The Psychology of a Gamer

Gaming has permeated all aspects of our life. From the time we are born, playing with blocks and shapes as we learn about the world around us, to the time we are old in body, we are constantly use games to keep our mind young and sharp. The gaming scene has evolved tremendously over the past few decades. From the simple board games that families would play and the arcades on weekends, we now have a competitive global gaming scene that connects people from multiple parts of the world. This has brought in more gamers and has gotten them involved in various ways.

A Player’s Life

As a fundamental part of life, gaming as a whole is multi-generational. According to GamingScan, 64% of US households own a device on which they play games on, with an average of 2 gamers per said household. Of those surveyed, 60% play games on their mobile phones while 52% play on their personal computers. This is due to the availability and necessity of mobile phones, as there is a perception of less necessity for personal computers and the fact that consoles are a luxury.

From the same report, there are certain types of games that each gender per generation prefers. Millennials are defined as age ranging from 18-34. Men of this generation prefer action and sports games such as God of War and Fortnite, while the women prefer action and casual games like Candy Crush and Tomb Raider. Male Gen X gamers (aged 35-54) on the other hand, prefer sports, racing, and shooter games like NBA 2KXX or Call of Duty , whereby females of Gen X prefer casual games such as puzzles and arcades; some of the most played games are Tetris and Pacman. Baby Boomers, or those within 55-64 years old, mostly play cards, puzzles, and virtual board games regardless of gender.

Influence of Gaming

With this widespread reach, games have been highly influential even among unrelated industries. There have been games adapted into movies such as Tomb Raider and Resident Evil, both critically acclaimed. Some games have also successfully produced merchandise and have used it to promote new releases such as the case of Bungie, where they posted a new Destiny shirt for sale at $777,000, which goes down to $24.99 if you are able to download and complete their latest downloadable content at the time. Merchandise is used to fundamentally bridge their games physically to consumers.

One of the greatest examples of this one would be Pokemon which started as a game that had branched out to creating a worldwide popular series and becoming one of the top-selling toy brands and one of the top trading card games around the globe. The popularity of the series had even given rise to a theme park being built with it as the main concept.

Of course, games have not only been influential in other industries, but with the gamers themselves as well. The simple purchase of games has been marked as a bonding activity for parents and their child, with 90% of parents present when their child acquires a video game. 67% of parents are also reported to play video games with their child at least once a week on average. With this, 70% of parents believe that these video games have a positive influence on their child. 50% of surveyed teens had said they learned teamwork on Fortnite and 40% improved their communication skills. Players also perceive gaming as a challenge and relaxant, with 79% saying it gives them mental stimulation and 78% saying it provides them a way to release their stress.

Certain consoles and games even provide for physical exercise, allowing interaction within the game world through the player’s movements such as in the Wii game Monster Hunter Tri or in virtual reality immersion games. A study has even been made to show that exergaming, or games with physical exercise, help with children’s obesity.

As compared to non-gamers, players also rate themselves more positively in terms of characteristics and their outlook towards life. 82% of gamers view family as a top priority whereas the non-gaming group only rated at 68%. They also placed higher than their non-gamer counterparts in terms of placing importance on friendships, which may be likely due to the cooperation, competitiveness, and general engagement with their peers while playing. Moreover, reports also showed that gamers are more positive about their aspirations and are more likely to describe themselves as natural leaders than non-gamers.

Gaming has given players a platform to experience joy, hardship, teamwork, and frustration. They also learn to strategize and develop critical thinking skills. In certain games, it also gives a safe space for them to explore and make choices that lead to irrecoverable or successful outcomes.

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