Following in the footsteps of TV and film, many video game companies have started subscription services, and just more than half (52%) of adult gamers are subscribing, according to a report from Morning Consult.
While these subscription services still have room to grow, they’re doing well with avid gamers – defined by Morning Consult as those who play video games for at least 7 hours in an average week – and younger gamers. About 3 in 5 avid gamers (62%) and Gen Z (62%) gamers subscribe to at least one gaming service, while three-quarters of Millennial gamers subscribe.
Console gamers (74%) are more likely than PC gamers (66%) to subscribe to a gaming service. This is likely due in part to some consoles requiring an affiliated subscription in order to play some games online. Indeed, 7 in 10 Xbox X and S series consoles are connected to Xbox Game Pass.
Fortunately for gaming companies, while additional data from Morning Consult shows that 72% say they game via their mobile phone, the Consumer Technology Association found that more than half of consumers report they have a gaming console. Additionally, 4 in 10 (41% of) gamers use a console, while slightly fewer (37%) use a PC. This share is even higher among avid gamers (53% of whom play on console), gamers ages 18-34 (61%) and gamers ages 35-44 (55%).
Time and Spending on Gaming Increasing
Time with gaming has been growing, jumping 33% year-over-year in 2020, and the average gamer spends 16.5 hours per week with the activity. Gamers are also older than some may expect. While gaming is usually considered a young person’s activity, per Morning Consult, 43% of gamers 18-34 are considered avid gamers while 44% of 35-44-year-old gamers are avid players.
As time with gaming increases, so does spending on video games. More than two-fifths (43%) of avid gamers report spending at least $100 per year on consoles or games, while about 1 in 3 are spending that amount on accessories (32%) or in-game purchases (29%). Even as they invest more in their gaming experience, 70% of gamers say prices on games and consoles need to change.