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63% of Gen Z Would Rather Play Video Games Than Watch a Movie

Spyxos

Spyxos

Member
gaming-main.jpg


The battle between the Video Game and Movie industry continues on, driven by Generation Z's preference for video games over movies. According to a 2024 report by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a staggering 63% of Gen Z individuals prefer playing video games to watching films (compared to a mere 14% of Boomers). This preference isn’t just indicative a shift in entertainment consumption but also broader changes in social interaction and technology engagement, with 71% of Gen Z also saying that video games are a great way to socialize and only 21% of Boomers agreeing with the same.

Unlike movies, which are more linear and passive forms of entertainment (if one can even sit still and watch for a couple of hours without getting on their phone), video games do a great job at providing an interactive medium where players are not just viewers but active participants. This level of engagement is something that seems to resonate strongly with Gen Z—a generation that grew up with digital technology and values interactivity as well as connectivity. Video games offer a unique environment where players control, or at the very least shape, the narrative and outcome, enhancing their appeal compared to traditional film watching and ensures that no playthrough is ever quite the same.


R6ku9x3.jpeg


gamerblurb.com

63% of Gen Z Would Rather Play Video Games Than Watch a Movie — GamerBlurb

Be sure to check out our picks for the best gaming peripherals of 2024 !
gamerblurb.com gamerblurb.com
 
Mokus

Mokus

Member
Well I was doing it before Hollywood movies got so stupid and boring. It's more engaging to solve issues in games rather just passively watch someone doing it in a movie.
 
M

mdkirby

Member
It’s not surprising. I wonder how much comes down to a level of self awareness that we’re hopefully addicted to our phones, but not typically being able to turn off that addiction, ie multiscreening when watching films. Games FORCE that behaviour change, which likely creates quite a positive association.

I’d be curious to see the stats if they threw in streaming a tv series, as separate to film or games. I know we find it oddly difficult to commit to a 2hr film, so we rarely watch them, but will very easily put on a series and binge it for 5 hrs. There’s some weird psychology I think that goes on with how we engage with entertainment these days.
 
StereoVsn

StereoVsn

Member
It’s not surprising considering shit that Hollywood peddling.

However the games Gen Z plays are also not what most GAF would prefer either, well, with the exception of a few folks.

And I am not sure the study includes the crap series in Streaming channels either.
 
HeisenbergFX4

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
57 years old here and I would much rather play a video game than watch the crap Hollywood has produced in the last many years

Not even sure last time I remember seeing a movie that I walked out of the theater and thought "wow, great movie" and my wife and I go often because she loves the theater experience especially IMax
 
CliffBronger

CliffBronger

Member
Hardly surprising.

Today movies are 95% total garbage, you couldn't pay me to watch them.
I have watched 2 movies this year Dune 2 and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

​

 
Cyberpunkd

Cyberpunkd

Gold Member
CliffBronger said:
Hardly surprising.

Today movies are 95% total garbage, you couldn't pay me to watch them.
I have watched 2 movies this year Dune 2 and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.
Click to expand...
This. I don't remember last time I was in the cinema, must have been for Dune Part 2. Other than that - what's the point? It's garbage + ads + overpriced popcorn and drinks.
 
R6Rider

R6Rider

Gold Member
Still plenty of good movies, just most people are averse to watching foreign films.

South Korea in particular has many fantastic films.

Then again I still think there's plenty of good films coming out even from Hollywood.
 
Last edited:
TGO

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Bullshit, 90% of them don't know what a movie is.
Just Netflix..... which probably explains a lot.
 
BizarroPete

BizarroPete

Member
Gen X here and I've felt like this for years. I wouldn't blame it on a decline in movie quality either. As a famliy man I subscribe to plenty of streaming services, for the family, so I have access to lots of old and new stuff. I would just rather play something than watch a movie or TV show.
 
Grildon Tundy

Grildon Tundy

Gold Member
mdkirby said:
It’s not surprising. I wonder how much comes down to a level of self awareness that we’re hopefully addicted to our phones, but not typically being able to turn off that addiction, ie multiscreening when watching films. Games FORCE that behaviour change, which likely creates quite a positive association.

I’d be curious to see the stats if they threw in streaming a tv series, as separate to film or games. I know we find it oddly difficult to commit to a 2hr film, so we rarely watch them, but will very easily put on a series and binge it for 5 hrs. There’s some weird psychology I think that goes on with how we engage with entertainment these days.
Click to expand...
I think you're on to something. These days, I almost always enjoy watching movies in the theater more than at home because if I pull out my phone in a movie theater, I'm a punk. But at home watching a movie, try as I might, I end up browsing the internet within 30 minutes.
 
