In an email interview, ESA President & CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis shared insightful data from the 2022 Essential Facts about the Video Game Industry Report (PDF) which shows that over 215 million people in the United States enjoy gaming, among many other interesting details.
Gaming has become a bigger industry than films and music for many years. During the pandemic, families and friends across the country picked gaming as an activity to do to have fun while at home. With gaming, players can be part of game communities related to their favorite franchises.
Here, I asked Mr. Pierre-Louis what the report tells us about gaming across all ages, genders and ethnicities. In addition, I included questions regarding the representation of women in video games and game development, the presence of the disability and LGBTQ+ communities and the future of E3. To conclude, I asked him if the ESA is planning to offer the ESRB rating summary of games in Spanish and other languages.
Alberto Saldamando (AS): What are some of the findings that caught your attention while working on the 2022 Essential Facts about the Video Game Industry report?
Stanly Pierre-Louis (SPL): Two in every three Americans plays video games – that translates to more than 215 million people from all walks of life, revealing that video games really are the preeminent form of entertainment in the United States today and there truly is a game for everyone.
One of the other findings that stood out was the way that nearly all Americans (97%) – whether they play video games or not – recognize and affirm the positive impact of video games on our lives, which shows that the perception of video games is really on the rise and more people are understanding the benefits which include mental health stimulation, skills development, and community and connection.
Something else people might find surprising is more people over 45 play video games than people under 18 and 48% of video game players are women, both of which debunk the outdated stereotype that video game players are largely young teenage males.
At a time when mental health is front of mind for so many people, particularly coming out of a pandemic, it was encouraging to see that video games are a source of stress relief, joy, inspiration and mental stimulation for video game players.
Again, the report does a lot to debunk some of the more popular video game stereotypes, such as people playing only in isolation – in fact, 88% of players say video games can bring different types of people together; 83% of players say video games create a feeling of community and introduce people to new friends and relationships; 61% of players say video games have helped them stay connected with family and more parents (77%) are playing video games with their children. Overall, 85% of players report playing with others online or in-person, up from 77% in 2021 and 65% in 2020.
AS: Last year’s Essential Facts about the Video Game Industry report shows the age for the average video game player was 31. This year’s version of Essential Facts report shows the age for the average video game player is now 33. How would you interpret this comparison? Could it be that the industry is offering more content for people to choose from to continue playing video games? And, in your opinion, do you think this average will go up, go down or remain about the same?
SPL: We’ve seen the average age fluctuate slightly and I think that’s an indication of two things – the first being the staying power of games and how both new and old games continue to be a source of joy, excitement and engagement for players of all ages. At the same time, that player who was 31 years old last year is closer to 33 now, so that figure could actually indicate more consistency, as these players continue to age.
AS: The report says the percentage of gamers across all ages with regards to gender is 48% female and 52% male. It’s close to even this time, unlike the 2021 report that stated 59% were male and 41% female (an 18% difference). What reasons can there be for the increase in female gamers?
SPL: Women and men of all ages love games. There truly is a game for everyone. We’re seeing continued growth in the diversity of player demographics as the perception of video games comes into focus as a leading, engaging, beneficial form of entertainment – and people become more aware of the types of games that are out there. Games continue to bring people from all walks of life together and provide joy, entertainment, stress relief, skills development and community.
Something that I find really exciting is studies have also show that women who play video games are more likely to be interested in and pursue careers in STEM, which is something as an industry we’re proud to support.
AS: With more female gamers than before, where is the industry currently at about the number of women in game development?
SPL: There has never been a more exciting time for women pursuing careers in the video game industry. While there is still work to be done, the industry is working harder than ever to address the recruitment and development of women in video games. This starts with empowering young women to pursue their STEAM interests and the ESA Foundation is continually working to tackle the challenges that may stand in the way. In partnership with organizations like Black Girls CODE, we are funding, designing and implementing interactive education programs all over the U.S. to prepare girls in underserved communities for STEAM careers in the video game and tech industries. Leading game companies are a huge part of this effort, providing critical funding as well as resources and hands-on mentorship.
AS: When it comes to the US video game player community, the stats show small percentages for Hispanics (10%), Black/African Americans (8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7%) and others (3%), compared to 71% White. What could be some of the causes for this representation? Can these percentages also relate to the representation of participants in Esport tournaments?
