Gaming is commonly associated with children, but did you know that the average age of a gamer in Australia is now 35?
According to new research conducted by the Interactive Games Association of Australia in collaboration with Bond University, the average gamer age has increased, and nearly half of all gamers are female.
The annual Digital Australia survey reveals that gaming, once considered a niche, is now a priority for at least 8.5 million Australian households. In addition, the survey found that 46% of Australian gamers are female, 53% are male, and 1% are non-binary.
When it comes to media entertainment, video games are now second only to video streaming in Australian households. During the pandemic, gaming has now surpassed free-to-air television.
Haughty Chicken is a grandma gamer who defies stereotypes and encourages people to be kind and true to themselves. She knows she’s not what the general public refers to as a “stereotypical gamer” as she approaches her sixties.
She said that the idea that gaming is only for kids is an outdated stereotype and said that everyone can play video games.
Her online alias is Haughty Chicken, and it’s an alias that’s earned her thousands of followers across Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch, where she streams video games to an audience most days of the week.
According to her, she was watching a friend of her stream on Twitch and they suggested she also try it; She was hesitant at first, but when she realized there weren’t many streamers her age, she thought, ‘Why not?’
She wasn’t sure if anyone would stop by to say hello at first, but they did, and it has grown since then.”
Haughty has been playing video games since she was a teenager, beginning with Pong on her parents’ black and white television. She said that when she’s not streaming, she works and studies for her PhD in Melbourne.
Haughty is a strong advocate for mental health, and he believes that gaming has played an important role in his mental well-being, particularly during lockdown.
According to research, 75% of Australian gamers played video games with others during lockdown.