There’s a stereotype that the only people who play videogames are adolescent boys, but that is far from the truth video gaming is no longer a hobby exclusively enjoyed by the young. As generations have grown up with video games being a normal part of life, the age of the average gamer has also increased.
As the above demographic portrays, the younger age demographic of 16-24 accounted for just 14% of gamers. With the middle-aged demographic 25-34 accounting for the most gamers at 30%. The 35-44-year-old group constituted 24% of gamers and astonishingly! A huge part of gamers were 45 to 64-year-olds accounting for 32% of all gamers!
These demographics reiterate our previous point that the average age of gamers has increased.
15 to 19 years spent 49 minutes gaming during an average weekday, and more than 90 minutes doing so during weekends or holidays. The age group which devoted the least amount of time to gaming was the 45 to 54 years category. Members of this age group spent an average of just 10 minutes playing on the computer during the week and only 22 minutes during weekends and holidays. 11.6 percent of respondents in the U.S. admitted to playing video games for more than 20 hours a week, while another 11.4 percent claimed to spend between 12 and 20 hours a week gaming.
As gaming has become more acceptable by society as an educational tool, the number of gamers under 18 has increased. The trick with young gamers is that the game needs to be interesting for the child while also appealing to the parents.
The average age of the gamer of today is around 35. There’s been ample discussion around how men and women game differently, but there hasn’t been much discourse on the changes in people’s gaming habits as they age. Some surveys suggest age as the biggest factor in difference in gaming tastes and motivations, especially when it comes to competition. Younger gamers prefer competition while older gamers’ interest in it seems to taper off at around 40.
A most stable genre across both gender and age is strategy. That’s one of the main reasons games like Starcraft II are so popular among people of all ages. As it offers a deep strategy and a player-vs-player aspect that attracts the younger crowd looking for competition.
Older gamers tend to decrease the time spent on games due to increased responsibilities and other hobbies. The vast majority of them continue to play games in some form or another. Interestingly, MMOs seem to be a popular genre for many older gamers as they allow for many different play styles.
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