UK women to spend over £1bn on video games – Barclays

Barclays Corporate Banking has found that UK women will spend £1.1 billion on video games over the next 12 months, according to information published in a recent survey.

The UK Video Gamers Trends Survey, conducted by the corporate arm of Barclays found that because of this, women in the UK will also make up a third of the projected £3.5 billion that will be spent on video games in the UK.

The survey also found that women were more likely to game alone, compared to males who play more often as a social activity, and that women preferred playing single player titles. Mobile gaming experiences were also said to be preferred by women, due to the prevalence of apps and single player experiences on those devices.

The UK’s £4.3bn video games industry is a thriving and vital contributor to our economy," said head of technology, media & telecoms at Barclays, Sean Duffy. "While trends in mobile and virtual reality are well publicised, female gamers have been a substantial driver of growth in the industry over recent years, opening up a part of the market that was previously overlooked.

 “Our research finds that the majority of female gamers engage through mobile, and the growth of mobile titles has no doubt been central to increased uptake by women. Of all of the platforms we surveyed, mobile is forecast to see the most growth over the next 5 years. There is a big opportunity for developers to expand the female market with mobile games targeting women."

The survey also found that British studios need to do more to promote their origins, citing that many consider Grand Theft Auto V and Monument Valley as US produced games and that gamers were unable to identify blockbuster games that have been made in the UK. This could be very important as the survey also found that one in seven British gamers would buy a game made in the UK over one produced abroad due to more relevant humour and compelling storytelling.

Virtual reality was also in the spotlight as 15 per cent of those surveyed said that they would be likely to invest in a VR headset over the next two years.