According to data from Ofcom’s annual report on the online habits of UK gamers, PlayStation Plus has 3.2 million subscribers across the UK. The data is particularly interesting if it is related to all the others.
39% of Brits over 16 and 59% of 3-15-year-olds play online. On average, the British play 7 hours and 33 minutes a week online. The figure includes all gaming platforms: PC, console, VR and mobile.
It should be noted that these numbers come from a survey conducted at the end of 2021 and show how the online stay of people has decreased after the end of confinements due to COVID-19. The only age group in which the consumption of online games has increased is between the ages of 55 and 64.
More than 58% of those who play online are subscribed to at least one dedicated service, such as the Xbox Game Pass or the PlayStation Plus. As of the fourth quarter of 2021, PlayStation Plus subscribers were 3.2 million (obviously we are talking about the traditional one), those at the Xbox Game Pass 2.6 million, followed by those at Xbox Live Gold (1.5 million) and Nintendo Switch Online (1.49 million).
Smartphones are the most used devices for playing among adults, that is 37% of players choose them, against 30% of those who choose consoles. The latter is more used by young people. More precisely, 60% of those between 16 and 24 and by 59% of those between 3 and 15 years old.
Research by Childwise taken up by Ofcom states that 14% of young Brits between the ages of 5 and 16 have access to Xbox Series X or S, while only 10% to PS5. A third of all home consoles are Nintendo Switch anyway.
According to data collected by the Safer Internet Center, also taken from Ofcom, 70% of parents believe that playing online has helped their children to stay in touch with friends, while 60% of young people between 8 and 17 have claimed to feel less just playing online.
Of course, there is also the bad news: while 71% of kids who play online say it makes them happier, 68% said they met toxic and offensive players. In this sense, Ofcom also found a profound difference in the feeling of online security between players and female players.
Speaking of games, the most loved by kids are the usual Minecraft and Roblox, while adults indulge themselves in Candy Crush Saga, played by 2.5 million Brits in February 2022. Following is Pokémon GO, played by 1.6 million adults.
Wordle was also very playful, involving more than 8.4 million adults in February 2022.
Finally, more than 58% of adult Brits watch video game content online. The figure rises to 90% if we consider the age group between 16 and 24. The first platform chosen to watch content is YouTube, followed by Instagram, TikTok and then Twitch.