Video Gaming Statistics: From Basements to Maseratis

The year is 2019. A man who plays video games has a net worth of $30 million. No, I don’t mean a professional gamer who competes in tournaments - just a guy who plays video games and makes YouTube videos of himself playing. He’s worth $30 million.

The successes of Pewdiepie - and other YouTube and Twitch gaming celebrities - has surprised many in recent years. While some consider the phenomenon of celebrity gamers ludicrous, others believe it to be the natural continuation of traditional sports superstars. Whichever side you’re on, there’s no denying that video games have become a massively popular - and profitable - industry.

Individual players are not the only ones reaping the profits. Companies that develop games are also raking in considerable amounts of money. In 2018, Epic Games, the company behind the ultra-popular game Fortnite, earned $2.5 billion from that game alone. Video games are also moving away from the PC as the dominant platform, with mobile taking the lead in 2019. The announcement of the new Diablo game on mobile during the last year, which was met by anger from the PC-devoted crowd, is a good signifier of these changes in the market.

To learn more, check out our video gaming statistics below.

Video Gaming Market Statistics

1. The video games market was worth more than $130 billion in 2018 and it is estimated to go over $300 billion by 2025.

(GlobalData)

In the last decade, the video game industry has earned more than Hollywood and the music industry combined. There seems to be no stopping the video game train. According to Global Data’s video gaming statistics for 2025, the video game industry was worth more than $130 billion in 2018 and it is expected to go over $300 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 13%. On the other hand, Statista’s predictions, based on its research from the 2012-2017 period were a bit more conservative - they foresaw a 2019 and 2021 market worth of $123 billion, and $138 billion.

2. The North American mobile-games market will generate $10 billion in revenue in 2019.

(Statista)

According to statistics on video gaming, mobile games seem to be the future of the gaming industry. There are several reasons for this shift. The first is that mobile games are much more accessible and take up less time than PC and console games. This is especially important to older gamers who have jobs and other obligations preventing them from devoting more than an hour or so to daily gaming. Another reason is profits - freemium mobile games, where the base game is free but various boosters and time savers are charged, are the number one driver of revenue in this industry.

3.  In 2018, American consumers spent $5.1 billion on gaming-related items.

(Statista)

The video game industry is inseparably connected to hardware manufacturers and distributors. This is especially true for PC gaming, where new games require more powerful graphics cards and other components in order to run smoothly.

Statista’s video gaming industry statistics reveal that in 2018, US consumers have spent $5.1 billion on gaming-related items. This includes hardware, software and gaming accessories.

4. This year America will overtake China in video game revenue for the first time since 2015, generating $36.9 billion.

(Newzoo)

For the first time since 2015, the United States will overtake China as the number one gaming market in the world by revenue. In the last four years, China has been the leader in video game revenue with its massive gaming population and a specific (and at times completely separate) video game market. Tencent, the biggest game developer in the world is China-based.

However, things are changing. The recent nine-month-long licensing freeze for new video games in China has led to the US taking the leader position. According to online video gaming statistics, the US market is expected to generate $36.9 billion in sales by the end of 2019, with console games being the main force behind this increase in profits, boasting a +13.9% growth rate. China will have about $400 million less than the United States in sales - $36.5 billion.

5. The US video game industry generated a record-breaking $43.4 billion in revenue in 2018.

(Entertainment Software Association)

In 2018, the United States saw a record-breaking amount of revenue generated by the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association is a research and advocacy group for video games in the USA. According to their video gaming industry revenue annual statistics, the US video game industry earned $43.4 billion through sales in 2018, an 18% increase from 2017.

This figure is bigger than the current calculated revenue for 2019, but we should wait until early 2020 to get full financial reports for the whole of 2019.

6. There are over 2.5 billion gamers worldwide.

(Newzoo)

The number of gamers in the world is increasing yearly. However, video games used to be a somewhat marginalized niche, reserved for those often classified as “nerds.” Gaming was not available to everyone as well - hardware and consoles were much harder to obtain and pricier too. Now, with advancements in technology and its accessibility, the advancement of mobile gaming and the deconstruction of the social stigma surrounding gaming, larger chunks of the population enjoy this form of entertainment.

Video gaming statistics from Newzoo show that there are more than 2.5 billion gamers globally in 2019. The total number of gamers is getting closer to a third of the world population. This number is expected to keep rising in the upcoming years.

