In a survey of 7,933 gamers, out of approximately 32 million gamers in the UK, conducted by GamblingDeals.com, participants were asked about their choice of gaming device, their preferred games, genres and platforms, and the time they dedicate to gaming, among other issues. According to the study, on average, gamers spent between five to six hours a day (40%), or 35 to 42 hours a week, playing video games. There’s a 27% that answered they daily play almost seven to eight hours, and 19% responded three to four hours. The website also looked into whether lockdown measures affected gaming habits, by asking gamers whether they think the number of hours spent playing video games will increase. A staggering 80% admitted that they do expect this to increase by an additional two to three hours each day.
Besides, gamers said the five most common titles they’ve recently played were Minecraft (21%), Rust (17%), Fortnite (14%), Among Us (12%), and Call of Duty: Warzone (10%). PlayStation ranked first as the most common console, with 41% of gamers saying they used this Sony hardware, followed by Xbox (38%), PC (17%), and other gaming devices (4%). Beyond specific games, the survey included a question on games style. Of the various game genres, a fifth (20%) of respondents said first person shooter games are most likely to keep them awake for the longest. Following closely behind in second place are player versus player games (better known as PVP), with 17%, multiplayer video games (15%), sports games (12%), Match Making Rating (MMR) games (10%), Role Playing Games (RPG) with 9%, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games (8%), strategy games (5%) and simulator games (4%).
In line with this trend goes Marc Palaus, the author of ‘Cognitive Enhancement via Neuromodulation and Video Games: Synergistic Effects?’, a review of gaming studies published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, who said playing video games can increase the size and competence of parts of the brain responsible for visuospatial abilities, improving a person’s visual and motor skills.
