Gaming

It’s official! Gaming has gone mainstream. According to Nielsen, 64% of the U.S. population age 13, and above plays video games on some device daily. That popularity is reflected in the videos people watch on YouTube with two of the top five channels with the most subscribers worldwide being gaming-related.

Here are some stats from the Entertainment Software Association's 2021 study:

67% of American adults (aged 18+) are players

76% of U.S. children (under 18) are players

The average video game player is 31 years old

45% of gamers identify as female.

80% of video game players in the U.S. are over 18.

More than half of all gamers (51%) played 7+ hours weekly.

The most popular game genre? Casual games, played by 63% of players, followed by action games (39%) or shooter games (39%).

Odd’s are your guests are video game players, and while current supply chain problems may limit the availability of Nintendo, Playstation, and Xbox devices, there are plenty of other options available in the marketplace to cater to this player segment. At PIA Products, we recently launched a partnership featuring Monster, a leader in audio and gaming accessories. We’ve also recently bolstered our Data East, dreamGEAR, and My Arcade brands to meet the surging demand.

This trend isn’t going away anytime soon. Despite the return to in-person work, school, and other events, gamers have now expanded beyond the traditional “hard-core” narrative, of players who once dedicated 20+ hours a week to their digital console. Mobile phones are now the most popular gaming device with more than 150 million monthly mobile gamers in the US this year, amounting to over 89% of all digital gamers.

Other gaming platforms that serve as a happy medium between convenient mobile gaming technology and more advanced console systems are laptop and PC devices. An October 2021 survey found that 29% of US gamers played video games on a desktop or laptop.

And, there are plenty of gaming devices, accessories, and complimentary items available that can be used as great prize, incentive, and award options, catering to a wide demographic, whether they play "Animal Crossing," "Call of Duty" or "Fortnite."

Gaming has even become a multi generational activity, with more parents playing games with their kids, too. 74% of parents recently said they play video games with their children at least weekly – up from 55% in 2020.

Overall, 227 million Americans say they play video games, so if you’re not serving this segment of the population with your prize, incentive, and award needs, it’s time to power up the product offering.