(Photo by Franziska Krug/game - Verband der deutschen Games-Branche via Getty Images)
Gaming still carries a “young guy” stereotype, but new data shows today’s average gamer is closer to middle age. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a major lobbying group for the gaming industry, has published the results from one of its largest consumer surveys, which found the average age of a gamer is 41 years old.
The survey is somewhat skewed since it only polled gamers aged 16 and older. Nevertheless, the study is quite expansive, surveying 24,216 players across 26 countries in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The respondents also identified themselves as "active gamers," who play video games for at least one hour per week.
The survey also suggests that the average gamer in the US is older; 56% of the respondents in the US classified themselves as 45 years or older. “China is the country with the lowest average player age at 32; Italy has the highest at age 50,” the ESA added.
UPDATE: A spokesperson for the ESA also told PCMag that for the US the survey found the average age of the player to be 49. That said, another survey released in June that looked at players as young as 5 years old found the average age of a gamer in the US to be 36.
It’s not all that surprising, though. Video games boomed in the 1980s and 1990s, when kids had consoles from Nintendo, Sega, and Sony. Those players have since grown up and transitioned to modern devices like the PS5 and Switch 2. At the same time, gaming has become more accessible with free mobile apps, making it easy for anyone to play.
Another interesting finding is how gaming is split fairly evenly between men and women, with 51% of survey respondents identifying themselves as male and 48% as female. The ESA also found: “There are several countries where significantly more women than men play video games, including Brazil (57% to 43%) and South Africa (58% to 41%).”
The survey goes on to highlight how gaming has become a popular form of entertainment, whether for fun, relaxation, or to keep the brain sharp. However, it appears that a majority of gaming is taking place on smartphones; 55% of respondents said they preferred to game on mobile, while 21% picked PC, and another 21% picked console.