Players of violent video games claim that they recognise the difference between brutality meted out on screen and violence in real life and play mostly to escape the humdrum, according to a new study.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), the body responsible for rating new releases, commissioned the research in response to public concern over violent games.

Interviews with gamers, parents and industry figures revealed that players often revel in violent scenarios and find killing a character in a game more exciting than passively watching a character being killed in a film.

Young boys report that they become addicted to games that they will play from the moment they wake.

But gamers told researchers that they rejected the suggestion that playing games makes them violent in real-life or desensitises them to the impact of real scenes of violence.

Politicians and parents have called for a crackdown on gore-filled games such as Manhunt, which was linked to the violent death of Stefan Pakeerah, 14, in 2004, who was beaten to death with a hammer by a friend said to be obsessed with the game.

Regular players of games including Manhunt and the hit Grand Theft Auto series, ranging from children to the middle aged, were questioned for the survey. Its findings will inform changes to the BBFC licensing regime.

The survey found that “much of the tension and excitement and progression” in the most popular games is “dependent on violence”. Some players, almost entirely boys, “like the fact that they are inflicting the violence” and prefer the sensation to passively watching a violent film.

However, gamers claimed that advancing in the game was more important than violence. “Most gamers see eliminating enemies as another step in the game rather than something to savour for itself,” the report said.

Acting out scenes of garroting and murder is an “exhilarating” escape from ordinary life, the gamers reported. But some adult gamers said that they felt uncomfortable over vivid slayings involving blood.

Some gamers aged under 15 said that they found violence in games rated for over18s “upsetting”, and a few said that they had suffered nightmares after playing.

But the survey said that gamers reported “no evidence in themselves or their friends that theyhave become more violent in real life”.

One player said: “I know it’s not real. The emphasis is on achievement.”

While parents agree that there should be age-appropriate labelling, some said that they were happy to give their children titles rated 18 or over because they were “only games” and kept children “off the streets”.

Young players admitted that they played for hours on end, often beginning as soon as they wake up. They recognised signs of addictive behaviour and said “peer pressure” led them to play games flagged up as violent by the media.

David Cooke, director of the BBFC, said the research showed that most players recognised that the adversaries they killed in games were not real.

Mr Cooke said: “This firm grasp on reality seems to extend to younger players, but this is no reason to allow them access to adult-rated games.”

Final score

— Grand Theft Auto

BBFC report: “The sex clearly makes a contribution to the exhilarating sense of trashing the tedious constraints of everyday life”

Player view: “So much violence . . . you can become a pimp and collect prostitutes and you can have sex with one in a car”

— Manhunt

BBFC report: “Some gamers see Manhunt as exceptional in the amount and vividness of its violence. However, those who get into the game play often respect it as a brilliant game despite its violence ”

Player view: “You really were sticking an axe in someone and taking a couple of chops to their neck until their head fell off. I was quite addicted to it”

— World of Warcraft

BBFC report: “It appears to be online games like World of Warcraft that are most ‘addictive’ and which have the most potential to distort personal priorities with unhappy results”