American Adults Are Spending Big On Video Games And The Top Platform May Surprise You
The video game industry is absolutely massive and is outpacing even Hollywood when it comes to generating money. The video game industry racked up $43.4 billion in revenue in 2018 and it may surprise you to learn that the average gamer in the U.S. isn't a teen. The average gamer is 33 years old and plays mostly on their smartphone according to research from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). Not only is the average U.S. gamer playing mainly on a smartphone, but they are also spending significantly on content with spending up 20% compared to a year ago and up 85% from 2015.
The $43.4 billion spent on video games in 2018 was mostly on content rather than hardware and accessories. Statistics show that nearly 65% of U.S. adults, over 164 million people, are playing games. The most popular genre of games are casual titles with 60% of players using their smartphone to play. However, about half also play games on computers and consoles.
The ESA study showed that 87% of parents require kids to ask permission to purchase a new game. The study also showed that parents are limiting screen time for their kids and are using video game ratings to screen content. The data shows that 46% of all gamers are female, but they prefer different sorts of games than men.
Female gamers between 18 and 34 years prefer "Candy Crush," "Assassin's Creed," and "Tomb Raider" and most often play on smartphones. Male gamers in the same demographic play mostly on consoles and prefer games like "God of War," "Madden NFL," and "Fortnite." Gen Xers in the 40 to 54-year-old preferred games like "Tetris," "Pac-Man," "Call of Duty," "Forza" and "NBA 2K." The report also showed a key statistic that goes against popular thought processes -- gamers are no more prone than other Americans to live isolated and sedentary lives.
