Video games are having a moment in the United States – but the players are growing up.
The average American video game player is now 37 years old — up from 29 about two decades ago — as the industry reports activity is rising to their highest levels since the pandemic-era boom, a new report finds.
The findings, from the Entertainment Software Association’s annual Key Facts report, challenge long-held stereotypes about who plays games while highlighting the industry’s recovery from a post-pandemic slowdown.
“It reflects to a large extent the demographics of the nation,” ESA president and chief executive Stanley Pierre-Louis told AFP, noting that more than half of all players in the United States are now 35 or older.
The steadily increasing average age of gamers reflects both the aging of a generation that grew up with consoles and a wave of older adults who have since taken up the hobby.
The gender divide also challenges the stereotypical image of the young male gamer.
Men make up 53 percent of gamers and women 46 percent, with women actually outnumbering men among Baby Boomers, the ESA said.
Overall, 67 percent of Americans play video games for at least an hour a week — a figure broad enough to include everything from blockbuster console titles to casual mobile games like Wordle.
Revenue – which is expected to reach $60.7 billion in 2025 – is back to its highest point since 2021, when pandemic lockdowns caused a huge increase in both players and spending.
After a pullback after restrictions were lifted, the industry has returned to growth, Pierre-Louis said.
– Self-regulation –
As lawmakers in the United States and Europe weigh tougher rules on screen time, age verification and in-game spending, Pierre-Louis argued that the US gaming industry’s record of voluntary self-regulation sets it apart.
This voluntary framework, he said, has given the industry credibility with US lawmakers that social media platforms lack.
Those platforms, he noted, “traditionally didn’t have the same level of parental tools that video games had” — a gap that has fueled the regulatory backlash that now includes companies like Meta and TikTok.
“Safety is not a competitive issue in our industry – it’s a collaborative issue,” said Pierre-Louis.
“Being in the ecosystem and staying in the ecosystem means you feel like you’re in a trusted environment.”
– ‘Pleasure’ –
The ESA was founded in 1994 partly in response to Congressional concern about violent content in games and almost immediately created the Entertainment Software Rating Board, which assigns age ratings from E for Everyone to M for Mature for titles sold in North America.
The system also shows details about online interactions and in-game purchases.
Major console platforms including the Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch now offer parental control tools that allow families to limit the games kids can play, limit spending and limit screen time — skills Pierre-Louis said have been refined over decades in direct response to feedback from parents and policymakers.
The argument, however, faces a growing backlash in the United States.
The gaming industry is facing increased scrutiny as platforms expand into social media-like features, with ESA member Roblox particularly under pressure over child safety issues with regulators and courts.
Legislative proposals range from mandatory age verification for games with chat features to bills that would impose national safety standards.
For industry, such legislation should not be necessary.
“It’s a question of how do we get everyone up to speed on what the video game industry has done so that there is satisfaction around the trust and security practices and mechanisms that we have in place,” Pierre-Louis said.
