CTA: Gamers have diverse tastes, but most play to escape
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More than 9 million Americans have joined the gamers’ ranks since 2019, according to a new report from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). The United States now boasts 164 million gamers — 73% of the population between ages 13 and 64 plays at least one hour a week– and they represent a larger, more diverse market than before.
Gamers’ interests are spread broadly across multiple markets: Console game, PC games, mobile games. They are interested in new technology such as VR, and are investing in new services such as cloud gaming. According to the gamers the CTA surveyed, the vast majority of them play either for escapism or to achieve goals and enjoy competition.
The CTA surveyed 2000 U.S. gamers between the ages of 13-64 earlier this year for its findings. Each qualified respondent reported playing a game at least one hour within the previous three months.
One major finding from the report was that player engagement has gone up. Gamers now average 24 hours weekly, up from 16 hours in 2019. However, if you look at the report, the numbers are fairly evenly distributed. About 25% of gamers (or 40.9 million people) are “hardcore gamers,” meaning they play around 37 hours or more a week. 41% (67.3 million) are “casual gamers” who average around 13 hours. “Core gamers,” who average 29 weekly hours, fall in the middle at 34% (55.6 million).
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Mobile is the primary gaming medium of choice, with consoles
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