World Video Game Day: Consoles in Rural Homes

In 5 out of 10 households (46%) in rural areas with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants that have internet access, there are video game consoles. Households with minors are the ones that use these consoles the most and where these devices are most present, reaching 63%.

This is one of the main findings from the study “Connected Rural Spain: Profile of Internet Users in Small Municipalities,” prepared by the Asteo Observatory, in collaboration with the consulting firm Random Strategy. This data has been published to coincide with World Video Game Day, celebrated every August 29 since the year 2008. This celebration seeks to honor all those who are passionate about video games around the world.

The Asteo Observatory report also shows that video game consoles are used very or quite frequently in 28% of households in rural areas, with this percentage doubling (45%) in households with minors. According to the latest data collected by the Video Game Industry Yearbook in Spain 2023, prepared by the Spanish Video Game Association, there are more than 20 million video game players. This publication reveals that the video game industry has continued to grow in our country in recent years, with a 16.3% increase in revenue compared to the previous year.

 

This growth is also visible in rural areas, where the use of video game consoles is above the use of ebooks (32%), virtual assistants (27%), or home automation technology (17%). However, this device ranks below other devices for accessing games such as desktop PCs, which are in 5 out of 10 households, tablets, in seven out of ten (69%), or mobile phones (100% of households).

Nationally, and according to data from the Video Game Industry Yearbook, 31% of all video game players choose consoles for online gaming, compared to other devices such as smartphones (32%), PCs (24%), or tablets (13%).

 

The report, the second prepared by the Asteo Observatory, also shows that video games are among the top 15 activities carried out by internet users in rural areas. Browsing, sending or receiving emails, getting information, or banking transactions are in the top positions, while online gaming ranks eleventh.

More than half of the surveyed users who play online, 54%, acknowledge playing these video games during the week, while 40% state they only use consoles on holidays.