Why do gamers play games? Half say mainly to relax, but the other half has different goals

We are proud to have launched our new gamer segmentation, which focuses on motivations, attitudes, and underlying reasons behind gaming behaviours.

This article zooms in on some key data and insights from our segmentation, based on both qualitative and quantitative data.

What is the main reason gamers play games?

To get to the heart of why gamers play games, we surveyed them asking that very question.

The main reason over half (53%) of gamers play is to relax and escape the real world, which is true across mobile, console, and PC gamers:

The other 47% of gamers are fragmented across a number of distinct motivations. These include creating / building, competing, challenging themselves, and socialising.

Of course, there is also plenty of crossover in why gamers play.

Want to see that data for yourself? Email rhys@midiaresearch.com and we will send it your way!

Introducing the gamer personas in MIDiA’s gamer segmentation

We identified five gamer personas, using our survey data and complementing it with long-form qualitative interviews with gamers who play for different reasons.

The five gamer personas in MIDiA’s gamer segmentation are as follows, with a few standout behaviours and a quote from some of the qualitative interviews:

1. The Escapist (53% of gamers): Escapists want to disconnect from reality and immerse themselves in gaming and other entertainment. They spend the most time ‘chilling’ (8.3 hours weekly) and prefer digital entertainment like gaming and streaming services. Their lower engagement in non-digital entertainment (4.7 hours) a week underlines a preference for solitary, low-pressure activities.

“I like exploring worlds and periods that I would never be able to see in real life… games like Red Dead [Redemption 2] and Cyberpunk [2077] are the best… I just let the game world sweep over [me] and get lost, in a good way.” – Escapist (Male, 42, Canada-based)

2. The Challenger (14% of gamers): This persona thrives on testing their skills and getting rewards and recognition for doing so. They love achieving difficult challenges in games, with a sizeable portion engaging in multiplayer online play monthly (18%). They spend the least time of all gamers on social media (albeit a sizeable 9.0 hours a week) and prefer activities that offer clear challenges and achievements.

“I love playing super-difficult games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring. Nothing beats being stuck on a boss for days and finally overcoming it. It is the best part about playing games for me… I also wear my platinum trophies on FromSoftware games as a badge of honour.” – Challenger (Male, 29, US-based)

3. The Builder (10% of gamers): Builders play games to satisfy their creativity. They are the all-rounders in terms of motivations for playing games, are the biggest earners in terms of household income, and are the top creators of user-generated content (UGC) in and around games.

“When I was really young, I used to play Minecraft with my Dad, and I still enjoy playing it from time to time… that is where I started making stuff in games, then I moved on to Fortnite Creative… I usually just make stuff in UEFN [Unreal Engine for Fortnite] now though.” – Builder (Male, 17, UK-based)

4. The Competitor (10% of all gamers): Competitors thrive on skills-based gaming and facing off against other players. They over-index for average time spent on games (9.9 hours weekly versus 9.3 hours for the average gamer), and 62% play against others weekly (versus 23% of all gamers).

“I mostly play to rise up the ranks. League and Valorant are my go-tos… Getting to Diamond [the top tier in competitive] feels awesome after grinding and putting the hours in.” – Competitor (Male, 28, Germany-based)

5. The Socialite (8% of all gamers): Socialites are the most socially active gamers and spend the most time weekly on games (and all entertainment segments). They mostly play games to socialise with others and meet new people. But they also spend the most time on non-digital entertainment. Their “work hard, play hard” lifestyle is reflected in their high average work hours and active social lives.

“I am at Bristol Uni[versity] …  playing games helps me keep in touch with my friends from back home, when I am not studying. We jump in[to] lobbies and just catch up. Playing games with my housemates is also a bit of a social thing, FIFA [EA FC] at predrinks and all that.” – Socialite (Male, 20, UK-based)

Playing mainly to socialise increases with every new generation, while escapism decreases

The data from the full gamer segmentation report reveals a clear inverse correlation between age and the two primary motivations for gaming – socialising and relaxation / escaping.

As the age group increases, the importance of socialising declines, from 17% for 16-19-year-olds, down to 9% for 35-44-year-olds and 4% for the 55+ group.

Adolescence and early adulthood are life stages for social exploration, where games serve as digital spaces for socialising and identity.

“I am partial to a CoD [Call of Duty] skin [in-game cosmetic]… I always play as Snoop [Dogg], which is a running joke with my mates.” – Socialite (Male, 20, UK-based)“

But of course, some of the motivations and habits gamers form when they are younger will stick into adulthood, too. This suggests that socialising will be an important part of the games market in the long-term future.

Online games hit mainstream popularity almost two decades ago now. People who were aged 15-24 back in the World of Warcraft, Halo 3, and Call of Duty Modern Warfare days are now in their 30s and 40s, and many still play games. To that end, 9% of 35-44-year-olds say that socialising is their main reason for playing.

Meanwhile, relaxation / escaping’s prevalence grows with older age groups. As responsibilities and life’s pressures accumulate, gaming shifts from a social activity to a passive hobby – or even a coping mechanism.

“I mostly play Candy Crush to fill up a bit of my time when I am finished with work and switch off a bit. It helps me chill out and forget about my never-ending list of emails.” – Escapist (Female, 59, UK-based)

Get to the root of why people play games and what this means for your business

The full report reveals some other universal truths, while also highlighting distinct (secondary) motivations, including:

• Age and gender distributions and average salaries per persona, Q3 2024, global

• Penetration of secondary reasons for playing per persona, Q3 2024, global

• Gaming behaviour by persona, Q3 2024, global

• Average weekly hours across entertainment by persona, Q4 2024, global

• Average monthly money spent per entertainment segment by persona, Q4 2024, global

Average weekly non-digital time spent per segment by persona, Q4 2024, global

We shift the lens from traditional behaviour-based segmentation (platform preferences, play time, and genres) to a more nuanced, attitudinal framework. However, we designed our segmentation as a framework to complement – not replace – traditional segmentation.

Combining the "why" with the "how" unveils a holistic understanding of gamers as entertainment consumers, letting marketers, product teams, and investors craft strategies grounded in real-world behaviours. After all, the attention economy is oversaturated and games increasingly compete not only with other games but also social media, film, music, and more.