Video Games and Online Games: What Generation X likes the most?

According to Pew Research, 58% of gamers prefer to spend time playing video games. The ESA reports that 62% of both females and males consider them educational, while 68% of them say that these games provide a mental boost. What is more interesting, the same research informs that 81% of females and 70% of males like playing casual games the most. For example, women are fond of puzzles (55%), card/casino games (48%) and classic arcades (34%). As for men, they usually play racing games (55%), sports games (52%), and first-person shooters (43%). It sounds impressive, doesn’t it? Actually, it proves that gaming is a form of entertainment enjoyed by all — be it Generation X, Y, or Z. You may know very well what Gen Y and Gen Z like in gaming the most. But what about Xers? Let’s find out! But before we start discussing the gaming preferences, let’s first see what kind of Generation it is. Who Gen Xers are, and how they differ from others According to Wikipedia, these are people born somewhere in 1960-1980. This period was characterized by the shift in social values. Unlike their predecessors (aka Baby Boomers), Gen Xers were on their own because of the decreased parents’ control. It was a result of the growth in divorce rates and the growing number of single employed mothers. Being teenagers or young people, Xers were characterized as cynical, discontented idlers. You may also find that this generation is sometimes referred to as the MTV Generation. In the early 1980s, the MTV channel was launched and most adolescent Xers were influenced by it. Gen X saw the rise of indie films and musical genres like grunge and hip-hop. Aside from the above-mentioned factors, it’s worth noting that Gen X was raised in the age of new technological developments. This led to numerous social transformations. And according to Strauss and Howe, there are even more factors that shaped Xers as individuals: discontent with authorities, a lack of trust in government; political indifference; zero population growth; disappointment at the educational system; education funding cuts, poor access to student loans; changes in career prospects because of increased demands for academic and intelligence jobs; environmental problems; the birth of the Internet; the end of the Cold War. When it comes to adult Xers, they are described as active, happy and focused on the work-life balance. Many of them started their own business. What impacted their gaming preferences? As we can see, this twenty-year period was full of events, developments, and transformations. This generation knows what life without the Internet looked like. They also remember Michael Jackson, videocassette recorders, first mobile phones, video games, and consoles. Gen Xers started their gaming journey from text-based games like The Lords of Midnight. They featured simple graphics and a terminal user interface. Over time, they were transformed into more elaborate versions, which are now called MMORPGs (e.g. EverQuest and The Legend of Zelda). But despite the growing number of different GW casino table games, Xers remained loyal to the first games they played. Which one is the winner: video games or online games? Obviously, the representatives of Generation X prefer playing video games. The Internet started expanding only in the 1980s, so online games were not widely accessible to teenage Xers. According to CyberCultural, 42% of Gen Xers never played online games. Still, those who played prefer online games like Fortnite, CS: GO, and World of Warcraft. They mostly play them on a weekly basis. To be more precise, among regular players are 45-54-year-olds (40%), and the people aged 35-44 (53%). Interestingly, Xers, just like Millennials or Zers, use mobile phones to play their favorite online games. The number of smartphone gamers is estimated at 48% for 35-44-year-olds and 35% for 45-54-year-olds. When it comes to tablet gaming, the younger group accounts for 23% (i.e. aged 35-44), and the older group — for 15%. Other popular devices for online gaming are laptops and computers — 31% (35-44) and 27% (45-54) respectively. 22% of people aged 35-44 and 12% of 45-54-year-olds reported that they play games using consoles. Although many Xers are used to playing console games, they also start playing their favorite titles via mobile phones more often. These include 70% of women and 62% of men. The tech-savvy members of this generation are also no strangers to the game streaming content. So, Xers’ increased interest in the gaming industry is a good sign for entertainment providers and software developers. As you can see now, Generation X is good at playing both video and online games. And as the technological world progresses and becomes more innovative, we can expect this group of players to consume the content of other gaming niches — eSports, VR games, online casinos, and more.