A Generation Between Two Wars: From Digital Games to Real Battlefields

Report by Hazem Diaa El-Din

Violence is no longer just a passing headline in news bulletins, nor merely a virtual scene inside a video game. For millions of young people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, violence has become part of a complex daily experience: they encounter it in real life through news and collective memory, and they experience it virtually through games that simulate war with astonishing realism.

This generation, often described as late Millennials and Generation Z, grew up during a unique historical moment, when the rise of war-themed video games coincided with a series of conflicts and wars that shook the Arab region. Between the real and the virtual worlds, the consciousness of an entire generation was shaped while watching wars, and playing them at the same time.

From Pixel Graphics to Cinematic Realism

Since the early 2000s, war-themed video games have undergone massive technological transformation. While early titles such as Counter-Strike relied on relatively simple graphics, modern games like Call of Duty and Battlefield offer experiences that resemble cinematic productions, with advanced visual and audio effects that make players feel as if they are inside a battlefield.

This evolution has not only changed the appearance of games, it has transformed their nature as well. Gaming is no longer just a form of entertainment; it has become a massive global industry attracting billions of dollars in investment and competing with the film and music industries.

In the Arab region alone, spending on digital games reached approximately $1.92 billion in 2023, with projections suggesting it will exceed $2.6 billion by 2027. Young people, especially Millennials and Gen Z, represent the largest segment of this market. Studies indicate that about 52% of Millennials spend a significant portion of their time playing video games.

Psychological Disorders That Persist With Age

Yet the widespread popularity of video games raises deeper questions about their psychological and behavioral impact on younger generations.

According to a study conducted by the University of Sydney, people born in the 1990s experience 20% to 30% higher rates of psychological disorders compared with previous generations. The study also suggests that these problems do not necessarily decline with age; in some cases, they persist or even worsen.

Some researchers link this phenomenon to what is known as video game addiction, a behavioral pattern characterized by loss of control over gaming time and prioritizing gaming over social or academic responsibilities despite negative consequences. In advanced cases, recovery from such addiction, psychologically speaking, can resemble recovery from other forms of behavioral addiction.

However, the picture is not entirely bleak. Scientific studies reveal a more complex reality. A study involving about 2,200 children aged between 9 and 10 found that those who regularly played video games, around 21 hours per week, performed better in cognitive tests compared with those who did not play, and showed higher activity in brain regions associated with memory and attention.

Do Games Create a More Violent Generation?

Perhaps the most controversial question remains: do war-themed video games contribute to creating a generation more inclined toward violence?

The answer is far from simple. While some believe these games provide a psychological outlet for releasing tension and anger, others warn of their potential behavioral impact, particularly among children and adolescents.

Mental health specialist Joanna Abboud notes that children naturally need to release their emotions through play. However, the danger lies in excessive immersion in games or imitation of violent characters, which can lead to social isolation or the adoption of aggressive behavioral patterns.

A study from Swinburne University of Technology found that the impact of violent games tends to be stronger among children who already display higher levels of stress and irritability. In a striking paradox, a 2011 study by the Centre for European Economic Research found that although violent games may increase aggressive tendencies, they could also contribute to lower real-world crime rates, possibly because they provide a virtual outlet for aggression.

Meanwhile, other studies have linked violent games to rising levels of cyberbullying, with victims experiencing anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and low self-esteem, factors that negatively affect academic performance and social life.

A Multi-Billion-Dollar Industry

Beyond psychological and social debates, one fact remains undeniable: video games have become a major economic sector.

In the Arab world, Saudi Arabia leads the digital gaming market with roughly 57.6% of total regional spending, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 31.9%, and Egypt with around 10.5%.

Yet a striking paradox emerges: Egypt ranks first in terms of the number of players, accounting for approximately 58.5% of gamers in the Arab region, with more than 40 million players.

This rapid growth has attracted massive investments. Among the most notable initiatives is Saudi Arabia’s announcement of the Esports World Cup, featuring the largest prize pool in the history of the industry. The Kingdom has also pledged investments estimated at $37.8 billion through its Public Investment Fund, alongside financial initiatives aimed at supporting game development.

A Generation That Lived Wars, and Played Them

However, the experience of Millennials and Gen Z in the Arab world cannot be understood through gaming alone.

While the gaming industry was evolving rapidly, the region itself was experiencing a series of violent conflicts: beginning with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, followed by the 2006 Lebanon war, and later the rise of ISIS and the regional conflicts that followed.

These events were not merely political developments; they represented profound transformations that shook the social and political fabric of several countries, plunging the region into cycles of sectarian division and armed conflict.

For an entire generation of young people, war was never an abstract concept. Its images appeared daily on television and smartphone screens, destroyed cities, waves of displacement, and scenes of violence that became part of collective memory.

Between Reality and Virtual Worlds

Thus emerged a generation living a unique contradiction: a generation that watches war in the news, and experiences it in games.

Some researchers describe this condition as a form of “civilizational alienation.” These young people are among the most educated and globally connected generations, yet they are also among the most exposed to psychological pressure.

In a relatively short span of time, they witnessed multiple crises: the 2008 global financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and ongoing regional conflicts, all of which have deepened their sense of uncertainty about the future.

Researchers also point to the influence of what is known as global media flow, in which the Arab region often becomes more of a consumer of media content than a producer, while international media heavily target youth and children as the region’s largest demographic group.

A Generation Writing the Future of Its Region

Today, Millennials and Gen Z in the Arab world stand between two worlds:

the world of childhood shaped by collective play and direct social interaction, and the world of adulthood dominated by digital isolation and screens.

This contradiction creates a complex mixture of nostalgia for the past and anxiety about the future.

Yet the destiny of this generation cannot be reduced to a single scenario. Some will transform their experience with violence, both real and virtual, into critical awareness and a source of creativity and change. Others may fall into cycles of digital addiction or psychological distress. And many may see migration as the only path toward stability, as studies suggest that one in three young Arabs is considering emigration.

Ultimately, one fact remains certain: the future of the region will be written by this very generation, a generation raised between images of real bloodshed and the simulated wars of digital screens.

The question that will shape the coming decades is this:

Will they succeed in transforming this heavy legacy of violence into wisdom that builds the future, or remain trapped in the image of the world they inherited, a battlefield without end?