7. On a regional level, Asia-Pacific generates the most video-game revenue - $72.2 billion in 2019.

(Statista)

Looking at video gaming statistics by region, Asia-Pacific boasts the largest gaming market revenue by far. Statistics of video gaming tell us that this region’s video-game market revenue for 2019 is expected to reach $72.2 billion, almost double the second-largest market - North America. Even with China slowing down, the APAC region will still amount to 47% of the total market.

8. More than half of China’s 600 million gamers play PC games.

(Spire)

According to data presented in Spire Journal’s Gaming in Asia report from 2019, the gaming population of China continues to grow. China currently has 600 million gamers, out of which more than half are PC gamers. By 2021, the number of Chinese mobile gamers is expected to reach 720 million, thanks to an increase in the female gamer population.

9. China’s share of the global gaming market is at 24%.

(Newzoo)

Throughout much of 2018, China had frozen the process of providing licenses for new games, both domestic and foreign. This move came as a result of China’s new regulation policy aimed at preventing gambling and video game addiction, especially with children. This licensing blockade lasted for nine months, up until January of 2019, and has led to reduced Chinese video-market growth. While we could characterize this move as either negative or positive, statistics of video gaming undeniably show that this caused China’s market to slow down.

While this has slowed down the Chinese video game market, it’s still worth $35.4 billion and it makes up 24% of the global market. Furthermore, China is expected to be back in first place as the market with the most generated revenue in 2020.

10. Southeast Asia’s $5 billion PC and mobile games market is expected to grow to $8.3 billion in 2023.

(Niko Partners)

Niko Partners, a renowned market research group, recently published a report on video game industry developments in Southeast Asia. According to their video gaming market industry statistics, this region, which is displaying signs of economic growth in general, is expected to reach $5 billion in PC and mobile game revenue by the end of 2019. In 2023, the total revenue for these two platforms is predicted to reach $8.3 billion.

11. In Greater Southeast Asia, 95% of PC players either play esports games or compete in them.

(Niko Partners)

Esports refer to competitive, multiplayer games that have organized tournaments and leagues. The development of esports also led to the rise of professional video game players, for which gaming has become a job that requires full-time devotion but also brings sponsorships and other perks that traditional athletes enjoy.

The region of Greater Southeast Asia is renowned for a multitude of strong video game teams and players. According to Niko Partners’ stats about video games, 95% of PC gamers in GSA either play or compete in esports games.

12. Predictions say that China will generate a total revenue of 375.8 billion yuan in 2020.

(Statista)

As we already saw, China might have slowed down in video game growth during 2019, but it is expected to get back on track from 2020 onwards. Statista’s online video gaming revenue statistics show that China’s online gaming revenue in 2020 will be 375.8 billion yuan, which translates to $53.286 billion.

Video Gaming Platform Statistics

13. There are currently around 2.2 billion mobile gamers in the world.

(Mediakix)

We previously saw that, according to Newzoo, there are around 2.5 billion gamers in the world. When we compare that number to data concerning the number of mobile gamers, it seems that the overwhelming majority of gamers play on mobile. Video gaming statistics provided by Mediakix show that there are currently 2.2 billion mobile gamers in the world. The number of mobile gamers is expected to rise by 200 million by the end of this year. China is going to be the largest mobile market, followed by the United States and Japan. Globally, mobile game revenues have a 26.7% YOY growth.

14. US mobile-games revenue is expected to reach $10 billion by the end of 2019.

(Statista)

The American mobile games market, the second largest in the world, is in a good spot, following world-growth trends. Internet video gaming statistics 2019  for the US indicate that the US mobile games revenue is expected to reach $10 billion by the end of 2019.

15. There are 203 million mobile gamers in North America.

(Mediakix)

Mobile gaming is a segment of the video game market with the most reach; accessible to all age, income and profession groups. Therefore this stat should not surprise you. Mediakix video game industry stats show that there are 203 million mobile gamers in North America.

16. In the United States, each smartphone has an average of eight games installed.

(App Annie)

App Annie’s mobile gaming industry report discloses interesting statistics on just how much we play mobile games. Drawing from App Annie’s data we see that every smartphone in America has an average of eight games. This should tell you a lot about how much we play mobile games.

17. The global mobile games market will be worth $95.4 billion by 2022.

(Newzoo)

As we now know, the mobile games market amounts to around 45% of the global video game market. But how much is that when we translate it into cold, hard cash? Well, the Newzoo global gaming facts tell us that the global games market is due to reach $196 billion by 2022, where mobile gaming will be worth $95.4 billion.

