1) Around 42% of the online population in Germany plays video games, with gaming being most common online and 23% of adults gaming weekly. Non-gamers mainly lack interest in gaming. 2) 32% of online users in Germany have some interest in gaming, which gamers see as fun but non-gamers less so. Gamers also have broader interests than non-gamers. 3) Around 3 in 10 parents in Germany play games with their children, often to monitor time spent and game content. Most parents believe gaming encourages creativity and skills in children.

1. November 2012
Germany
VIDEOGAMES KEY HEADLINES

3. 1 Incidence of gaming
amongst the online
population is at 42%
The profile of gamers is skewed slightly
towards males, with a relatively even
distribution across age groups.
Online is the most common form of gaming in
Germany.
23% of adults are playing weekly. For non-
gamers, a lack of interest in the category is
the main barrier.

4. 2 32% of the online
population are very or
fairly interested in
gaming
Gaming is perceived as a fun and
entertaining activity by the majority of
gamers.
A higher percentage of gamers than
non-gamers are interested in nearly all
other activities.
There is a strong interest in technology
amongst gamers (67% vs. 42% non-
gamers).
A quarter of non-gamers believe
gaming is good at providing escapism.

5. 3 3 in 10 parents
play games with their
children
Over a fifth of parents playing games
with their children do so to monitor
the length of time or types of games
they are playing.
6 in 10 believe gaming encourages
their child to be more creative. A
further 55% believe gaming
encourages their child to develop
skills.

6. 4 The majority of
children aged 6-15 are
buying or receiving games
1 in 5 parents of children aged 6-9 always
buy that child’s games. In contrast, a third of
parents of children aged 10-15 never buy the
child’s games.
1 in 5 parents of children aged 10-15 say
they are ‘not at all’ knowledgeable about the
games that child plays.
Three quarters of parents of children aged 6-
9 say their child never plays games with a
higher age rating. This falls to 47% amongst
parents of children aged 10-15.