SPL: If you look at U.S. Census data, on a proportionate scale many of these percentages more closely align with and reflect the wider American population. That being said, the video game industry is deeply invested in continuing to expand our player base by making games more accessible and reflective of all, as evidenced by various diversity efforts across the industry. Every year, one of the most exciting takeaways of this study is how the video game player profile continues to evolve. There’s a “gamer” stereotype, but it’s simply not true. The video game community is vast and diverse with people of all ages, races, genders and backgrounds engaging in gameplay.
AS: What is the video game industry in the United States doing to bring more characters representing people of color and ethnicities, people with different abilities/special needs, and people of the LGBTQ+ community front and center positively?
I ask this because there stills seems to be little representation. Miles Morales (son of a Puerto Rican mother and an African-American father) became the first non-White Spider-man and the future looks bright for the character. Sombra from Overwatch has also become another popular character. Two Hispanic names that come to mind are Rico Rodríguez (main character in Just Cause) and Juan Aguacate (main character from Guacamelee!). Meanwhile, Apex Legends seems to be one of the most diverse titles. Representation of characters with disabilities or special needs is still rare in gaming, while the LGBTQ+ community has seen a bit more of success.
SPL: Like so many other industries experiencing transformative, rapid growth, the video game industry is really coming into its own – leaning into its impact and, accordingly, investing in efforts to leverage that impact to continue to entertain, inspire and build supportive, inclusive communities. One of the findings that stood out to us was that 72% of players agree that the video game industry does a good job of creating welcoming and inclusive environments, up from 62% in 2021. This shows improvement, but, mirroring our culture, it’s a process and there’s still more to be done. As an industry and society, we’re continuing to do the work of learning about different backgrounds and perspectives – and not just learning, but harnessing those learnings to foster more inclusive environments and recognizing that representation is really such a critical part of that effort. In addition to supporting cognitive skills growth, our report finds that video games support life skills development, cultivating things like empathy and compassion through playing with people from different backgrounds and playing as different types of characters.
AS: Under “Profiles of Video Game Players” for people ages 55-64 and 65+, there is no mention of “game console” and “more than one device”, only percentages for “smartphone” and “computer.” How many people age 55+ are still playing console games? By the way, last year’s report mentioned 52% of people ages 55-64 play games on a console.
SPL: We don’t define video games as just consoles. The video game industry is comprised of a diverse spectrum of video game genres and devices. Similarly, a video game player’s preference differs across generations. Since the device of choice among those ages 55+ were smartphones, we focused on what benefits they found using that medium. The differences the report found among generations shows what benefits each generation finds in video games and why they play. Regarding players ages 55-64, they play video games to connect with others and create a feeling of community. While players ages 65+ play to keep their brain sharp and also to unwind and relax. *Please note, ESA doesn’t have YOY comparison data on this.
AS: About E3, does the ESA already has the support of various game developers and publishers to make the expo a reality once again as a physical event?
SPL: We made the difficult decision to cancel the 2022 physical E3 event due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns. An event of such scale and magnitude takes careful planning, time and investment, so we needed to make a decision early on and that was at a time when the Delta and Omicron variants were raging so there was still a lot of uncertainty. We’re taking this extra time to focus on a fully invigorated, engaging event in 2023 that brings people back together in-person to celebrate video gameplay in a way that really matches the gaming community’s expectations and excitement for E3.
(This statement was made before the ESA announced a partnership with PAX organizer ReedPop for E3 2023).
AS: Because many games for PCs and consoles come with multilingual content nowadays, could the ESRB provide rating summary of games in Spanish and other languages for parents to be informed in the language of their choice when using the ESRB app or the ESRB Ratings page before they make a purchase?
SPL: Video gameplay is part of a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle for players of all ages all around the world. Along with providing fun and entertainment, video games promote positive mental health, spur strategic thinking, enhance decision-making and forge lasting communities among players. ESA and ESRB have partnered to launch an online Spanish language resource that provides parents and guardians with information and tools to help manage their kids’ video game experiences. VamosAJugar.com provides information in Spanish about ESRB’s three-part rating system and parental controls so parents and caregivers can manage what their children play, with whom, when and for how long, and whether they can spend money on games or in-game purchases. VamosAJugar.com also includes several videos and blogs that go into more detail about how parents and caregivers can make informed decisions about their kids’ video game experiences. Rating Summaries are currently only available in English. ESRB will continue to monitor the needs of Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers in the U.S. and work to provide them with tips and resources to help make decisions about which video games are appropriate for their families.
[Source]: ESA: 2022 Essential Facts about the Video Game Industry Report – [Archive] [PDF – Archive]. 2021 Essential Facts about the Video Game Industry Report – [Archive] [PDF – Archive]. VamosAJugar.com: Home – [Archive].
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