As computer games are becoming more widespread, there is a tendency for young people to spend a growing amount of time playing games. The first part of this paper will deal with various types of computer games and their characteristic features. In the second part we show the results of our recent surveys. We examined the motivations of young people who sit in front of a computer spending a substantial part of their free time playing computer games. We also studied the psychological characteristics of people interested in certain computer games and the main characteristics of the games that motivate the young people. The survey was based on a questionnaire, completed by nearly 1000 young people interested in video games. In a second survey we received replies from children aged 10- to 14-years and the results show that there are significant differences regarding motivation between younger and older players. There was also an effect of gender differences. Research shows that young children are more involved in games than older children.