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Who is the Modern Gamer?

Who is the Modern Gamer?

As we all probably well know by now, I’m a big fan of “by the numbers” type pieces. I’ve created a few already during my time here at CheatCC, and I’m geared up for another. This time around, it’s all thanks to Dell and Alienware , who have released a “State of Gaming” report. This report included a round-up of all kinds of responses 5,760 different gamers gave to questions related to their favorite industry.

These questions and topics ran quite the gamut, from “who is today’s gamer,” “how diverse is the community,” and “what do gamers do when they’re not playing.” All of these things were looped together under the umbrella of trying to dispel typical gaming myths and tropes. For example, a “sacrifices” category explained that 37% of people are willing to sacrifice sleep in order to fit in their gaming time. Another 27% would sacrifice eating in order to play. A much smaller 18% said they would skip a family birthday party to game. Only 21% said they would skip a friend’s celebration for game time. These are much different numbers than I think many would expect.

Another category from the Alienware/Dell State of Gaming report sought to clear up the idea that gamers do nothing else with their free time. As it turns out, around 40% of gamers in certain countries like staying fit as well as playing games (46% in Brazil, 46% in China, and 41% in India). Another 63% of worldwide gamers said that they love devoting some of their extra time to music (although, these are probably often combined). An additional 50% of gamers said that they love to travel. We shouldn’t believe that the average game player simply sits around in their living room 24/7.

In line with moving away from typical stereotypes, the researcher behind the survey also asked how gamers feel about the label. A lot more people who responded found it a positive moniker, rather than a negative one. 35% find “gamer” a cool title, while only 8-9% consider it a childish or embarrassing name to be called. It makes sense then, that gamers are not afraid of sharing their hobby with others. Around 27% of video game players share their enjoyment with three or four family members and/or friends. Around a quarter of gamers actually share their hobby with five or more people!

One once largely debated topic in gaming, that has now begun to calm down a tad, is gender diversity in the community. Of those surveyed, 52% were male, while the rest were female, which makes for a pretty evenly matched pool. It makes sense that 47% of those that responded said they have a female friend who plays video games. This was broken down even further into categories of having a sister who plays (29%) or a daughter (21%). Most thought that their gaming community was pretty evenly matched, but 25% of teenagers want to make it more welcoming to female gamers.

Who is the Modern Gamer?

Another funny fact that Dell and Alienware included in their research is how gamers feel about being called a noob. Under 6% of the people that answered their questions called themselves a noob. The largest category of responses fell under those who considered themselves casual gamers (40%), with those who think they’re “pretty darn good” just behind (25%).

Those that responded to all of these questions and more were between the ages of 14 and 87, and hailed from 11 different countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, New Zealand, UK, and U.S.). I’ll leave you with one final breakdown that I think we can all relate to: 60% of gamers play to relax, 51% to pass the time, and 49% to relieve stress.

The video game community is constantly evolving, and it’s always fun to check in on things like this every so often. Did any of these facts surprise you? Or does it all seem pretty much to be expected? Let me know in the comments!

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