GamesBeat Summit 2022 returns with its largest event for leaders in gaming on April 26-28th. Reserve your spot here!
Deloitte said that younger generations are behaving in a way that suggests they will live their lives online and embrace the metaverse.
The big accounting and consulting firm said that young generations are embracing gaming and social media, and the entertainment TV platforms may have trouble keeping with gaming and social media up among younger viewers.
We’ve seen many definitions of what the metaverse can be, but for shorthand I’ve been saying metaverse is the universe of virtual worlds that are all interconnected, like in novels such as Snow Crash and Ready Player One.
On the smartphone, consoles, and the PC, gaming has become huge, and it’s taking time away from other forms of entertainment, Deloitte said. The youngest generations are especially attracted to gaming, ranking it as their favorite form of entertainment. Gaming also offers emotional value to many, helping them relax, stay connected to others, and express their self-identity through customizable avatars.
Top game worlds are hosting larger-than-life events: In the U.S., almost a quarter of gamers have attended a live in-game event in the past year. And those kinds of events are associated with the metaverse. Deloitte said that, on the road to the metaverse, gaming may already be there.
In the U.S., more than 80% of both men and women say they play video games, and half of smartphone owners say they play on a smartphone daily. Gen Z and Millennial gamers play the most, logging an average of 11 and 13 hours per week, respectively. Gen X gamers follow closely behind with around 10 hours of game play every week, reminding us that it’s not just the kids.
Most respondents in the U.K. (75%), Germany (78%), Brazil (89%) and Japan (63%) play video games regularly. In these countries, younger generations are more likely to be gamers, with Gen Z and Millennial gamers spending an average of 11 hours per week playing.
About half of all U.S. gamers say that playing video games has taken time away from other entertainment activities; unsurprisingly, these percentages increase for younger gamers. This trend is also playing out in other markets, with just over half of gamers in the U.K. (55%), and just under half of gamers in both Brazil (45%) and Japan (44%) also trading other entertainment activities to play video games.
Overall, more than three-quarters of U.S. gamers surveyed also say that gaming helps them relax, while nearly 60% report that gaming helped them through a difficult time. About half (53%) of U.S. gamers say that playing video games helps them stay connected to people. And these games are supporting identity: 61% of U.S. gamers say that personalizing their game character or avatar helps them express themselves.
Gaming and music also appear to be closely linked; about half (51%) of U.S. gamers say they often discover new music while playing video
