The ESA’s Power of Play report paints a portrait of the the world’s gamers

The Entertainment Software Association has released its Power of Play report, which presents a snapshot of who is playing video games, and why, all around the world. There are a lot of interesting data points here from more than 24,000 respondents, all of whom are older than 16 and play at least weekly. The doubters who think gaming is just for kids may be surprised to learn that the average age of the respondents is 41 years old, and the gender split is nearly even between men and women.

One of the most intriguing aspects to the report were the benefits people said they received from playing games. The top answer was that games offered mental stimulation, which 81 percent of the respondents said. Eighty percent said games provided stress relief, 73 percent said games made them feel happier and 64 percent said games connected them with other people which helped them feel less isolated or lonely. 

And although having fun was the top reason respondents gave for playing (66 percent), they also said gaming could improve their skills. Seventy-seven percent said gaming increased creativity, 76 percent said it improved problem-solving and 74 percent said gaming upped both cognitive skills and teamwork or collaboration.

The report also points to how popular mobile gaming still is. Overall, 55 percent of the respondents said mobile was their favorite gaming platform. Half of the respondents under age 35 play on mobile, and an impressive 61 percent of the over 50 gamers also play on mobile.