In 2023, nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population was playing games. What was once a niche hobby years ago is now rivaling or even surpassing music, TV, movies, and sports as a favorite hobby. But while gaming discussions and communities frequently focus on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and PC gaming, there’s a major group we sometimes overlook: the nearly one-third of gamers who exclusively play on mobile.
The ESA has released its annual Essential Facts Report in partnership with YouGov, which conducted a survey of 5,000 total respondants in the U.S. in 2023. 4,000 of those who participated are a mixture of kids, teens, and adults who spend at least one hour per week gaming, while the remaining 1,000 were adults who either don’t play games, or play for less than one hour a week. Through the study, the ESA found that 61% of the U.S. population is actively gaming, amounting to roughly 190 million active players between the ages of five and 90.
If you follow the Essential Facts reports year after year, you might notice this number is actually lower than last year – when the ESA reported 65% of Americans were playing games. But it’s not necessarily true that the total number of gamers in the U.S. has gone down. This year’s Essential Facts Report, for the first time ever, includes data from children, with individuals as young as eight completing the survey under parental supervision and adult respondants answering questions about household gaming on behalf of children as young as five. As a result, the survey has a larger and broader sample size, and it makes sense that fewer children that young would be gaming regularly in comparison to older children and adults.
But the addition of children to the survey data also brings about another interesting shift: the percentage of gamers exclusively playing on mobile. In previous years, that number was 12% – but this year’s survey has 31%, or nearly one-third, or gamers playing exclusively on mobile. What’s more, nearly 78% of gamers play on mobile at all, compared to 64% last year. Again, it’s not that mobile usage has shot up that much (though it’s likely risen some), but the addition of data from younger players likely revealed the extent of mobile usage.
The Essential Facts Report has a number of other interesting findings. The gender split among gamers remains roughly equal, with men making up 53% of active players and women making up 46%. By age group, 79% of generation alpha are gaming at least one hour a week, compared to 76% of gen-Z, 65% of millennials, 53% of gen-X, and 47% of boomers. Puzzle games are the most popular game genre overall, though they’re largely played by older players while younger folks enjoy action, arcade, and shooter games.
Among those who play them, video games rank in the top-three favorite forms of entertainment, alongside listening to music and watching TV. They’re more popular than reading, hanging out with friends in person, or watching sports. Generally, respondants said they play games either to relax or to have fun, though younger players more frequently reported playing for social or competitive reasons. And finally, 80% of people who play games said they intend to vote in the 2024 election.
You can read the full Essential Facts Report right here.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
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