Highlights: Game Consoles, Gaming PCs, and Game-Playing

Playing games is a widespread pastime about much more than game consoles. Although game console users are numerous and active, many adults play immersive and other games using their smartphones, computers, and tablets. VR headsets are also starting to make a dent in the market, beginning with the most active gamers who aren’t necessarily the youngest adults.
This TUP Highlights report includes the following sections: the profile of gaming wearables users, top platforms for game-playing, the profile of game-players, the profile of gaming PC users, the profile of game console users, and the profile of smartphone game-players.

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Profile of American gaming notebook PC users

Gaming computers are optimized for intensive play, and laptops/notebooks add a dimension of mobility. Their extra functionality makes them both desired and exotic. Currently, only one in twenty-five online Americans uses a gaming notebook PC.

This MetaFAQs profiles gaming notebook users by their age (not all are aged 18-24), age within gender (higher use among younger men than women), employment status, life stage (age, employment status, presence of children), number of home computers, and mix of technology ecosystems. Furthermore, it reports game-playing with smartphones, tablets, game consoles, and VR headsets.

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Profile of Americans using gaming PCs

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, October 9, 2021

Profile of Americans using gaming PCs

  • All online American adults who regularly use a gaming PC
    • They number 25.3 million – 12% of all online American adults
    • Defined as using a “Gaming desktop or gaming notebook – designed for playing video games, such as with special video cards and extra memory”
  • Profiled by characteristics that are distinctive
    • Only profiled by those characteristics which have an index of 80 or below and 120 and above – those which are 20% above or below the average by category 
  • Expressed as market penetration – the percentage of online adults within each group
  • Distinctive characteristics profiles
    • Age, gender, age within gender
    • Employment status
    • Presence of children
    • Household size
    • Life stage (age, employment status, presence of children)
    • Number of home PCs used
    • Technology ecosystems
  • Characteristics examined and not found to be distinct
    • Educational attainment

Americans who regularly use a gaming PC by age group

  • Gaming PC users skew younger
    • Game console use is strongest among the youngest American adults – aged 18-44
    • Penetration among online Americans aged 18-44 is 19%-20%
  • Beyond age 45, the rate drops steeply
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PC gaming by household size [MetaFAQs]

Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, December 6, 2020

Is playing immersive or other games on a PC more likely in a smaller or larger household? How widespread is PC game-playing in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan by household size?

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Usage guidelines: This document may be freely shared within and outside your organization in its entirety and unaltered. It may not be used with a generative AI system without separate licensing and express written permission. To share or quote excerpts, please contact MetaFacts.