Adults are playing more video games than ever before, according to a report done by the NPD Group. Part of the NPD Group's 2020 Evolution of Entertainment report contains data on time spent playing video games based on age. Based on the report, players are spending approximately two more hours a week on playing video games than in 2019. The study also tracked the change in total time invested in video games between 2019 and 2020, and the results may surprise some.
The NPD Group is a global market research company with over 25 years of tracking data for toys and video games. The company is known for its monthly report on video games in the United States, including detailed sales figures, and major video game companies are known for putting out press releases referencing these monthly reports.
Based on the report, adults age 35+ are spending drastically more time playing video games than the year before. The average time a week spent playing video games is around 15 hours, which is up from 13 hours in 2019. While people in the 10-24 age range maintain more than the average 15 hours a week, it is older adults that have driven the average hours a week up two whole hours. For the first time, adults age 35-44 are above the average, with 16 hours played a week.
The change in time spent playing video games may be telling of the current state of the US. NPD Group Video Game Industry Analyst Mat Piscatella points out the increases in time spent gaming, which he states is driven by pandemic-driven behavior changes. Based on the report, most younger age ranges have not experienced a drastic increase in total time investment in video games, however, adults age 35-44 have increased 37% and adults age 45-54 have increased 59%, which are both extremely large jumps.
Since February, many Americans' lives have changed with the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantines, and remote working. Because of all these changes, more people are staying at home, which could drive more video game hours. The World Health Organization also launched a campaign encouraging people to stay home and play video games. However, staying at home may not be the only factor driving adults to play more video games.
People around the world are enduring many changes because of the pandemic. More people are staying at home, but that does not tell the whole story. Adults may have more access to play video games by staying home, but the pandemic-driven behavior may be more of a factor. Adults may be playing more video games during the pandemic as an escape or a break from the stress of real-world problems. An Oxford study suggests that playing video games can be beneficial to mental health, so it may be a small reason why so many adults are gaming more often.