Younger gamers spend 77 per cent more time watching online video gaming than traditional sport on TV, according to Limelight Networks’ State of Online Gaming report.
The survey found that gamers aged 18 to 25 watch nearly four hours of online gaming each week, with more than half (56 per cent) saying they want to become esports professionals.
The report also revealed that gamers play more than seven hours of video games each week (up 20 per cent on last year).
“Casual gamers” make up more than half (57 per cent) of the gaming market. Casual single-player games such as Candy Crush and Angry Birds are the global preference, while younger gamers prefer shooting games such as Fortnite.
Meanwhile 85 per cent of gamers find the process of downloading video games frustrating, with 34 per cent of worldwide gamers citing slow downloads as their biggest pain point.
In addition, 44 per cent of UK gamers said they would not continue to use a gaming platform that previously suffered a security breach. Security concerns are highest in Germany (62 per cent), Japan (63 per cent) and South Korea (66 per cent).
Other findings of the report included:
- 10 per cent of UK gamers say they have missed work to play video games
- 21 per cent have avoided friends or not gone on a date to keep playing
- 56 per cent report they have lost sleep to gaming
- 22 per cent haven’t showered because they were busy playing
- 36 per cent have skipped meals to continue gaming
Limelight Networks senior director Michael Milligan said: “The growth in online gaming – both in playing time as well as in viewership – has raised expectations for fast online performance.
“Whether it’s downloading game updates, joining your squad online to take on the competition, or learning new techniques from your favourite live streamer, gamers around the world won’t tolerate latency and download disruptions that slow them down.”
The full report is available here.
