FitXR Survey Provides New Insights Into Gamers : TechGoggles

FitXR, a pioneer in virtual reality (VR) fitness games, today announced survey results offering deep insights into video gaming enthusiasts, or “gamers.” Executed in collaboration with Propeller Insights, the survey polled more than 1,100 consumers in the U.S. about their gaming hardware and applications, usage habits, playing time, preferences for social gaming, and interest in gaming-related fitness.

In terms of gaming hardware and its use, more than half of respondents (56%) said they play video games, with 21% of those surveyed owning a VR headset. Among those who own VR headsets, 83% said they use them to play video games. Behind gaming, the second most popular use of VR headsets was watching TV and movies (21%), illustrating the growing presence of this technology in the entertainment space. Using VR headsets for exercise was the third most popular use of the technology (14%).

Gaming usage habits were also explored. Of the respondents who reported playing video games, more than half (51%) reported playing at least a few hours a day, with a subset of that group playing eight hours a day or longer. Specifically:

49% reported playing “a few hours a week”
32% reported playing “a few hours a day”
11% reported playing between “four and eight hours a day”
6% reported playing “more than eight hours a day”
1% reported playing “all day”

Social gaming

Social gaming also proved popular, with 58% reporting that they play social video games that allow them to compete with their friends, family and online acquaintances. In fact, 56% of respondents said that they’ve “met and made new friends while playing a video game,” with 23% reporting that they made one to two new friends, 42% reporting that they made three to five new friends, and 35% saying that they have made six or more new friends while playing video games. Some 55% of respondents say they have met those friends in real life.

Recognizing the need for fitness

Amidst all of the time spent gaming, there is recognition that fitness – and short fitness breaks – would be welcomed by gamers to combat the sedentary aspects of their hobby. When asked about short one- to two-minute “fitness breaks” during long gaming sessions, a total of 59% of respondents said that they would either “love the idea” or “it would be a good way to reset and get my body moving.” Conversely, 22% of gamers indicated that they “work out on my own time, so I wouldn’t need this.”

Gaming trade-offs

The survey also explored what gamers would be willing to give up other than their “gaming time.” And, while 22% wouldn’t give up anything, some of the trade-offs that people were willing to make included:

24% would give up their Amazon Prime subscription
29% would give up their morning smoothie or juice
31% would give up podcasts
34% would give up food delivery, such Caviar, Seamless or Uber Eats
37% would give up beer or wine

“The survey results align closely with what we’re seeing in the gaming space and with what our players tell us,” observed Sameer Baroova, co-founder of FitXR. “As the data projects, the next wave of gaming is trending toward technologies like VR to drive new applications and provide experiences that integrate with other aspects of people’s lives, such as making new friends and integrating fitness into gaming routines. We’re excited because the future is so wide open for technology to make gaming much more than a solitary, sedentary and 2D activity.”