conspiracy theories compared to the national average.

2,000 Britons aged 18 to 24 took part in the survey. This demographic has been characterized as “skeptical scrollers”. They make up about 10% of the country’s population and are characterized by such socio-economic factors as low income, debt and living in social housing at their place of birth.

Why “skeptical scrollers” do not trust the news

This category of young people is characterized by a complete disregard for traditional sources of information – TV, radio and print media. Instead, they prefer YouTube, topical podcasts, and social media. It is worth noting that video games occupy a significant part of free time in the lives of these people.

Attitudes towards conspiracy theory and media literacy

The research data confirmed that the representatives of this group believe in the existence of hidden elites who secretly manage global processes. At the same time, the survey participants are convinced that they have four times better disinformation skills than the average citizen, although this self-perception differs from objective reality.

Video games as a defense against ideology

The authors of the study analyzed whether video games can become an educational tool for an audience prone to consuming unverified data. The results were mixed: after experimenting with iterations aimed at verifying the validity of the data, many players felt cheated.

For “skeptic scrollers”, games are not an educational tool, but a way to escape from everyday social and political problems. They expect the gaming experience to remain pure and free from any ideology. However, researchers note the perspective of projects that develop critical thinking. Social detective Among Us and border control simulator Papers, Please are mentioned as positive examples where players need to independently analyze information and draw conclusions.