NEW YORK, May 10 ― Video games are enormously popular in the United States, with 164 million people ― or 65 per cent of adults ― playing regularly, according to a study released yesterday.
The study by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and Ipsos reflects the shifting landscape of modern gaming: 46 per cent of those playing are women, while 60 per cent of the 4,000 people surveyed play on their smartphones.
The median age of gamers is 33, a decrease from 34 in last year’s study and 35 in a study released in 2016.
Adult gamers play with others 63 per cent of the time, spending nearly five hours per week online or three-and-a-half hours against opponents who are physically present.
Three-quarters of Americans have at least one gamer in their household, and 70 per cent of families have a child who plays. In 79 per cent of cases, the person in the household who games is an adult.
From their beginnings in arcades, video games have grown into a lucrative industry in the US, with sales surpassing US$43.4 billion (RM180 billion) in 2018, according to the ESA. ― AFP