18. China has approximately 586 million mobile gamers in 2019.

(Niko Partners)

Some might assume that the Chinese market is guaranteed to be the biggest for any market, due to the sheer size of China’s population. While that is an important factor, it’s not the only explanation since countries like India also have huge populations but their markets are not as strong. Video gaming statistics collected by Niko Partners shows that there are 586 million mobile gamers in China, a 22 million jump from 2017. Their numbers are estimated to keep rising and are expected to reach 728 million by 2023.

19. In 2018, China’s mobile gaming market generated $15.63 billion - 25% of the global mobile-game revenue.

(Niko Partners)

With that big of a mobile market, the generated revenues are due to be huge as well. The research group Niko Partners also provided us with data on China’s mobile gaming market revenue. In 2018, it was $15.63 billion, amounting to 25% of the global mobile games revenue.

20. Mobile games take up 10% of the time spent in apps.

(App Annie)

According to research conducted by App Annie, 10% of the time we spend using mobile apps is devoted to mobile games. This might seem low, especially when you consider that app usage has jumped by 50% in the last two years, while the percentage dedicated to games has remained the same. However, it’s important to keep in mind that mobile games compete with massively popular apps like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, which are responsible for the mentioned increase in general app usage.

21. In 2018, 33% of all worldwide mobile downloads were mobile games.

(App Annie)

Mobile gaming is not only taking up a huge chunk of the gaming market but of mobile usage in general as well. Looking at App Annie’s gaming stats, we can see that mobile games make up 33% of all worldwide mobile downloads. That means that every third thing we download on our mobile phones is a mobile game.

22. Around 74% of all consumer spending in the app store is on mobile games.

(App Annie)

Mobile games certainly are generating awe-inspiring amounts of revenue when compared to the global video game market, but they’re also by far the most significant source of revenue in the app market too. App Annie’s gamer statistics indicate that mobile games are responsible for 74% of all consumer spending in the app store.

23. PC is still the preferred platform for developers, as 56% released their last game on this platform.

(Game Developers Conference)

The Game Developers Conference is an annual conference for video game developers during which they share experiences and discuss new developments in the industry. They also publish yearly reports which include data they gathered in surveys among game developers. GDC’s The State of the Game Industry 2019 report shows that game devs still mostly work (and prefer to work) on PC games compared to other platforms. Among those surveyed, 56% of them released their last game on PC.

24. The PC gaming segment is expected to go over $32 billion in revenue during 2019.

(PR Newswire)

While the mobile games might be overtaking the market, PC is still both a fan and developer favorite. Expectations for this fiscal year indicate that PC gaming alone will exceed $32 billion in revenue, amounting to 24% of the global video game market. However, while we might prefer PC games, in 2019 they are effectively the smallest and slowest-growing segment in the video game market.

On PC, browser game revenues will continue to decrease as more gamers switch to mobile games. According to the latest online video gaming industry statistics, in 2019, revenues will decrease by -15.1% year-on-year. Competitive play will continue to drive downloaded/boxed PC games, which will generate $32.2 billion in 2019.

25. Mobile gaming generated $68.5 billion in revenue in 2019.

(Newzoo)

Newzoo’s video game market data confirms what we’re all already witnessing - mobile games are taking over. According to video game facts, in 2019, mobile games earned $68.5 billion in revenue so far, forming 45% of the market. This means that mobile games are the largest segment of the video game industry and it boasts a +10.2% YOY growth rate.

26. Mobile is the preferred platform to game on for 42% of respondents.

(Forbes)

Due to the growth of the gaming population, video games are no longer reserved only for those who can dedicate large amounts of time and money. Now, accessible and casual games are king. Therefore, it is no surprise that mobile is the preferred platform for gaming for a significant amount of gamers.

27. Consoles will be the fastest-growing video game segment in 2019, with a +13.4% YOY growth rate.

(Newzoo)

While mobile is the biggest video game segment, consoles are the segment that’s growing the fastest. Looking at games consoles statistics, in 2019, the console game revenue will reach $47.9 billion, demonstrating a +13.4% YoY growth rate, 3% more than mobile games.

28. In 2018, PC client games generated 27% of the online gaming revenue in China

(Statista)

Statista brings us data concerning the most profitable segments of online gaming in China, one of the world’s biggest markets. According to their stats, 27% of total China’s online gaming revenues come from PC client games. League of Legends is probably the biggest PC client game out there.