Kenpachii

Kenpachii

Member
i can only watch a movie while i play a game next towards it. A normal movie bores me to death by just watching it without anything doing next towards it.
 
DonkeyPunchJr

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
HeisenbergFX4 said:
57 years old here and I would much rather play a video game than watch the crap Hollywood has produced in the last many years

Not even sure last time I remember seeing a movie that I walked out of the theater and thought "wow, great movie" and my wife and I go often because she loves the theater experience especially IMax
Click to expand...
For me it was Dune, Oppenheimer, Godzilla Minus One, Dune part 2… I went to the theater (without the kids) a whopping 4 times in the last 3 years, and one of those was a foreign film. And Oppenheimer was the only one my wife saw with me.

Hollywood is such a fucking disgrace now. I feel sorry for Gen Z. The movies I grew up with were a shared experience among everyone in my generation and stuck with us for a lifetime. Nowadays almost all of Hollywood’s money + effort is going into some vapid “modern audiences” entertainment slop that you’ve forgotten by the time the credits are over. It’s no wonder nobody is going to the theater anymore.
 
Saber

Saber

Member
2 things comes to mind:
- Movie industry isn't in great shape nowadays
- Does it tells if those percent are real gamers(you know, the ones who likes to play games) or just content creators, youtubers, etc that just do for views and trend
 
Humdinger

Humdinger

Member
Me, too, and I'm older. Movies just don't hold my attention anymore. Games do, occasionally, and so do books. But I have a hard time sitting still and watching a movie all the way through. I rarely watch movies. I only remember one or two movies I've truly enjoyed in the past decade.
 
Danny Dudekisser

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
While yes, the quality of newer movies has largely been in the toilet for a long time, I suspect this speaks more to Zoomers basically being trained by social media and the general nature of smartphone usage to become the ADD generation. Can they legitimately focus on a 2+ hour movie at this point even if it's good?
 
Kataploom

Kataploom

Gold Member
Attention retention is all time low these days, my mind was blown when I knew many people watch anime and movies at 2x and skipping entire sections to rush it and talk about it with others, there's also the trend of not watching the movie or anime, but just the summary and form an "opinion" based on it, that's why shows/movies summary youtube channels are so popular. Hell, the same applies to games, some people say "it looks boring so I'm gonna watch a summary instead", which is dumb because it's not the full experience, then they should skip it altogether.

That's BS, but the few ones that don't fall into the instant feedback trap will dominate the world tomorrow, basically, and that's not even a hard thing to make your children do so expect.
 
Y

YCoCg

Member
A Yakuza game has more depth and drama than most movies these days, who needs boring films when you have Japanese Mafia Soap Operas to play!
 
StueyDuck

StueyDuck

Member
Spyxos said:
gaming-main.jpg


The battle between the Video Game and Movie industry continues on, driven by Generation Z's preference for video games over movies. According to a 2024 report by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a staggering 63% of Gen Z individuals prefer playing video games to watching films (compared to a mere 14% of Boomers). This preference isn’t just indicative a shift in entertainment consumption but also broader changes in social interaction and technology engagement, with 71% of Gen Z also saying that video games are a great way to socialize and only 21% of Boomers agreeing with the same.

Unlike movies, which are more linear and passive forms of entertainment (if one can even sit still and watch for a couple of hours without getting on their phone), video games do a great job at providing an interactive medium where players are not just viewers but active participants. This level of engagement is something that seems to resonate strongly with Gen Z—a generation that grew up with digital technology and values interactivity as well as connectivity. Video games offer a unique environment where players control, or at the very least shape, the narrative and outcome, enhancing their appeal compared to traditional film watching and ensures that no playthrough is ever quite the same.


R6ku9x3.jpeg


gamerblurb.com

63% of Gen Z Would Rather Play Video Games Than Watch a Movie — GamerBlurb

Be sure to check out our picks for the best gaming peripherals of 2024 !
gamerblurb.com gamerblurb.com
Click to expand...
Well in terms of entertainment that's gone to shit, gaming is 3rd. Film would be 2nd and music would be a 1st by a huge margin.

Doesn't mean there aren't good movies/music/games. But majority and abundance of it is just trash
 
LavitzSlambert

LavitzSlambert

Member
Yeah, interactive entertainment is awesome. It's the entire reason I play games. Passive entertainment has its place too, and I still enjoy some movies but I very rarely go to a theater anymore. In fact my most recent theater trips were to watch some of my favorite old movies like Lord of the Rings.
 
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