Video Games, Age, and Athlete Status: Predictors of Youth Sport Participation Intent

Video games are a popular cultural object for children and adolescents. However, the impact that video games have on the intention to participate in sport is understudied. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether video games can influence the intention to participate in sport based on age groups and participation in sport. METHODS: Data were collected through the Aspen Institute Sports & Society’s 2026 Project Play initiative. 3,946 children, aged ten to seventeen, participated in a survey nationally, in which they were asked a battery of questions related to their demographics, such as age and sport participation (currently participate, formerly participated, or never participated), which sports they have participated in, perceptions of injury risk, and video game involvement. RESULTS: A multinomial logistic regression was performed to compare age groups and sport participation to video games effect on the interest in participating in sport. The reference category for the regression model was the category of video games making no difference in the involvement in sports, compared to the effects of more interest or less interest in participating. The main effects model found that sport participation status was a likely predictor of video game interest in participation (χ2(4) = 306.67, p < 0.001), but age was not a predictor (χ2(2) = 4.18, p = 0.123). The odds ratio for comparing the current and former athletes to non-athletes revealed that current athletes have 83% lower odds of interest in participating in sport (OR = 0.17, p < 0.001), and former athletes exhibit 82% lower odds of interest (OR = 0.18, p < 0.001). The odds ratio for comparing the age groups (10-13 and 14-17) to their participation showed that when comparing non-athletes to current and former athletes, current athletes for the older age group reported 87% lower odds of interest (OR = 0.13, p < 0.001) and former athletes reported 79% lower odds of interest (OR = 0.21, p < 0.001). For a younger age group, current athletes reported 65% lower odds of interest (OR = 0.35, p < 0.001), and former athletes could not be computed due to no responses for more interest. The interaction model of age groups and sports status differs significantly by the age group (χ2(4) = 58.41, p