A new study by the Entertainment Software Association, or ESA (the people who used to bring us E3 every year) details just who is playing video games in the United States this year, and the results are interesting. ESA’s 2026 Essential Facts About the U.S. Video Game Industry study is all about the demographics of all of the 212.3 million people playing games in America, and the data shows that the average American gamer is a 37-year-old white man—exactly like me. Screenshot by Destructoid The study concluded that the average player age across all of America is 37 (like myself, born in 1989), and the ethnicity of adult players is overwhelmingly white/caucasian (68 percent), while gamers are 53 percent male. While the average age is pushing 40, the most dedicated and hardcore players are way younger, with 84 percent of all kids aged 5 to 17 playing games, compared to 63 percent of adults aged 18 to 90. But with those kids, many of their parents are playing with them. The study says that 75 percent of parents play video games, and 81 percent of those have played video games with their children, helping form bonds that could create a hobby (and memories) that lasts a lifetime. And 47 percent of those playing with their kids are doing it because they were asked to, so it’s many of the young ones leading the charge. Lots of people are playing games, but why? Well, 66 percent of players say it’s to have fun, pass the time, or relax, while just 32 percent say it’s to use their brains or keep their minds sharp. And then 70 percent of players 18 and older say that it can help bring different types of people together, which has been a key for me personally throughout the years as I’ve met friends and fostered relationships via my career. The study is fun to peruse through, if nothing else, so you can check it out on the ESA website to browse in your free time.0The post The average American gamer is a 37-year-old white man, new study says appeared first on Destructoid.