The word 'gamer' might make you think of teens in darkened bedrooms. In reality, over 60% of all American gamers are adults, and the average gamer is a 30-year-old with a job and family. But why do we play games beyond childhood? And is the way we play as adults any different?

More brands are creating campaigns with highly dangerous activities taking place outside the realm of legality. Is real-life crime the next frontier for advertising? What is its appeal? And how are society and advertising influencing each other?

Do video games really rot children’s brains? China certainly thought so, leading to a ban on all consoles back in the year 2000. But after 15 years and an inevitable change of attitude, it’s reopening its gates – and its 517 million-strong population of gamers – to the console.

A video shot surreptitiously on a smartphone documents an altercation between a bus driver and an irate young woman. Another offers a window into a high school cafeteria, where dozens of girls rip at each other’s hair, screaming like banshees. What is it that makes violence go viral?