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The video games cover a wide diversity of practices and continues ti develop in many different forms and for many different people. Is there a typical profile of gamers? Do they generally engage in their hobby alone or with others? What is the involvement of parents with their children? Médiamétrie answers these questions for SELL (Syndicat des Editeurs de Logiciels de Loisirs - Union of Leisure Software Publishers).

Video games appeal to diverse profiles

With over 7 out of 10 French people playing video games at least occasionally, France now has more than 39 million gamers. 

Marine Boulanger, Director of Cinema and Entertainment at Médiamétrie, states: "The vast majority of players, 86%, are adults aged 18 to 80, with an average age of 40. There are slightly more men among players. Their practice is regular, as one in two players plays at least once a day." 

However, even though they represent a smaller portion of the population and therefore gamers, 15-24 year olds are enthusiastic about video games: 9 out of 10 play video games, amounting to 6.9 million. They primarily play on a TV game console. 

More and more women are getting into this activity: 18.8 million women play video games – nearly 7 out of 10 – a figure that has increased by 500,000 in one year. The smartphone is by far the primary device they use. 

Seniors aged 60 and over are also increasingly engaging in these digital pastimes. There are 7.4 million senior gamers, accounting for nearly one in two seniors. This represents a significant increase of 1.1 million people in one year. Senior gamers have an average age of 68 and primarily play on a computer or their smartphone.

Video games: Entertainment and Sociability as Main Attractions

Players are primarily motivated to have fun and enjoy themselves: more than 9 out of 10 of them indicate this. In the same vein, video games allow them to escape and break away from their daily routine for 84%. 

Two-thirds of them also state that this activity is an opportunity to share a friendly moment with others. 

Indeed, while almost all players (97%) experience solo gaming, many enjoy sharing their activity: 61% also play with others, online or locally. This is even the case for 8 out of 10 individuals aged 10-17. 

According to Marine Boulanger, "video games are a social bond by creating an opportunity for shared leisure. It goes even further, as one in three players states that video games have helped them make friends, a feeling even more pronounced among children." 

The concept of community is quite prominent among video game enthusiasts, especially the younger ones. Thus, 48% of children mention the feeling of belonging to a community, which a very large majority considers benevolent and welcoming. Meetings within these communities are becoming more and more frequent, especially in virtual spaces. In total, 8 out of 10 players declare having already met members of their community in real life or online. 

Finally, video games are also an opportunity to engage in a family activity. Parents of gamer children are increasingly numerous – more than two-thirds – in declaring that they play with their children. Their main motivation is the desire to share activities with them. 

Marine Boulanger notes: "Beyond sharing a moment, more than two-thirds of parents pay attention to their children's video game practices, whether by staying with them while they play or by approving or disapproving of the video game choice. They are also increasingly numerous - 45% - in declaring knowledge and use of parental controls. The awareness of the PEGI[1] system is also on the rise, reaching 72% of parent game buyers in 2023."

Video games: an increasingly attractive economic sector

"The economic weight and dynamism of the video game sector lead it to exert a growing influence, whether in the economic or cultural sectors. It is perceived as increasingly innovative in the French population," emphasizes Marine Boulanger. 

On a professional level, 62% of French people (+2.5 points compared to 2022) believe that the video game sector offers an opportunity to enhance their skills. It is an attractive professional sector, especially for those aged 18-24, in a key age for career orientation. In fact, more than 1 in 3 of them consider working in the video game industry. 

According to Marine Boulanger, "the imagination and characters of video games spread beyond the gaming universe and inspire the world of entertainment, especially the fiction domain." 

Thus, in March 2023, the HBO original series "The Last of Us," directly inspired by the eponymous game and exclusively available on Prime Video in March 2023, marks the biggest success of the year on the platform for an Amazon Exclusive or Original series.

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PRIME VIDEO - TOP 5 Original or Amazon Exclusive series in 2023 - In number of episodes viewed (from 1 January to 13 December 2023) - Base: SVOD users aged 15 and over - Source: SVOD Consumption Barometer Médiamétrie - Harris Interactive 

Movies featuring video game heroes have found their cinema audience. Mario Bros, released in April, thus represented the biggest success of the year with 7.3 million admissions, ahead of Barbie or Oppenheimer. Sonic, released in March 2022, achieved 2.3 million admissions[2]. 

Conversely, "cult" characters like Harry Potter make their entry into the world of video games with this year's release of the game Hogwarts Legacy: The Legacy of Hogwarts. The toy sector is also popular with the development of games aimed at "kidults," those with interests and hobbies halfway between adults and children

Laure Osmanian Molinero