If it seems like everywhere you look a teenager is playing video games, that isn’t too far from the truth.

According to a national study of teenagers released today, 97 percent of teens play video games - on computers, cell phones, gaming consoles or portable players. No surpise that boys (99 percent of them) like to play. But girls also enjoy a little gaming, with 94 percent of them saying they play, according to the “Teens, Video Games, and Civics” study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Among other things, the study found that teens tend to use games as a social outlet, with 75 percent of them playing with friends or others at least part of the time.

“Gaming isn’t taking kids out of the social mix. It is a part of their social lives,” said Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist with Pew.

The study also found that violent games represent the minority of games played. The three most popular genres are racing, puzzles and sports. Action games - including the controverisal Grand Theft Auto series - came in at number four.

I’ll have a story in tomorrow’s Post-Dispatch taking a deeper look at the study and its finding.

But in the meantime, I wonder how this study matches up with your own experiences. And what do you think: Are kids spending too much time with video games?