A recent survey conducted by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) showed that children in the United States prefer gaming subscriptions and in-game currency as their Christmas gifts instead of actual games.
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Changing Trends in Gaming Preferences of Children
The ESA survey reached out to over 500 children ages between 10 to 17, with the survey not entirely focused on gaming. Despite that, it was notable that gaming-related gifts are the most requested present for Christmas.
Moreover, instead of wishing for actual games, young people would rather receive valuable gaming purchases such as in-game cash or gaming subscriptions. Among the surveyed children, 39% want subscriptions, 38% would love to receive consoles, 32% for game accessories, and 29% simply want in-game currency.
On the flip side, only 22% of the kids want to receive physical games for Christmas. The number became a surprise result as it used to be a popular choice among the age bracket just a few years ago.
Gaming Industry Boosts Revenue Through Young Players
Games such as Roblox and Fortnite cater the most to the young people. In fact, 55% of Roblox players are within 12 years old and below. As for Fortnite, many young players remain enticed to the game.
With such a stable demographic for players, it is no surprise that in-game cash is the most sought present for the upcoming holiday. Most of the popular games right now are free-to-play but will require players to purchase an in-game currency to buy cosmetics and accessories within the game.
As for the subscription services, many console platforms have been offering a huge selection of gaming titles for a certain price. PS Plus and Xbox Game Pass are now the hottest gaming subscriptions in the market which provides a wide range of catalog instead of buying one game only.
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