Adult gamers are playing less and less. Even hardcore players prefer to spend their free time in a different way
The gaming industry has reason to be concerned. Data shows that gamers are playing less and less, even those who can be described as hardcore.
Epyllion recently published a report describing the current state of the gaming market. It contains many interesting data about our industry. One of the sections worth paying particular attention to is the one discussing the decreasing amount of time people spend on gaming.
- In the first quarter of 2021, adult gamers from the 37 largest markets (excluding China and India) spent 35 billion hours playing on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
- Such record results were of course due to the pandemic, during which people spent time at home and simply played more. It was only natural for them to decline once players stopped working and studying remotely. So, no one was surprised, when the time spent on gaming fell by 7% in the third quarter of 2022.
- It appeared that it would conclude there, as the numbers stayed the same for a year afterward. However, something changed in the third quarter of 2023. By the third quarter of 2024, the time spent on gaming had fallen by another 10%.
- In total, players in these markets currently spend 32% less time playing than during the pandemic. For PC players, the decline was 21%, while for Xbox and PlayStation gamers, it was as much as 43%. What's worse, analyses show that even hardcore gamers are spending less and less time playing.
Declining gaming time. Photo source Epyllion.
This is something new for the gaming market. The companies working in the market have become accustomed to rapid growth, which has been almost uninterrupted since 1990. However, for some time now, this engine of industry development has started to stutter. The peak of players' spending on games was in 2020, then declines were noted and only last year it was possible to return to the results from four years ago.
The mobile gaming market is also in stagnation, so it's not as if players have simply switched platforms. According to analysts, social media (especially TikTok) have a significant impact on the decline, as they take up more and more of their users' time, leaving less for games.
Gamers' spending on games. Source photo Epyllion.
The space for rapid development of the gaming industry has simply run out. The industry has reached most markets and potential customers, so the fight for players' time and money will now become increasingly difficult.
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