In 2023, women accounted for 46 percent of gamers in the United States, down from 48 percent of U.S. gamers identifying as women during the previous year.

What percentage gamers are female? Almost half of gaming audiences in the United States are female. This development has been ongoing for years, and whereas women are under-represented in games media and the industry, they make up a sizable chunk of gamers and spending power. There are some differences in terms of genre preferences but as a whole, female gaming audiences in the United States are just as engaged as their male counterparts.

Video gaming is a popular way for gamers to connect with friends and family and many gamers have formed relationships through video games. During an October 2023 survey, 82 percent of responding gamers in the United States agreed that playing games can introduce people to new friends.

In 2024, about 34 percent of gamers in the United States were highly engaged super gamers who played video games as their primary source of entertainment. Avid gamers (those who played video games as one of a few equivalent sources of entertainment) accounted for the biggest share of gaming audiences in the United States.

A survey conducted in the third quarter of 2024 found that over 92 percent of female internet users aged 16 to 24 years worldwide played video games on any kind of device. During the survey period, 93 percent of male respondents in the same age group stated that they played video games. Worldwide, over 83 percent of internet users were gamers.

As of June 2024, 21 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 to 29 years spent six to ten hours per week playing video games. Overall, respondents from this age group were also more likely than others to be heavy gamers - a total of eight percent played video games more than 20 hours in an average week. In total, weekly gaming usage was more likely among younger adults in the United States.

Video gaming is no longer a hobby exclusively enjoyed by the young. As generations have grown up with video games a normal part of life, the age of the average gamer also increases. During a 2023 survey, 25 percent of video game players still come from the 27 to 42 years age demographic, and 19 percent are 59 years and older. Time spent gaming In 2023, Americans aged between 15 to 19 years spent 98.4 minutes on gaming or leisurely computer use during an average day. The age demographic which devoted the least amount of time to gaming was the 55 to 64 years category. Members of this age demographic spent an average of just 17.4 minutes playing on the computer during an average day.

According to a survey between September and October 2023, more than eight in ten teens in the United States played video games. A total of 90 percent of teens aged 13 to 14 years reported to playing video games, while only 81 percent of teens aged 15 to 17 years reported the same.

A March 2024 survey found that three in ten adults in the United States who were aware of user-generated virtual content for video games had also used a service or platform to create such content themselves. About 45 percent of the respondents aged 35 to 54 stated having done so.

According to a survey conducted in March 2024, 76 percent of adults in the United States played video games on at least one platform. In comparison, 24 percent of U.S. adults did not play video games at all.

In 2020, low-end Games-as-a-Service (GaaS) PC gaming had the biggest audience, reaching nearly 1.7 million users during the the period. The second-largest PC gaming category based on audience size was premium GaaS with about 359.6 million users. The Games-as-a-Service (GaaS) business model refers to live service games that are continuously monetized post-purchase via in-game features such as premium passes, extra online content, and special gaming modes in order to encourage players to keep playing. For example, live services accounted for the majority of video game publisher Electric Arts' quarterly net bookings.

In total, there were 1.75 billion PC gamers worldwide in 2020.

According to a survey conducted in Great Britain between May 2023 and May 2024, online shops were the most popular source for both mobile and PC or console gamers to find about new games. Overall, 43 percent of mobile gamers and 44 percent of PC/console gamers were using this channel to find games. Consulting friends was the second most popular way of finding new games, while the same share of mobile and PC/console gamers referred to gaming personalities for this purpose.

In the fiscal year ending March 2024, gaming and entertainment company Square Enix generated approximately 20.19 million gaming unit sales via download. Packaged (disc) games only amounted to 6.13 million unit sales. This result highlights the trend of digital gaming downloads now also outperforming packaged gaming sales in the console segment.

As of June 2024, 28 percent of video gamers in the United States were aged 30 to 39 years, making this age group the biggest gamer demographic. Additionally, 24 percent of U.S. gaming audiences were aged 20 to 29 years.

Video gaming is no longer just a hobby of teenagers - thanks to developments in gaming technology and the accessibility of many games, the activity has become very popular among both genders and young and old alike. During a June 2021 survey in the United States, 89 percent of respondents stated that they had made friends through playing video games.

A 2023 survey of global gaming studios found that cross-platform gaming was the most relevant industry trend, with almost eight in ten respondents stating that multiplayer games needed cross-platform support.

General video gaming use among the U.S. population increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between May and December 2020, U.S. teens aged 15 to 19 years spent an average 112.8 daily minutes on playing games and using computers for leisure, up from 73.8 minutes per day in the corresponding period of 2019. In 2023, the daily time spent on such activities among this age group decreased to 98.4 minutes per day.

A July 2022 survey of U.S. gamers aged 50-plus found that puzzle and logic games were the most popular video game genre among respondents in that age bracket. Card and tile games ranked second, with 69 percent of respondents stating that they typically played video games like that.

According to a survey by the Media Activity Guide, people in Germany spend around 37 minutes a day playing video games. This was a slight decrease compared to the previous year. 2021 saw a spike in game playing, probably because people were spending more time inside and alone due to the lockdowns. Video game market The worldwide gaming market is currently valued at around 455.27 billion U.S. dollars and is predicted to continue to grow by over 200 billion U.S. dollars by 2029. In Germany, the gaming market saw some rapid growth from 2016 to 2021, with revenue tripling, and although the increase has slowed in the last few years, it is still going up. This increase is probably due to the fact that it is now easier than ever to play video games because they can be played not just on consoles, but also on smartphones and PCs. Playing on a smartphone was how most Germans preferred to play video games in 2024, however, not all games can be played on all devices, so sometimes a more traditional gaming console is still needed if gamers want to play certain games. Gamers in Germany Although the stereotype suggests that teenagers are the demographic most interested in gaming, figures confirm that it is people aged 30 to 39 and 50 to 59 who are the biggest gamers. But what are gamers playing? The most popular games include EA Sports FC 2024, Hogwarts Legacy, based on the Harry Potter series, and Diablo IV.

As of June 2024, 27 percent of adults in the United States spent one to five hours per week playing video games. A further 10 percent of respondents stated that they spent 11 to 15 hours on video gaming in an average week. Overall, 19 percent of respondents were non-gamers and did not spend any time on video games.

A September to November 2024 survey of UK adults aged 16 years and older found that 85 percent of respondents aged between 16 and 24 years played video games, down from a 92 percent gaming penetration among the same age group in 2020. Overall, gaming uptake increased in 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Video games industry in the UK In 2023, consumers in the United Kingdom spent over 3.16 billion British pounds on digital and online games. In regard to the annual contribution of the video games industry to the UK Gross Domestic Product, it amounted to 3.68 billion British pounds in 2023. Mobile games The popularity of mobile gaming increased over the last decade and overtook games consoles and TV for the first time in 2014. As of 2024, approximately 34 percent of UK adults reported playing games on their mobile phone, the highest rate ever reported. The most downloaded gaming apps in the UK include puzzle and casual titles such as Supermarket Simulator and Block Blast.