The Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) has just published brand new data on Australian video game habits for 2023, revealing that the number of Aussies playing video games has increased significantly in the two years since it last measured, among some other interesting insight.
The headline finding is that a whopping 81% of all Australians play video games in some form, which is up from 67% in the IGEA’s previous report. The organisation compared it to the results of the AFL Finals on Fox and Seven which, according to the AFL’s 2022 report attracted 56% of Aussies.
Other noteworthy figures include a rise in women and girls playing video games, now at a high of 48% total players identifying as female. The average age is also slightly up at 35 years old, with Aussies on average having spent 11 years gaming. The average time spent playing video games is 90 minutes per day, with 93% of players saying they play to have fun and 70% saying they play to improve mental health.
Parents overwhelmingly play with their kids in an effort to connect as a family, and that search for connection continues with three out of four Aussie games choosing to play games with others and 33% saying they made new friends through gaming.
You can read the full report here, or take a look at the infographic below for a quick glance at the big picture:
“Australia Plays 2023 proves that Australia is a nation that loves to play, achieve, connect, and learn through video games,” said Ron Curry, CEO of IGEA. “Over 80% of the population is now engaging with video games, making it clear that video games have become a part of everyday life. Over 90% of Australian gamers say they find joy in video games, as is reflected by our successful local industry. Video games have proven to be very important to this country’s economy, as can be seen by the recently released consumer video games sales data in Australia.”