Gamers are playing more often in the last six months than they did before, and they’re starting younger. According to a recent survey by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), 44% of parents say their kids have started gaming before the age of five.
Among all kids who game, 57% are introduced to gaming by parents or caregivers, the survey found. Siblings, friends, and extended family members also introduce kids to games, but at a rate closer to 15%. Schools give kids their first gaming introductions only 2% of the time.
Older people are still gaming, too, according to the survey. It found that 50% of Gen X gamers play for at least five hours per week, while the same is true of 40% in the Baby Boomer age range.
Device preferences show up across generations in expected ways. Boomers and Gen Xers are most likely to play games on their mobile devices. Millennials, Zoomers, and members of Gen Alpha use consoles such as Xbox, Switch, and PlayStation most often.
However, the analysts believe the industry is moving toward a platform-agnostic era with the growth of cloud gaming. Already, two-thirds of players have tried cloud gaming, according to BCG’s 2025 Gaming Survey, and 80% had a positive experience.
That doesn’t mean the cloud is taking over quite yet, though. More than two-thirds of people who have tried cloud gaming use it only 25% of the time.
High-speed, low-latency internet connections are required to make cloud gaming work, according to the report. If you have that, all you need is “a $40 controller and low-end laptop.”
Already, many of the biggest fiber and cable internet providers market specific plans as suitable for gaming. Fixed wireless plans are commonly regarded as unusable for gaming due to latency issues, but that may change with the growth of 5G, improvements to gateways in homes, and consumer device upgrades.