Video Game Usage Statistics

29. Gamers spend an average of seven hours a week playing video games.

(Limelight)

People might prefer casual games more but it seems we’re devoting increasing amounts of time to video games as time goes on. Limelight’s The State of Online Gaming report from 2019 shows that we’re spending an average of seven hours and seven minutes each week playing video games. This is a 19.3% increase from 2018.

Of course, since this is the average value, some parts of the gaming population might play significantly less or more. Limelight’s video game player statistics show that 34% play more than seven hours each week, while 19.6% play for more than 12 hours weekly.

30. Downloading is the most popular and common method of obtaining games.

(Limelight)

Gone are the days of buying fancy video game boxes or waiting in line for first-day purchases at your local video game shop. Now, most gamers just prefer to download their games. Physical copies are still available, but people usually buy them for Collector Editions and so on.

According to Limelight‘s video gaming statistics, 64% of gamers choose downloading as their preferred method of obtaining video games in 2019. This figure has grown by 12% from 2018 and is expected to keep growing as time goes on. The developments of new game stores/platforms that compete with Steam, such as the Epic Game store is sure to strengthen this trend.

31. Casual single-player games are the most popular video game genre.

(Limelight)

Filthy Casuals. Casual games are now the most popular genre of video games. The reasons for this are self-evident - not everyone can devote 10+ hours per week to playing a long single-player RPG or an MMO. Furthermore, casual games, which are played on smartphones, are more popular as they can be played anytime, anywhere. Limelight conducted a survey on the preferred genre of games (based on a 0-4 mark system for respondents). The results show that casual games like Candy Crush and Angry Birds are the most popular ones in 2019.

32. 56.6% of players consider themselves to be casual gamers.

(Limelight)

Limelight also published data on how gamers perceive themselves in relation to their devotion to gaming. Among those surveyed, 56.6% thought of themselves as casual gamers. About 22.2% marked themselves as novice gamers, 17.8% as experts and 3.5% consider themselves to be aspiring professionals.

Furthermore, older gamers mostly tend to consider themselves casual gamers. Among gamers older than 60, only 5.6% think of themselves as experts. The situation is completely opposite for younger generations, with 6.3% of those aged 18-25 considering themselves to be aspiring professionals.

33. If they could sustain themselves through professional gaming, 36% of respondents would quit their jobs and switch over to that profession.

(Limelight)

As is natural, people are allured and inspired by success stories from famous esports athletes. Doing what you like and earning huge amounts of money and sponsorships in the process? Who wouldn't want that? Limelight reveals that 36% of gamers would quit their jobs and become pro gamers if they could earn enough money to support themselves.

Video Game Popularity Statistics

34. In 2018, Fortnite earned more in yearly revenue than any other video game in history - $2.5 billion.

(SuperData)

Fortnite, a battle royale game developed by Epic Games, is one of the most popular and profitable games in the world. Fortnite is free to play but features microtransactions (in-game purchases) for skins and other cosmetic items. According to statistics for video gaming, in 2018, Fortnite earned the most annual revenue for any video game in history. During that year, Fortnite generated $2.4 billion. Following Fortnite,  Dungeon Fighter Online earned $1.5 billion, and League of Legends brought in $1.4 billion.

35. In the United States, 41% of gamers have heard about Activision Blizzard.

(Statista)

One of the metrics that could provide insight into how much gaming has become a part of our everyday lives is gaming brand recognition. In a survey conducted among gamers in the US. The results of this survey from 2016 show that 41% of respondents knew about Activision Blizzard (the company behind some of the most popular video games like World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Starcraft) and 18% of them had heard about Bethesda (developers of the Fallout franchise.)

36. Action and shooter games were the most popular video game genres in the United States in 2018.

(Statista)

Statista’s global video gaming industry statistics, show that in 2018, the most popular video game genres in America were action and shooter games. Looking at the distribution of video game sales, action games made up 26.9% of sales, while shooter games formed 20.9%.

37. In 2016, 75,000 articles mentioned the video game Overwatch.

(Statista)

Overwatch, Blizzard’s addition to the competitive shooter market from 2016, took the world by storm. The company had no previous experience in shooter games, but in the year that Overwatch was released its popularity was evident in the 75,000 articles that mentioned the game.

38. According to Metacritic scores, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the best video game ever.

(Metacritic)

Metacritic is an extremely popular website that gathers and publishes both user and critic video games, music and movie reviews. When we look at their top list of video games of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time holds the first place, well-above the competition. This game was released on Nintendo, back in 1998 and it is widely regarded as one of the best games ever. Ocarina of TIme currently boasts a 99/100 critic score review and 9.1 in user reviews on Metacritic.

