It’s not all about knitting and gardening for UK’s oldies. New research has discovered that 42% of Brits aged 55-64 and over one in four (27%) of the over 65s have enjoyed playing video games in the past five years. The survey of 2,000 adults was commissioned as part of the Must Play May campaign, that highlights the biggest and best games on the market for everyone regardless of age.
Strategy games proved most popular to keep the brain in tip top shape with 40% of the people over 60 choosing such games, whilst 20% enjoy multiplayer games to earn brownie points and keep up with their grandchildren.
People don’t grow out of video games once they hit a certain age – quite the opposite! The research shows that once a gamer always a gamer with 85% of under 35s and 75% of 35-44 year olds frequently picking up a controller with 31% playing to relax and 40% of those who are parents loving to battle it out in front of the TV with their kids to instil some healthy competition.
Must Play May is being supported by Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn otherwise known as the award winning comedy parenting podcasters Scummy Mummies. This week sees the launch of their podcast “Step-families, screen time and gaming with Keza” where they dispel the myths of video games and kids. You can listen to that here.
The Scummy Mummies said:
“Let’s be honest – video games won’t help your kids pass their A-Levels. If they even have A-Levels anymore. We don’t know, we’re 40. Gaming is harmless fun – kids have a lot on these days, and just like us grown-ups, they need downtime. Plus, playing games is a fab way to spend time with your children or grandchildren – it’s an activity they’ll definitely enjoy, and who knows? You might just end up having a great time too.”.
Must Play May’s also looked at what the nation was playing across all age groups with platform games such as LEGO The Incredibles and DC Super-Villain, racing games such as Forza Horizon 4 and Dirt Rally 2.0 and football titles such as FIFA19 being among the most wanted across all age groups.
For more information about family gaming and the Must Play May campaign please visit www.askaboutgames.com
tl;dr
- Record numbers of over 55’s are regularly playing video games
- New research reveals 1 in 5 grandparents love competing against their grandchildren
- Almost 4 in 10 parents frequently game with their kids
- Award winning parenting podcasters Scummy Mummies support the campaign
