Smoking in Video Games

Over a month has passed since the death of Dragon Ball creator and manga artist Akira Toriyama, and smoking was a contributing factor in his death. Anyone who smokes at a younger age will typically die at an earlier age. One of the main motivations is usually by seeing characters smoking in either television, film, and even video games.

Research has shown that more young people play video games than watch television or even attending movies. Exposure to onscreen smoking in a game can likely cause a young person to take up the habit and put their overall health at risk.

Any use of tobacco warrants a higher rating

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) provides a “Use of Tobacco” descriptor along with the regular rating to all games that contain smoking. Giving a higher age rating (such as Mature) to future games with smoking expects the number of teen smokers to drop by 18%, preventing up to a million deaths.

Over the past quarter century:

• 2 out of 5 top-grossing games were rated Teen.
• 3 out of 5 Teen-rated titles showed some form of smoking or other tobacco use.
• The percentage of games targeted at youth (Teen and below) that were smokefree increased from 35% in 2000 to 65% in 2024.
• Many major publishers have adopted policies addressing tobacco depiction in their games.

On average over the past five years:

• There have been an average of at least 12 instances of smoking per game.
• 2 in 5 Teen-rated games contain at least one instance of smoking.
• Over 4 billion impressions were delivered in games rated E10+ or Teen.
• Compared to AAA developers and publishers, games made by independent studios had an average of 23 instances of smoking per game, and deliver over half of all tobacco impressions.
• The number of tobacco incidents in games varies by developer. Instances of tobacco use from games by Nintendo and other developers specializing in family-friendly titles has decreased, but has increased from other AAA and independent developers.