The growing interest in games was not purely a phenomenon of the onset of the pandemic
Source: Getty Images / Marko Geber
Whether on your smartphone, console or computer: the selection of games is gigantic – and so are the German editions. In 2021, they spent € 5.5 billion on games. Buying makes up a small part of this. Big business is elsewhere.
Germany is a country of players. After the percentage of video players and computers remained constant for several years, it increased three points to 46 percent at the start of the corona pandemic. Last year he proposed it again: after the The data of the digital association Bitkom meanwhile, one in two people say they use videos at least occasionally PC games too busy.
At 53 percent, men are slightly in the majority here. The younger they are, the more they play. But the number of players across all age groups has increased.
The growing interest in games was not purely a phenomenon of the onset of the pandemic. In fact, Germans spent 9.8 billion euros on games and devices last year, 17% more than in 2020, according to data from Game, the German gaming industry association.
Source: WORLD Infographic
However, the leap in growth was even greater, almost a third in the previous year. “Those who first discovered the games during the block will also enjoy them in the long run,” says game CEO Felix Falk.
Source: WORLD Infographic
Most people use their smartphones for this. According to the statistics portal Statista, it is 45 percent of the players. One in three plays on the computer and a good quarter on a console.
Source: WORLD Infographic
Smart TVs are a little behind with just under ten percent. The biggest turnover is achieved with games on smartphones and tablets. Gaming apps have been among the most successful apps in Apple and Google app stores for many years.
Source: WORLD Infographic
The market in Germany is dominated by gaming spending. This represents a large part of the turnover, or 5.5 billion euros. According to Game data, last year the Germans spent almost 3.6 billion euros on hardware, that is, on consoles, gaming PCs and accessories.
Of the spending on games, only a good one billion euros actually went to the purchase of these games and 145 million euros to subscriptions. The lion’s share of over € 4.2 billion is in-game purchases, where players receive virtual goods or expansions. In this way, game developers can make continuous income.
Among smartphone and tablet users, in-app purchases increased by 22%. The association reports that in-game purchases for PC and console games increased by 50%. The change is happening with a delay compared to smartphones and is currently catching up. The share of German game developers in sales in Germany is around five percent.
Source: WORLD Infographic
Even though most people play games on their smartphones, consoles are still a big market. At the moment, vendors can’t supply enough devices because demand outstrips supply. Manufacturers in this sector are also feeling the shortage of semiconductors.
Source: WORLD Infographic
Incidentally, the best-selling game console in the world was the Playstation 2, which has sold nearly 160 million devices since its appearance in 2000, closely followed by the Nintendo DS.
The list of best-selling PC and console games in Germany last year was led by the soccer game “EA Sports Fifa 2022”, followed by “Grand Theft Auto V” and “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe”.
