Close to 1 in 4 Americans Ages 50+ Plays Video Games Every Day

May 30, 2023

Gaming might be a pastime primarily associated with youth, but their older counterparts are getting some play time in too. Some 45% of American adults ages 50+ played video games at least once a month last year, up slightly from 44% in 2019 and from 38% in 2016, according to a report [pdf] from the AARP.

Among gamers who played with any frequency, some 84% reported playing at least once a month, and 45% every day. This suggests that everyday gamers make up a majority of the 45% who play at least once a month, with a rough calculation putting the everyday gamer at close to one-quarter of the 50+ population.

Women of this age cohort are more frequent gamers than men: 53% surveyed last year played games at least once a month, compared to 47% of men. And among gamers of any frequency, 52% of women reported playing every day, compared to 37% of men.

Among gamers, more say their time spent playing games has increased than decreased since COVID, with an average of 12 hours spent per week during the 6 months prior to the survey, up from 8.5 hours per week in the 2019 edition of the report.

This presents a market opportunity for the video game industry, which is expected to reach $78.1 billion in size by 2026. Some 38% of gamers ages 50+ surveyed last year said they spent money on gaming in the previous 6 months, up from 27% who said the same in 2019. However, the average amount spent on gaming fell from $64 to $49. Still, factoring in the size of the 50+ gamer population, the AARP figures that this demographic could account for $2.5 billion in spending every 6 months.

Other Survey Highlights:

  • Among monthly gamers, 1 in 5 play video games with their children or grandchildren, recalling other research which found that video game playing is popular among grandparents.
  • Some 84% of monthly gamers ages 50+ use a smartphone to play, up from 73% in 2019 and 57% in 2016, and more than one-third (36%) consider their smartphone to be their favorite device for gaming.
  • Puzzle and logic (73%), card and tile (69%) and word (58%) games are easily the most popular genres among gamers ages 50+.
  • The older the respondent, the more likely they are to say that “gaming is good for me as I get older,” and to believe that playing video games benefits them via mental improvement.
  • At the same time, the older the gamer, the more likely they are to feel that they never see people like them reflected in video games, that video games are designed with no thought for people in their age range, and that many video games are too complicated for them to understand.
  • Ads are the chief detractor of enjoyment of games for players ages 50 and older.

About the Data: The results are based on a June-July 2022 survey of 5,953 Americans ages 50+, 3,170 who play games with any frequency.

Chart-Library-Ad-1

Explore More Articles.

Marketing Charts Logo

Stay on the cutting edge of marketing.

Sign up for our free newsletter.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This