More women now play video games than men in the UK
- rebeccaphillips-iad
- Nov 17, 2014
- 3 min read
Accessed 17.11.14
'Females account for over half (52%) of people who’ve played some form of video game in the last six months, compared to 49% three years ago. These are the findings of the “Gaming Revolution” study from the Internet Advertising Bureau UK, powered by Populus research.
7 in 10 Britons have played some form of video game in the last 6 months, according to the Populus poll of 4,058 GB individuals aged 8-74. The gamer audience has now reached 33.5 million Britons – 69% of the population.
The study also reveals there are now more people over 44 years old playing games (27% of gamer population) than children and teenagers (22%). Over half (56%) of people aged 45-54 have played a video game in the last six months, as have 44% of 55-64 year olds and even a third (32%) of 65-74s.
The growth in women and older gamers has been driven by free games, primarily mobile apps. Six in ten (61%) games acquired in the last six months were free. Apps are now the most popular video game format (played by 55% of the online population) followed by online games (48%) then disc-based games (40%). Over one in four (27%) people played all three formats – rising to 70% of 8-12 year olds.
Consequently, smartphones are now the most popular device for playing games, cited by 54% of respondents – a quarter of whom play on their phone every day. Then follow computers (51%), consoles (45%) and tablets (44%). The average gamer plays on three different devices.
Steve Chester, Director of Data & Industry Programmes at the IAB, explained the reasons behind this popularity:
“The internet and mobile devices have changed the gaming landscape forever. They’ve brought down the barriers to entry, making gaming far more accessible and opened it up to a whole new audience. In the past you needed to go out and buy an expensive console and the discs on top to get a decent experience, now you can just download a free app.”'
- although female game players have increased and are now the majority in the UK, it is because of the expansion of game formats. As the graph below shows, it is primarily the trivia/word/puzzle genre.
'While “hardcore” gaming is clearly still rooted in its traditional user base (playing games is considered the most entertaining media amongst males aged 16-24), what the study shows is a widening audience who are exploring games through new platforms, thanks to the proliferation of new platforms. The suggestion that a quarter of all gamers are now over 45-years-old may well have interesting ramifications for game design going forward.
But according to the IAB, one of the most interesting discoveries through the 4,000 surveys and 20 in-depth interviews that contributed to the findings, was the immersive nature of the medium. Researchers found that, when UK gamers are playing, they give their full attention.
“We were really surprised by how captivated consumers are by the gaming environment; once they are playing, they are completely ‘in the zone,’” said Chester. “We hear a lot about how everyone is always multi-tasking but the study shows that games are a unique and engaging environment which requires people’s complete and utter focus.”'
Accessed on 17.11.14
- from the increase in accessible platforms it has attracted a much wider audience, the types of games are shown to not be based around strong storylines, however the user is fully immersed in their game regardless.
- if people are being drawn to simple, cheap games, is this an opportunity to lure them into more challenging gameplay? Using mobiles as a gateway to consoles? Or is it the fact the games are mostly free, quick and they can access them anywhere, the only reason they are playing them?
- using a questionnaire I want to research further into the relationship between apps and consoles, is there a bridge? Also, if people like the simplicity of the games, the addictive quality, or would they be interested in bigger stories, drawing from literature and films.
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