We’ve always thought that the typical profile of an avid gamer is usually an adolescent male in his teens, commonly ranging from 18 to 25 years old, hooked to his PC, game console, or smartphone with his eyes incessantly glued to the screen all day long. That’s the kind of picture we’re made to believe, but does it still ring true to this day and age?
The massive shift of gaming to deliver convenience, usability, and portability in a small package undeniably gave rise to the extensive use of mobile devices as a new means to offer a more accessible gaming experience. In turn, it piqued the interest of a more diverse market, particularly, also because smartphones are more affordable and easily accessible compared to other devices such as PCs, laptops, and gaming consoles.
Today, as we dig deeper into the gaming statistics, decoding the actual profile of an average gamer, you’d find out that contrary to popular belief, the gaming arena is no longer a sphere solely dedicated to men. In fact, you might even be surprised to learn that a number of stereotypes about gamers are not actually true.
Now, to help us on our journey to unravelling the real profile of average gamers, one of the leading global news media today, GamingScan, will help us with the gaming stats, and it will serve as our main point of reference.
Gaming Stats: Who Is Average Gamer?
Age
Take a guess, how old do you think an average gamer in the world today is?
If your answer is anywhere between 20-30, you guessed it wrong! According to statistics, the average gamer is 34 years old. Despite being in their 30s, this group can actually be considered the first wave of millennials. If we trace it back to the year the 1980s to the early 2000s, this is actually the period where PC gaming began its rise in popularity. In addition, it was also the same time frame that Nintendo released its first console, the Sega Genesis. And the years that followed are regarded as the period of “console wars”. So basically, these 34-year-olds are the kids whose childhood revolved around the early days of video games. That makes sense, right?
Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that our younger generation is not as captivated as we were back in the day, but safe to say that they just have much wider options nowadays. Anyway, thanks to the advancements in modern technology and the creativity and ingenuity of game developers, now more games can cater to a wider audience. With casual games like Candy Crush, Homescapes, and Tetris, the older age group can have a taste of modern forms of leisure and entertainment at their fingertips. From the data gathered in 2019, 18-35 years old comprise 29.55% of the gaming populace, 25% are under 18, 18% are in the 36-49 years old range and a good 27.27% are aged 50 and above.
Gender
When it comes to gender, we know that the video game realm is a male-dominated space, but a lot of that has changed over the years, which is truly remarkable. Adult women now represent 33% of the video game-playing population, which is almost double the population of boys under 18 (17%). In total, there are 46% of female gamers worldwide majority of them, are aged 34.
Education Level
The recent figures from GamingScan suggest that 52% of gamers have finished college education. When digesting that information, you should also take into consideration that the whole gaming population is also composed of non-working groups such as retirees and students. You can refer to the statistics we’ve mentioned earlier and you’ll see that that rate is actually pretty high.
Nevertheless, other surveys show that as individuals go through more advanced courses such as MBA, J.D., Ph.D., etc., they show waning interest in gaming activities.
Commonly Played Genres
The most commonly played video game genres are casual, action, and shooter games. Younger players prefer to play educational puzzles but eventually switch to action, adventure, and strategy games once they’re over 18. Male millennials usually go for action, shooter, and sports games like God of War, Madden NFL, and Fortnite. On the other hand, their female counterparts would prefer casual and action games such as Candy Crush, Assassin’s Creed, and Tomb Raider. But as players age, you’ll notice that their game choices shift to casual ones like puzzles, arcades, card games, and virtual board games.
Other Gaming Stats
- Global video game revenue in 2020 reached $159.3 billion.
- The number of active gamers worldwide is estimated to be over 2.9 billion.
- Mobile gaming is the largest gaming segment, accounting for over 50% of the global gaming market.
- The United States, China, and Japan are the largest gaming markets in revenue.
- Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) gaming are emerging technologies with significant growth potential in the gaming industry.
Conclusion
After analysing these gaming stats, it’s fascinating to know how the video game industry has evolved throughout the years and how it has massively affected our daily lives. Video games have certainly transitioned from a mere form of entertainment for kids to a widely loved source of leisure and amusement that can be enjoyed by people across all age groups.