39. 52% of core PC gamers in China are playing PUBG.

(Newzoo)

PUBG (Player Unknown Battlegrounds) is one of the biggest games in the booming battle-royale genre and it is among the most played games in the world. Although Fortnite is the leader in the battle-royale market, PUBG is dominant in China. According to Newzoo, PUBG is widely popular among core gamers in China - gamers who are more devoted than casuals, but play less than hardcore gamers.

40.  34% of Steam sales revenue was attributed to North America in 2017.

(Statista)

North American customers seem to be responsible for the bulk of Steam sales revenue. According to Statista’s North American video gaming statistics from 2017, players from the North American region were behind 34% of Steam’s total revenue, with Western Europe (29%) and Asia (17%) being the other two regions that form the largest chunks of revenue. This region ranking is to be expected since people from North America and Western Europe, as video gaming statistics for Europe show, have the most buying power in general.

41. With more than 3.2 million all-time players, PUBG is the most popular game on Steam by all metrics.

(GitHyp)

The aforementioned battle-royale heavy-weight fighter, PUBG, is by far the most successful and popular game on Steam. According to GitHyp’s Steam statistics, an online platform that gathers player and viewer statistics from Steam and Twitch, PUBG has the most concurrent and total players both currently and throughout Steam’s history. Currently, PUBG has around 375,000 players. Statistics on video games indicate that the all-time player number peak for this game is more than 3.2 million, and the average daily top amount of players is around 1.28 million.

The other two most popular games on Steam are Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, with both games having around 290,000 active players currently.

42. The game with the most copies sold in 2018 is Red Dead Redemption 2.

(VGChartz)

VGChartz provides global and regional video game sales statistics, as well as user and critic reviews, for video games across all platforms. Rockstar’s western-themed game, Red Dead Redemption 2, completely dominated the charts in 2018, selling almost 14 million copies on PS4 alone. On Xbox One, a significantly less popular console, it sold over 5 million units. Red Dead Redemption 2 came out on PC this year, and we’re yet to see statistics for how successful it was.

43. With over 30 million copies sold, Minecraft is the second best-selling PC game in the world.

(InQuiror)

Minecraft is an immensely popular PC game that garnered a huge fandom, especially on Youtube, as people often make videos showing off what they’ve built inside the Minecraft world. When we look at the video gaming revenue statistics of best-selling PC games ever, Minecraft holds second place, right behind the Steam champion PUBG. This game, released in 2011, sold over 30 million copies by 2018.

44. With 33 million active players, League of Legends is currently the most popular core PC game in the world.

(Newzoo)

Core PC games are basically PC exclusives, games that are only released on that platform and are unavailable on consoles. Newzoo compiled a list of the most popular core PC games worldwide in 2019. According to the data they presented, League of Legends sits comfortably in first place with 33 million active players as of September 2019. The next two most-popular core PC games are Counter-Strike: GO and Rainbow Six: Siege.

45. Twitch is experiencing a slight uptick in gaming hours watched after a brief decline last quarter.

(Newzoo)

There’s a war brewing among gaming streaming platforms. Twitch, one of the most popular gaming sites for streaming, is the current market leader. However, a new challenger, Mixer, is trying to take a slice of the pie. Mixer has recently signed Ninja to switch over to their platform for a multi-million-dollar figure he will receive yearly.

As a result of Ninja switching platforms, Twitch has experienced a decrease in total gaming time viewed by customers. In the second quarter of this year, Twitch had a 10% decline resulting in 89.6 million hours of view time. During the third quarter, that number is at 87.3 million but is slowly climbing back.

46. The average amount of viewers per Twitch channel is 28.2.

(Newzoo)

Twitch is sorted into channels that represent either individual streamers or organizations. Twitch statistics gathered by Newzoo show that the average number of viewers per channel is on an increase. In the third quarter of 2019, the average number of viewers per channel was 28.2, a 14% increase since Q1 and a 3.6% increase from Q2.

Video Game Demographics Statistics

47. Consumer spending on games will grow to $190 billion by 2022, a CAGR of +9.0% between 2018 and 2022.

(Newzoo)

According to Newzoo, consumer spending for the global video games market is expected to grow to $196 billion by 2020, demonstrating a CAGR of +9% for the 2018-2022 segment.

