ESA Report: Video Games Top Holiday Wish Lists for Kids and Adults

[Leyla Whitehead]

A report from the Entertainment Software Association reveals that 72% of kids in the US want game-related gifts for Christmas. However, only 22% have specifically asked for physical games. Among the 500-plus children surveyed (ages 10 to 17), most are planning to request video game-related presents for the holidays.

Subscriptions are the most popular gift idea at 39%, closely followed by consoles (38%), game accessories (32%), and in-game currency (29%). Surprisingly, only 22% of the children surveyed expressed a desire for physical games this Christmas.

The ESA also conducted a survey with over 500 adults for this study. It found that one in three adults plans to buy video games for themselves or others, with 57% of parents considering video game-related gifts for their kids.

Game-related products topped the list, surpassing other gift ideas like money and gift cards (70%) or technology such as smartphones and smartwatches (62%). Books were at the bottom of the gift list at 26%.

Stanley Pierre-Louis, ESA president and CEO, noted, "More than 212 million Americans play video games regularly, so it comes as no surprise that games are at the top of this year's wish lists. Whether a family is getting a new console, updating their controllers and headsets, or adding to their library with new games and expansion packs, we know video games are a great tool for families to play together and connect during the holiday season and beyond."

 

[Locomotive]

Subscriptions are the most popular gift idea

 

[Wilkins]

Kids' entertainment in 2023 is pretty disappointing across the board, not just in gaming. Some might argue that entertainment, in general is going downhill, but it's especially bad for kids.

The options are limited to predatory games like Fortnite, draining your wallet for a bit of style.
dreadful Cocomelon nursery rhyme videos that can put you in a daze; overtly sexual and inappropriate
YouTube content, bordering on softcore porn and horror films in elsagate 2.0.
And obnoxious content farm YouTubers who scream and shout with bright colors and overstimulating content (not like PewDiePie or Markiplier, but more like LankyBox or MrBeast).

While there are some good things, like most YouTube web cartoons and many Nintendo/Indie kids' games, more kids seem attracted to vbucks and Cocomelon than these alternatives. It's quite disheartening.

We should push for better kids' content, like the old days of Nicktoons, good toys and comics

 

[Lord of Cringe]

Kids' entertainment in 2023 is pretty disappointing across the board, not just in gaming. Some might argue that entertainment, in general is going downhill, but it's especially bad for kids.

The options are limited to predatory games like Fortnite, draining your wallet for a bit of style.
dreadful Cocomelon nursery rhyme videos that can put you in a daze; overtly sexual and inappropriate
YouTube content, bordering on softcore porn and horror films in elsagate 2.0.
And obnoxious content farm YouTubers who scream and shout with bright colors and overstimulating content (not like PewDiePie or Markiplier, but more like LankyBox or MrBeast).

While there are some good things, like most YouTube web cartoons and many Nintendo/Indie kids' games, more kids seem attracted to vbucks and Cocomelon than these alternatives. It's quite disheartening.

We should push for better kids' content, like the old days of Nicktoons, good toys and comics

I get what you mean about kids' entertainment nowadays, but I don't think it's all doom and gloom. I've got three kids, and they've got a bunch of cousins around the same age, so I'm always seeing what they're into.

I've tried getting them into the new console games like Mario Wonder, Spider-Man 2, Ratchet and Clank on the Switch and PS5. But honestly, these games don't grab them like they do us. Makes sense, right? They're just fancier versions of what we played as kids. They don't have that same nostalgic feel for today's kids.

The big hits in my house? Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft. What they've got going is the social play factor. They're easy to jump into, on every device, and no sitting through long cutscenes or a one-hour tutorial. The games we love are basically updated versions of our childhood faves, so naturally, kids today are going to find their own thing.

And about TV shows, sure, there's a lot of junk, but there's good stuff too. You just gotta dig a bit. PBS Kids is a solid choice, and we're all over the cool Christmas shows on Disney+ right now.

So, it's not all bad. There's good content out there. We just gotta steer the kids in the right direction and mix it up with different kinds of media.

 

[Lucinator]

I was at Best Buy over the weekend picking up Christmas gifts, and in line, there's this dad with three Roblox game cards. That's all – just Roblox cards... I'm not sure about the card values, but according to Best Buy Canada the minimum card is $15, and they go up to $100.

 

[Logan]

no surprises there - kids are like the perfect targets for these reward loops. I took my niece to this bird of prey sanctuary once, packed with these huge exotic birds. As soon as we walked in, they handed her a paper with a scavenger hunt challenge. And man, she went wild running around, hunting for hidden codes just to score a bird plushie. I don't think she even glanced at the real birds, she was all about snagging that random prize

 

[Troll Hunter 94]

kids seem attracted to vbucks

Seriously, we're totally letting a whole generation down by not straight-up banning these virtual casinos that exploit kids

 

[Me Gusta]

modern kids be like

 

[Wilkins]

I was at Best Buy over the weekend picking up Christmas gifts, and in line, there's this dad with three Roblox game cards. That's all – just Roblox cards... I'm not sure about the card values, but according to Best Buy Canada the minimum card is $15, and they go up to $100.

I hope he bought these cards for himself