One in four grandparents keeps up with children by playing video games, poll finds
- Popular games were Fortnite, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Minecraft
- Figures showed 27 per cent were playing online games with their grandchildren
- 42 per cent of parents over 55 were playing with offspring who had left home
A quarter of grandparents are playing video games to stay in touch with younger members of the family.
Among the most popular games were Fortnite, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, GTA Online, Minecraft and chess, according to research.
The poll of 2,000 grandparents found that 27 per cent were playing online games with their grandchildren.
Research reveals grandparents are playing video games to stay in touch with younger members of the family (stock)
The study, Gaming: Perfect Play for Growth, by recruitment firm Robert Walters and data provider Vacancysoft, also found 42 per cent of parents over 55 were playing with offspring who had left home.
A spokesman for Robert Walters said: ‘In a year where physical social interaction with people outside of your household has hit an all time low, the uptake of video games has skyrocketed across every generation.
‘Sales this year have already increased by 218 per cent compared to the same period last year.’
He added: ‘More than one-in-four grandparents,27 per cent in total, have taken to playing virtual video games with their grandchildren as a way of staying in touch.
‘A further 40 per cent of over 55’s regularly play video games online with their own children during lockdown.’
Tom Chambers, a tech boss at Robert Walters, said: ‘As different demographics engage with gaming at different stages in their life, the way in which people interact with online gaming is becoming increasingly segmented.
The poll of 2,000 grandparents found that 27 per cent were playing online games with their grandchildren (stock)
‘This increasing segmentation of gaming means that as the industry grows, there will be a natural explosion of gaming companies and hiring – where within the next five years the number of people employed in the sector could be tripled.
‘While it’s anecdotally still thought that gaming chiefly appeals to younger people; 85 per cent of under 35s state they frequently picked up a controller during lockdown, as well as 75 per cent of 35-44 year olds.
‘As these Millennials mature – now aged between 25 and 38 years – so too does the proportion of people gaming above the age of 40, meaning there is an abundance of untapped growth potential amongst older audiences.’
