Did you know that people who are 18 – 36 years make up the most video game players at 38 percent? And it is worth noting that senior audiences at 65 years old and above still get a piece of the pie at 6 percent?
You are never too young or too old to play. The demographics for gaming are changing and becoming increasingly diverse. Statistics show that there are 2.69 billion gamers worldwide in 2020 and this will rise to 3.07 billion in 2023. And their age can start at as young as six or as old as 70.
This article will talk about the video game surge in 2020, the various types of game platforms, and their audience’s demographics.
2020 Video Game Surge
Enter the COVID-19 effect. Because of lockdowns and the plea to stay at home to avoid transmission, people seek entertainment in the comfort of their homes. As a result, this gave birth to the surge of video games and on-demand subscription services.
There has been a spike in gaming since March 2020. Mobile gaming alone, during that time, recorded a 25 percent spike in Germany, 28 percent in the US, 34 percent in South Korea, and 50 percent in the UK.
These new players joining the gaming family are here to stay. And more than half of them plan to keep on playing mobile games while the whole world is still recovering from the pandemic.
In addition, 65 percent of US women between the age of 10 to 65 are mobile game players. They make up almost half of the players at 49 percent of all mobile gamers.
Various Types of Game Platforms
From mobile gaming to consoles and eSports, we can easily segregate the gaming audience. Like mobile games with an almost 50 – 50 gender demographic, we can also look at the data per genre and gameplay type.
Console Games
Console gamers are the players who play on gaming devices such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Because of the wide range of games available, from Lego Games, Minecraft, Halo, to Grand Theft Auto, it has a diverse group. The age ranges from young children, teens, and young adults to hardcore gamers.
Esports
Esports attract mostly male audiences between 20 to 40 years old.
In fact, it is a means of entertainment and a way to boost their own gameplay. Esports fans usually watch games on Amazon’s Twitch or other streaming platforms. Hardcore fans even join physical eSport events.
Mobile Games – Casual
Mobile gamers who play casual games such as Candy Crush, Angry Birds, and Super Mario Run, for instance, are 50 percent female and 50 percent male. Their ages range from 18 to 35 years old.
These games are easy to pick up and you can play them in quick bursts while standing in line at a grocery store. These types are usually puzzles, restaurant simulations, word games, and city-building games.
Mobile Games – Hyper casual
If you think casual games are already addictive, hypercasual packs more of a punch. Games like these are free to play and are playable by any age. Good examples are Flappy Bird, Adventure Capitalist, Tetris, and Pac Man.
Players who are into hypercasual games do not call themselves gamers. According to statistics3, the fans of this genre are likely female and non-white.
Mobile Games – Mid-core
From casual and hypercasual, let us go to mid-core. These games require more strategy and are geared towards gamers who are into video games. Players do not have as much spare time as they used to. As a result, they lean on these games to provide entertainment.
Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Fortnite, and PUBG, for example, are mid-core games. And male players dominate strategy games at 70 percent. Almost half of them are between the ages of 25 and 44.
PC Games
PC games are for hardcore gamers. But that does not mean women are not into it too. According to the report by Activision Blizzard4, 38 percent of moms play on their PC or laptop on a daily basis.
Cyberpunk, The Sims, and Skyrim, for example, now have women playing the game.
Importance of Video Game Localisation
Localization is a convenient way to make users comfortable. It fully immerses them in and helps them dive deeper into the game. You allow them to transport themselves to the story. This creates a high-quality user experience.
Furthermore, localization lets you tap into other audiences in the market. If you plan to reach the world with your game in English, you will only reach 27 percent of the world. But by localizing your game for different languages and cultures, you will increase your sales, downloads, and stay competitive.
Additionally, China is currently the world’s leader when it comes to gamers with 665 million of them. The US is now holding the second position. China’s gaming market is worth an astounding $40.85B in 2020. This highlights the importance of expanding your game through localization.
Other countries to take note of are Japan, Korea, Germany, UK, France, Canada, Italy, and Spain. Aside from the UK and Canada, the rest of the gamers prefer playing in their native tongue. Using video game localization will further boost your reach.
In Conclusion
Gaming is not just for younger people anymore. The growth of the gaming industry has created a large community with no clear age bracket. So if you still think that an average gamer is a young male in his teens, you better think again.
With gaming reaching more people, you can extend your reach further by using professional video game localization services. Ensure your users from around the world enjoy captivating experience with the support of the industry leader in video game localization, DayTranslations.