Source: Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA)
Video games affirmed as a source of connection, stress relief and mental stimulation in one of the largest consumer surveys ever conducted of more than 24,000 video game players in 21 countries across six continents.
Sydney, October 9, 2025 – The Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA), in partnership with video game trade associations in Canada, Europe, South Korea and the US, recently released the 2025 Global Power of Play report. The report reveals the universal social and emotional benefits of video games, confirmed by both peer-reviewed academic research and a survey of 24,216 active (weekly) players (age 16+) in 21 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom and the United States of America (U.S).
“As one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world, video games are a source of fun and entertainment for billions of players around the world. What the 2025 Global Power of Play report confirms, however, is that video games are much more than that,” said Ron Curry, CEO of IGEA.
“Combined with academic research and one of the largest consumer surveys ever conducted of video game players, the 2025 Global Power of Play Report confirms that games are more than just a source of fun and entertainment for billions of players around the world. In fact, playing video games brings immense value to the lives of global citizens, providing borderless avenues for connection, improving health and mental wellbeing and providing an important role in education.”
Globally, players agree on the positive social, emotional and mental benefits of game play:
- Having fun is the top reason people around the world say they play video games (66%), with stress relief (58%) and keeping minds sharp (45%) making up the top three reasons for playing. The top three reasons Australians say they play video games are to have fun (67%), for stress relief (59%) and to keep their mind sharp (50%).
· Seventy-seven percent of players globally say video games help them feel less stressed, 70% report reduced anxiety and 64% credit video games with easing loneliness by connecting them to others. Australians feel similarly, reporting games helps them feel less stressed (75%), less anxious (67%) and less lonely (56%).
· Players worldwide agree that video games provide mental stimulation (81%), provide stress relief (80%) and create accessible experiences for people with different abilities (78%). Australian players are again like their global counterparts, ranking mental stimulation (82%), stress relief (81%) and creating experience for people with different abilities (76%).
Players around the world turn to games for broader skill development:
· Players agree that video games help improve creativity (77%), problem-solving (76%) and teamwork and collaboration skills (74%). Adaptability (72%), critical thinking (71%) and communication skills (67%) also rank high. In Australia the top three skills players believe are improved by playing video games are problem solving (80%), critical thinking (78%) and cognitive skills (72%).
· Half of all players worldwide say playing video games has directly bolstered their professional education through technical or behavioral skills, and 43% report that games have influenced their career or educational path. In Australia, 39% say video games have positively impacted their careers.
· Over half (54%) of global players feel that sports video games have sharpened their real‐world abilities in that same sport; 38% of Australians agree.
Video games are not only a popular vehicle for lasting connections with children, family members and friends, but also are an avenue to forge new relationships:
· Nearly two-thirds (62%) of players worldwide agree that video games create spaces for positive connections with others.
· Across the world, younger players (ages 16-35) use games to make and build relationships, with 67% saying they have met a good friend, spouse or significant other through video games. Nearly three in four (73%) of that same age group say video games help them feel less isolated and lonely by connecting them to other people.
· More than half of players globally (55%) say that video games positively impact their relationships with their children, and 68% play with their children in-person at least monthly. 43% of Australian players say games positively impact their relationship with their children.
Profile of the global video game player (age 16+):
· The global video game player is 41 years old on average and is about just as likely to be male (51%) as female (48%).
· There are several countries where significantly more women than men play video games, including Brazil (57% to 43%) and South Africa (58% to 41%). In Australia it is 51% female to 48% male.
· Globally, the majority (55%) of players play on mobile devices. Action and puzzle games are the top two favored genres in 20 of the 21 countries surveyed.
Access the complete 2025 Global Power of Play report at www.igea.net
About the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA)
IGEA (Interactive Games & Entertainment Association) is the peak industry association representing the voice of Australian and New Zealand companies in the computer and video games industry. IGEA supports the games industry’s business and public policy interests through advocacy, research and education programs. For more information, please visit www.igea.net
The Power of Play Report Methodology
The global survey was conducted by AudienceNet*, gathering 24,216 responses across 21 countries on six continents: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. Participants were aged 16-65+, and all qualified as active gamers, defined as playing video games for at least one hour per week via console, PC/laptop, tablet, mobile, or VR. Quotas and screening criteria ensured a minimum of 1,000 active gamers per country. All respondents were recruited via professionally accredited consumer research panels.
*AudienceNet is a fully-accredited global consumer research company, currently conducting nationally representative research in 52 countries. As a Market Research Society (MRS) Company Partner, AudienceNet is bound by the MRS Code of Conduct, as well as GDPR in relation to the collection and handling of consumer research data.
