Veterans
A report shows how veterans and active duty service members play video games to benefit their mental health
By
Stars and Stripes May 26, 2025
Alexander Banerjee and Samuel Weinstein
Stars and Stripes May 26, 2025
An airman plays video games during the Community Game Night at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Sept. 19, 2024. (William Finn/U.S. Air Force)
A survey of veterans who play video games released on May 1 in honor of Military Appreciation Month shows the power of gaming in the military community and dispels stereotypes about veterans who game, the head of the industry group that helped produce the report told Stars and Stripes in mid-May.
The survey found that 48% of veterans ages 22 to 50 are active PC or console gamers, defined as playing at least one hour per week, and that veterans were more likely to game than non-veterans within the same age group (39%).
The average age of the veteran video gamers is 37, and the group was more likely to be college-educated, employed full -time, married and raising children compared to non-veterans who play video games.
Of the veteran gamers, 73% said they played in part to relieve stress. The survey also said that veteran video gamers were more likely to play collaboratively with others weekly (79%) than their non-veteran counterparts (67%).
The survey and report was produced by the Entertainment Software Association, a video game industry group, and the market research company YouGov. It received support from Stack Up, a nonprofit aimed at helping veterans’ mental health problems through video games.
After the percentage of veterans who game was determined, non-gamers were screened out and the main survey focused on a sample size of about nearly 1,100 veterans and 500 non-veterans. The veterans were also asked about gaming habits during their service.
Some other highlights:
Half of the veterans surveyed are combat veterans.
Veteran gamers were more likely to play shooters compared to non-veterans (55% compared to 39%) and more likely to play Call of Duty specifically (44% compared to 31%).
The Army was overrepresented in the results. While about 35% of active-duty personnel were in the Army in 2023, 49% of the veteran gamers surveyed were in the Army.
Of gamers who play with others weekly, 63% of veterans played with people they knew personally, compared to 52% of non-veterans. However, veterans were also more likely to play with people they did not know, implying that veterans are more likely to play cooperative games in general.
66% of veteran gamers said video games are a good way for them to stay connected with the people they served with.
52% of veterans said they have considered pursuing a career in the gaming industry, compared to 43% of non-veterans.
Stanley Pierre-Louis, the association’s CEO, told Stars & Stripes that he was not surprised by the report’s results but found them exciting and was taken aback by the degree of positive response veterans had to video games.
There are no particular civilian or military policy goals the ESA is hoping the report will bolster, Pierre-Louis said. The intent was simply to quantify something backed by anecdotal evidence.
Pierre-Louis also noted the finding that veterans enjoy playing games collaboratively could warrant further research.
Stack Up founder Stephen Machuga suggested that veterans are accustomed to working together in various environments.
He also said the study was helpful to his cause, because it provided metrics about the presence of gaming in the lives of veterans and active duty service members.
“It is a Global War on Terrorism reality, where your 18- to 35-year-old veterans are all gamers. … The people who are in charge of the money are not those people.”
Machuga referenced how the USO has in recent years increased the use of gaming in its outreach to active-duty service members and pointed to his encounters with non-profit veterans organizations seeking to connect to younger veterans and service members.
“I’ve been screaming about it for almost a decade now, but seeing the results back, it was like, yep, there it is,” Machuga said.
If you are interested in supporting Stack Up and its efforts to combat veterans’ suicides, please click here.
