Is It Wierd I Spend Too Much Money On Games

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Editors' Pick| May 8, 2020, 08:30am EDT |

People Are Spending Ridiculous Time And Money On Gaming During Coronavirus

Matt Gardner

A British writer covering indie and retro gaming, esports, and more.

Gamers are spending way more time and money on their passion than you might think.

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If you're a gamer, you may be taking advantage of public health guidelines to spend even more time in front of the screen. This, it turns out, is leading to a much greater amount of money and time being spent on the pastime than you might have predicted.

A new survey from cybersecurity expert BullGuard and custom PC builder Chillblast found that three-quarters of gamers are spending more money on gaming–and nearly one in five (17%) admitted to paying a whopping £100 ($123) more every month on "in-game purchases, new games, hardware or other related items".

Over 1,000 British gamers were surveyed about their gaming habits since the coronavirus lockdown, which was enforced here in Blighty back in late March. Its findings come hot on the heels of Nintendo's announcement that its sales had rocketed, largely due to its latest Pokémon and Animal Crossing releases.

This huge spike in spending is undoubtedly linked to the extra time that people are dedicating to their digital passions. Over four-fifths of self-declared gamers (84%) have increased their time on their chosen platform, while over a quarter are going to greater extremes: 27% of players are spending an additional five or more hours on games every single day. Imagine that: a working week's worth of gaming on top of the usual time in front of the screen.

Games are, of course, brilliant fun, and they appear to be having a positive impact on mental health during the pandemic. Half of gamers surveyed (49%) said gaming was actively lowering their anxiety during lockdown, while six in ten players are escaping to online games to "help block out the current situation."

Games like 'Animal Crossing' have been firm favorites for players during lockdown.

AFP via Getty Images

What's more, the pastime is keeping those around them happy, too. Three-quarters of those surveyed (77%) said their partners, family or loved ones have "no issues" with their change in gaming habits.

This might not be that surprising, given the more negative effects this lockdown is having. Gamers, often stereotyped as having a lax approach to cleanliness, are increasingly playing to this typecasting: one in five gamers have been missing showers, while 16% said they'd been dodging their toothbrush. Still, we Brits would be nothing without our notoriety for terrible dental hygiene.

As part of his company's own research, CEO at BullGuard Paul Lipman was pleased to discover that over 80% of gamers were using antivirus software while gaming–something more important than ever, given spikes in cybercrime over the last couple of months.

He explained: "The survey results demonstrate that gamers really are savvy all-rounders. They're looking after their mental health, keeping themselves safe from cybercriminals and the increase in cyberattacks, as well as taking the government's crucial advice."

Ben Miles, managing director at Chillblast, also highlighted the positivity of gaming on wellbeing. "It's great to see how gaming across the board is helping people deal with the lockdown," he said. "As a society, we have more awareness about mental health and so it is heartening to see how gaming is helping with a sense of wellbeing."

Of course, it pays to choose your games wisely at this time–I can tell you from experience of trying to complete Modern Warfare 's "Mile High Club" on Veteran that they can be counterproductive. Luckily, gaming-focused mental health charity Safe in Our World recently launched a hub dedicated to offering coronavirus information, resources and advice to the world's gamers–and it's even got a recommended games list.

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Matt Gardner