48. The average age of the most frequent game purchaser is 36.

(Entertainment Software Association)

The average age of the most frequent video game purchaser is higher than you might expect. While many presume that most gamers are young kids who steal their parent’s credit cards for purchases, it’s actually older people that buy video games the most. According to facts about video games provided by the ESA, the average age of most frequent game purchasers, across all platforms, is 36. When we look at the platforms individually, the average age is 38 for PC, 37 for smartphones, and 33 for consoles.

49. 60% of Americans play video games daily.

(Entertainment Software Association)

Video games are hugely popular in the United States. Drawing from data provided by ESA we can see just how many Americans play video games on a daily basis - over half of the US population. In fact, there are more than 164 million adults that are gamers in the United States.

50. 60% of American adult gamers play on their smartphones.

(Entertainment Software Association)

The dominance of mobile as the go-to platform for gaming is also present in the United States. ESA’s research shows that 60% of adult gamers in America use smartphones for gaming. As for PC, 52% of all adult gamers play on that platform and 49% use consoles.

51.  79% of gamers believe that games provide mental stimulation.

(Entertainment Software Association)

There’s an ongoing public debate concerning the effect video games have on people, especially on the younger generations. While these debates have been going on for more than a decade and were somewhat forgotten, they’ve resurged recently, usually when a young person commits a violent crime. After such unfortunate events, various shocking statistics about the dangers of video gaming are then quoted by those opposing the video game phenomenon.

However, gamers, themselves, think of video games as having a positive effect on them. ESA’s positive effects of video games statistics indicate that 79% of US-gamers believe games provide mental stimulation.

52. 56% of gamers are male, 46% are female.

(Entertainment Software Association)

When we look at the gender statistics for video gaming provided by ESA, we see that 56% of American gamers are male while 46% are female. As noted in one of the previous stats, women are dominant in mobile gaming, which is currently the largest video gaming sector.

53.  52% of gamers play after work.

(Entertainment Software Association)

ESA also conducted research on the time of day that most gamers play. The video gaming statistics by gender show that 52% of gamers play after work. Other frequent periods for playing games are: while waiting for appointments (31%) and during school and work breaks (27%).

54. 57% of parents play games with their children on a weekly basis.

(Entertainment Software Association)

With the normalization of gaming as an everyday activity, for both the young and the old, it has become an accepted part of many children’s home-life. As a result, increasing amounts of parents are starting to play video games with their children. According to ESEA’s survey, 57% of parents play games with their children on a weekly basis.

55.  For 66% of respondents, price is one of the main factors when purchasing a video game.

(Entertainment Software Association)

New video gaming statistics show that financial circumstances are still a major factor when purchasing video games. When we look at the top reasons for buying a video game, 66% of respondents said that price was one of the most important things to consider. Other reasons were quality of graphics (63%) and an interesting story (57%).

56. The 18-24 age group has the most gamers in it.

(Earnest)

According to ESA’s average age of gamers data, the average age of a video game purchaser is 36. But, most purchases occur among the youngest age group of 18-24. In this group, 16% of those surveyed have made video game purchases, as Earnest reports.

57. People with advanced degrees are less likely to be gamers than those with lesser academic achievements.

(Earnest)

According to video gaming stats provided by Earnest, video game purchasers are most represented among those with high-school diplomas. Before we delve into this particular stat, it might be important to note that Earnest gathers its data from applications for student loan refinancing.

Data analyzed by Earnest shows that people with high-school diplomas were most likely to make a video game purchase - 18.5% of them. The other two most frequent buyers according to education are people with Associate (16.9%) and Bachelor’s (14.7%) degrees. People with advanced degrees are much less likely to purchase games. Among advanced degrees, people with a Ph.D. are the most likely to make a game-related purchase (11.6%).

58. In the United States, differences in income don’t affect gaming habits too much, except for those that are earning more than $90k per year.

(Earnest)

Across all income groups, from below $42k per year to $90k per year, the statistics are pretty much the same concerning video game purchasing. The only minor drop can be noticed among those who earn more than $90k per year, where the amount of people that purchase games falls from 12% to 9%. This can probably be connected to video gaming industry age statistics as well since those that earn that much are probably further into their careers.

59. Around 15% of men consider themselves gamers, compared to 6% of women.

(Pew Research Center)

While the term “gamer” has been normalized and lost some of its social stigma, it still holds some negative connotation, especially after events like Gamergate and other problems video gaming culture statistics point to. Therefore, this can be one of the reasons why people might be reluctant to call themselves gamers. Data provided by Pew Research shows that 15% of men stated that the term “gamer” describes them, compared to only 6% of women.