Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, players have been spending significantly more time on consoles or other gaming devices. This was the result of a survey by the digital industry association Bitkom, which was published in Berlin on Thursday.
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In the survey, more than 55 percent of those surveyed said they had played more since the beginning of the corona pandemic. On average, the respondents played an additional seven hours a week compared to before. This corresponds to almost twice the average playing time as before the restrictions imposed by the corona pandemic.
And not only the playing time, but also the expenses for gaming have increased significantly in the wake of the corona pandemic. While the average monthly expenditure of a player before Corona was 15 euros, according to the survey they are now at an average of 24 euros.
According to the survey, almost one in two (46 percent) plays video or computer games at least occasionally. This number has increased slightly again compared to previous years: in 2019 it was 43 percent, in the year before 42 percent.
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German developers only make up a small part of the market
For many gamers, it is about more than just a hobby, said Bitkom board member Olaf May: “37 percent can no longer imagine a life without video and computer games.” For men, at 40 percent, this assessment is somewhat more pronounced than for women (34 percent) – and for 16 to 29-year-old gamers (45 percent) it is significantly more pronounced than for over 65-year-old video game players (19 percent) .
From an economic point of view, the importance of the gaming industry for the German economy is still manageable. Around 30,000 jobs in Germany are associated with it, said Bitkom managing director Bernhard Rohleder. “We are mainly dealing with an import market.” The particularly successful games are often developed by companies from the English-speaking world.
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Around five percent of sales come from German game manufacturers, according to Bernhard Rohleder. “There is still room for improvement.”
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