2020 Gamer Segmentation Report People in the US are Gaming More Often Since the Pandemic Outbreak

There is no doubt that video games have been popular since the dawn of time. To back this up, The NPD Group has decided to study this in its 2020 Gamer Segmentation Report.

According to the above-mentioned report, nearly three out of every four people in 244 million, play video games. This is a quite drastic increase since 2018, 32 million more to be exact. The average video game playtime is around 14 hours per week. Around 39% of the gamers in the U.S classified themselves as Light players or players that play less than 5 hours per week. The percent for “Moderate players” is around 32%, while “Heavy players” have a 6% increase from 2018, which is 20% in 2020.

Due to COVID-19, we can see market growth of 7%. Many players started using smartphones, tablets, and PCs, suggesting that people are opting now for more accessible devices. Naturally, during the pandemic, the time spent on playing games spiked, with these players reporting that their active gameplay is higher during COVID-19 as opposed to before COVID-19.

Surprising 94% of the players said that they already have an increase in the usage of the platforms they were already using to play games before the pandemic, while around 6% stated that they began using a new device when the pandemic started.

Mat Piscatella, U.S video games industry analyst from The NPD Group has said: “Video games are one of the primary ways friends and family are staying connected through a difficult time. The growth in both the number of players across all gaming segments, as well as time spent gaming or watching gaming-related content, reflects the variety and depth of gaming experiences available regardless of device preferences, gaming interests, or budget.”