The gaming industry is no longer characterized by an adult man living in his mom’s basement and playing games instead of working. However, it remains an area that isn’t as well researched. It leads to asking the question of whether and how culture influences gaming habits.
The Gaming Industry of Today
Today’s gaming industry isn’t just focused on video games but also on mobile games and iGaming content. Mobile devices are the most-used devices for playing games, thanks to their ease of access and increasingly good hardware.
Further, many online casinos now offer the best casino games and odds on sports. However, what shows the impact games have had on society is that you can now even bet on esports (Counter-Strike, League of Legends, Dota 2, etc.).
Online casinos will show the latest CSGO odds and often have a live stream of the game for you to bet on. There are over 2.6 billion gamers worldwide as the gaming market has expanded and become more normalized.
Experts believe that by the end of 2025, the gaming market will be worth $503.14 billion, which is quite a bit more than the annual worth of $396 billion it recorded in 2023. In fact, some studies show that about 78% of American households have at least one gaming device.
Further, about 61% of the US population plays at least an hour each week. Gaming was often said to be a man’s hobby, but it’s now become more gender-neutral. Statistics show that about 46% identify as female, 53% identify as male and 1% identify as neither or didn’t want to say.
The new acceptance of video games is largely thanks to the benefits paying them has. As you can see below, they’re good for more than just entertainment.
How Pop Culture Shapes People’s View of Games
When you think about gamers, pop culture will undoubtedly have a large impact on how you view them. Shows like The Big Bang Theory often portray characters like Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj as big gamers.
However, they were also shown to be “nerds,” socially awkward and sometimes callous. This often created the impression that gamers are the dregs of society. As the media evolved, new shows and movies started depicting gamers in a new way.
Movies like Ready Player One and Free Guy show games in a whole new way, with gamers seen as edgy and “heroic.” There’s even more focus on remastering games like Tales of Grace or Legend of Zelda.
Companies are also creating multiple movies and series about games to cater to gamers who’ve played these titles. These include shows and films like Arcane, Fallout, Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Last of Us and Secret Level.
YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvY9Uq7I30Y
What Is Meant By Cultures?
When people think about culture, most think about a specific country. However, you can’t just consider the country from which people originate. You also have to consider the ideals that specific cultures carry over.
Just because you live in a specific country doesn’t mean there’s only one culture. For example, people growing up in New York will have a different culture than people growing up in Georgia. Further, Caucasian families often have different cultures from Hispanic or African American ones.
Of course, this isn’t always the case, as the world is becoming even more open-minded and intertwined with each other. As such, a greater understanding exists between different cultural groups.
Still, growing up in a specific culture and environment will change how you look at things. Further, there’s a measure of individuality in how culture affects you, as not everyone will respond the same way, even if they’re from the same culture.
For example, take someone who grew up Amish. They might never even consider playing video games, or they might discard their Amish upbringing and become an avid gamer who religiously checks what games are releasing in 2025. You can never know.
The Relationship Between Cultures and Games
It’s important to consider culture in broader terms and examine how societal values in specific countries affect residents’ relationships with games.
International Studies to Consider
A study was done in Korea and the US to see whether the different cultures influenced gaming habits. It was found that players of these two countries often had the same social motives to play games: finding friends, gaining social support and being entertained.
However, the difference comes in the weight placed on these motivations. Korea, which is more focused on a collective mindset, focuses more on the social aspect of gaining friends. The US, which has a more individualistic mindset, focused more on gaining entertainment from it.
Another study done in Japan and the UK showed different results. Japan’s societal values are focused on gaining harmony through family, a collective mindset and honoring the past. As such, they believe that while games are fun, they’re not a replacement for real human friendship and interaction.
They also gravitated to less violent games. The UK youths, on the other hand, started playing games later but often consider online friends just as legitimate as real-life friends. They also tend to play more aggressive games.
Gamers’ age also has a major impact on their playing style. In the last few years, millennials have made up about a third of America’s workforce, while Gen X has made up about a third of the overall workforce.
As such, they dominate mobile games, which are convenient to access at any time. This means their age and current standing in life affect their gaming habits.
Individualism and Collectivism’s Impact
A 2012 study suggests it’s less culture and more the ideals of individualism and collectivism that shape the way you play games. The expected outcome you have of a game affects how you play it. For example, with individualism, you’re more focused on personal gratification.
As such, there’s a higher expectation for entertainment, which shows these users focusing more on character creation and following the storyline. For people with a more collective mindset, you’ll often see a focus on MMO games and completing quests with friends.
How Games and Culture Intertwine
Culture certainly impacts gaming, but the type of impact isn’t always obvious. It’s challenging to nail down how culture shapes the way you play games, but by looking at the mindset a culture cultivates, you can start to see the motivations of gamers behind their gameplay styles.