Younger generations play and watch the most online gaming content and
aspire to have esports careers
TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The popularity of online gaming continues to grow, with gamers playing
more than seven hours each week, an increase of nearly 20 percent in the
last year. Young adults are leading the online gaming charge, with
gamers age 26 to 35 playing for eight hours, 13 minutes each week, a 25
percent increase from last year. That’s according to the latest “State
of Online Gaming” research report on worldwide consumers’ gaming
behaviors and expectations from Limelight
Networks (Nasdaq: LLNW), a leading provider of edge cloud services.
When gamers aren’t playing themselves, many are watching other people
play online. Nearly 60 percent of global gamers watch others play online
each week, with 10 percent watching for more than seven hours. For
younger gamers, watching others play online is more popular than
watching traditional sports on television. In fact, gamers age 18 to 25
spend nearly four hours each week watching online video gaming, 77
percent more time than they spend watching traditional broadcast sports.
As gamers play and watch more online gaming content, their aspirations
for becoming professional players also rise. In fact, 36 percent of
global gamers would quit their jobs to go pro if they could support
themselves as professional gamers, up 11 percent from last year. Younger
male gamers (age 18 to 35) are the most interested in esports careers,
with more than half (56 percent) noting they want to become
professionals.
Additional insights from the report include:
- Gamers have prioritized playing over their social and professional
lives. More than one quarter (26 percent) of global gamers have
skipped out on spending time with friends or going on a date to keep
playing. Italian gamers are most likely to skip social events, with 41
percent having done so. Twelve percent of worldwide gamers have missed
work to play video games. More than a third (35 percent) admit to
playing at work at least once a month, including 10 percent who play
daily.
- Mobile continues to drive appetite for casual gaming. Gamers
are increasingly playing on-the-go, noting mobile phones as the most
commonly used device for gaming. Mobile gaming is popular with “casual
gamers,” who make up more than half (57 percent) of the gaming market.
Casual Single-Player games such as Candy Crush and Angry Birds are the
most-preferred type of gaming content globally. However, younger
gamers (age 18 to 25) prefer First-Person Shooter and Battle Royal
games such as Fortnite.
- Gamers lack patience with downloads and security issues.
Globally, 85 percent of gamers find the process of downloading video
games frustrating. Slow downloads are the biggest pain point for 34
percent of worldwide gamers and frustrations are highest in the U.S.
(39 percent). When it comes to security, more than half (54 percent)
of gamers note they would not continue to use a gaming platform that
previously suffered a breach. Security concerns are highest in Germany
(62 percent), Japan (63 percent) and South Korea (66 percent).
“The growth in online gaming—both in playing time as well as in
viewership—has raised expectations for fast online performance,” said
Michael Milligan, Senior Director at Limelight Networks. “Whether it’s
downloading game updates, joining a squad online to take on the
competition, or learning new techniques from favorite live streamers,
gamers around the world won’t tolerate latency and download disruptions
that slow them down.”
The State of Online Gaming report is based on responses from
4,500 consumers in France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Singapore,
South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States age 18 and older
who play video games at least once a week. The full report is available here.
About Limelight
Limelight Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: LLNW), a
leading provider of digital content delivery, video, cloud security, and
edge computing services, empowers customers to provide exceptional
digital experiences. Limelight’s edge services platform includes a
unique combination of global private infrastructure, intelligent
software, and expert support services that enable current and future
workflows. For more information, visit www.limelight.com
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View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190319005521/en/
Stephanie Epstein
SHIFT Communications
Limelight@shiftcomm.com
617-779-1800
Investor Inquiries:
ir@limelight.com
Source: Limelight Networks, Inc.