By SWNS Staff
What do you think the biggest impact on your personality growing up was? A new survey found 66% of Americans said playing video games as kids shaped their personality into what it is today.
The survey asked 2,000 Americans about their relationship with video games throughout their lives and their time in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seven in 10 respondents said they played video games all the time growing up – so it’s no surprise that even today, 64% said they would classify their favorite games as a part of their family.
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of World of Warships by Wargaming, the survey also found that three-quarters of respondents said their love for video games has even influenced their preferences for other forms of media – like TV and film.
Perhaps surprisingly, 66% of respondents said video games were better back in the days of their youth because they were just simpler.
Sixty-six percent of respondents described themselves as “avid gamers” and 88% of these respondents agreed that gaming is actually a productive hobby with multiple benefits.
In fact, the most important aspects of a video respondents shared were the ability to learn something new and problem solve.
While online multiplayer games are more popular than ever, 46% of respondents said they prefer to look for a game with an interesting narrative and story arc.
The survey also looked at the relationship between families and gaming and found seven in 10 respondents can’t wait to pass along their love of gaming to their future kids.
Of those polled with children, 68% said their kids have encouraged them to play more video games while they’ve been in quarantine together.
Another 69% of these respondents also said they’re thankful for video games during this time because it’s allowed them to spend more time with their little ones.
“Kids who grew up playing video games in the 1990s are still playing games today and are now sharing that passion with their kids,” explained Artur Plociennik, Regional Publishing Director, World of Warships. “We often hear from our players how much they enjoy competing with their child or even their grandparent – which we can see from the survey results.
Sixty-six percent of respondents said they often get so excited when they’re playing a video game – it’s like the rest of the world disappears.
This feeling may also be closely related to the competitiveness that comes alongside playing video games.
Over half of respondents said they often get frustrated when playing a video game for the first time – but 71% feel just as accomplished when they finish a challenging video game as they do making other accomplishments in their life.
Those who described themselves as avid gamers were more likely to say they often get way too competitive when playing video games – at 78% compared to 59%.
Avid gamers were also more likely to describe themselves as creative and logical.
“Sharing a common passion is easier than ever today through gaming – whether you’re in the same room or across the globe,” added Plociennik. “World of Warships allows users to make these connections with each other and learn a little bit along the way.”
MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF A VIDEO GAMES
- The ability to learn something new – 52%
- The ability to problem solve- 52%
- An interesting narrative / story arc – 46%
- The console I can play it on – 42%
- Being able to digitally download it – 35%
- The ability to customize my character – 24%
