The stereotype of gamers being overweight, anti-social kids with no future ahead of them is already kind of becoming a thing of the past, but a new survey really drives that point home with some statistics that blow old preconceived notions out of the water.
Bigpoint conducted a global survey of 6,663 people who identified themselves as “online gamers,” which just means people who play console or computer games over the Web with other people. We’re not just talking about Warcraft here.
Of those surveyed, 62% said they had more friends in the “real world” than online, and 52% said they hang out with these friends in real social interactions at least once a month. 34% said they hang out with friends daily.
And moreover, many of the gamers surveyed said they are good looking and popular, and expressed themselves as well-rounded individuals.
A big caveat to note is that the United States only made up about 11% of the survey, while Turkey took a disproportionate 40%. So you have to put that into context, but still, the results do mean something.
Moving on to other stats, 5% of the gamers were older than 50, 12% were older than 40, 32% were older than 30, and 58% were older than 30. Those are running totals.
The anti-social stereotype is represented, but only by a small proportion of people. 10% said their only friends were other online gamers they don’t know in real life.
Nevertheless, next time you want to impress a blind date, tell her you’re a gamer because according to this survey, chances are that means you’re a catch.
