"Relieving Loneliness Through Games"… 'Global Game Play Influence Report'

Korea Game Industry Association Collaborates with Gaming Organizations from 12 Countries
Releases 'Global Game Play Influence Report'

Seventy-one percent of global game users responded that games help reduce stress. Additionally, more than half reported that games alleviate feelings of isolation and loneliness.

The Korea Game Industry Association released the "2023 Global Game Play Impact Report (POWER OF PLAY GLOBAL REPORT 2023)" on the 11th.

This report is the first publication created through collaboration among representative game associations from countries and regions including the United States, Australia, Canada, and Europe. A survey was conducted with approximately 13,000 game users aged 16 and older from 12 countries (Korea, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States) to investigate their behavior patterns and areas of interest.

According to the report, the top reasons global game users enjoy gaming are ▲for fun (69%), ▲to utilize leisure time (63%), and ▲to relieve stress and relax (58%).

The emotional benefits gained from gaming were ranked as follows: ▲helps reduce stress (71%), ▲helps reduce anxiety (61%), and ▲helps reduce feelings of isolation/loneliness (55%).

In Korea, the percentage of respondents who said games help reduce stress was 53%, which is lower than the global average of 71%. Furthermore, while 64% of global respondents agreed that gaming is a healthy way to cope with daily difficulties, only 39% of Korean users agreed with this statement, showing a difference in perception about games.

Gamers particularly agreed that gaming can enhance personal abilities. Notably, these include ▲creativity (73%), ▲problem-solving (69%), ▲cognitive skills (69%), ▲teamwork and collaboration (69%), ▲adaptability (65%), ▲communication (60%), and ▲language skills (57%).

Games also serve as a platform for communities beyond physical limitations. More than half (51%) of global game users reported playing games online with others weekly, and 26% said they play daily.

Chairman Kang Sin-cheol of the association stated, “We were able to reaffirm that games perform various roles socially and emotionally beyond simply being ‘entertainment.’ I believe this project is meaningful as it was jointly promoted by global associations representing the game industry, and we will continue to actively cooperate to properly communicate the value of games.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.