Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has shared a study that refreshes and updates the content of its November 2019 report on the US game industry. According to the report, 73% of US adolescents and adults are active gamers, which accounts for 164 million people out of the 224 million in total.
Related: GlobalData reports mobile will generate over half of a $470 billion game industry by 2030
In the last three years, 9 million people aged between 13 to 64 joined the ranks, and the number of gamers has increased by 3% in the US. The study also divided gamers into three categories based on their activity rate and determined that an average gamer spends an entire day (24 hours) every week playing video games. The categorization is as follows:
- 40.9 million hardcore gamers (with an average of 37 hours weekly)
- 55.6 million core gamers (with an average of 29 hours weekly)
- 67.3 million casual gamers (with an average of 13 hours weekly)
The study mentions an update about the rivalry between digital stores versus mass retailers and specialty gaming stores as well. Digital stores are ahead in the market with 55%, while mass retail clocks in at 40%, and specialty gaming stores at 38%.
According to the shared data, 69% of gamers have spent money on games in the last six months. Hardcore, AR/VR, and metaverse gamers spend yearly averages of $577, $626, and $593, respectively, while core gamers spend $426.
CTA Researcher Steven Hummel commented on the new study with these sentences:
“Accessible and immersive experiences are the future of entertainment, especially in gaming. Gamers are on the cutting edge, and diverse gaming options meet the interests of ever-wider audiences. As we’ll see at CES 2023, game publishers, hardware manufacturers, and retailers all have an opportunity to capitalize on a growing market.”
The company has also shared some predictions based on the data comparison between 2019 and 2022. Reportedly, 38 million gamers state their interest in the metaverse. In the latest study, those who believe AR/VR or metaverse will improve gaming experience rose from 8% in 2019 to 22%.
Average time spent on mobile gaming is also on the rise, surpassing game time on consoles by 2.5 hours a week. The study determines cloud and on-demand platforms are becoming more popular as 43% of gamers subscribe to gaming platforms.
