Kids Wants Video Games More Than Money For The Holidays, Study Finds

It’s not a big surprise, but a lot of children want video games for the holidays. The Entertainment Software Association, which represents the US video game industry’s interests in Washington D.C., has released the results of a study that says kids aged 10-17 overwhelmingly want video games for Christmas and the holiday season in general.

A survey found that 76% of kids plan to ask their parents or caregiver for video games, outpacing money (67%), clothes (66%), and general tech items like phones and smartwatches (62%).

Both girls (67%) and boys (87%) said they planned to ask for video games this holiday season. Breaking things down further, the top five game-related items that children want are consoles (47%), subscription services (43%), console games (41%), game gear (41%), and in-game currency (38%).

The survey also looked into the spending predictions for US adults and found that those who are planning to buy video game gifts said they planned to spend $312 on average for themselves or others.

The Financial Times reported this week about what is expected to be a challenging holiday shopping season for video game hardware. The publication cited Gareth Sutcliffe, an analyst for Enders Analysis, saying, “It would be difficult to imagine a holiday season that is less exciting than this one when it comes to gaming hardware.” Sutcliffe added, “It’s fairly grim this year.”

Video game hardware sales are trending down across the board, with Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch sales falling year-over-year, a trend that’s expected to continue when Circana releases its latest monthly report for October later this month.

Sony just released the PS5 Pro, but the console is aimed at a very small tech-enthusiast market rather than the general consumer.

To help spur sales, Microsoft temporarily cut the price of the Xbox Series X by $50. A trailer from Sony showed a $20 discount for the digital edition of the PS5 Slim until Christmas Eve, but the company has since edited that trailer to remove mention of the discount without explanation.

Nintendo, meanwhile, just announced its own set of Black Friday deals, including discounts on Switch bundles. Nintendo is expected to announce the Switch 2 in the next few months.

As for the ESA, it lobbies lawmakers in Washington to help convince them to keep regulations at bay. The ESA wants to see the video game industry self-regulate as opposed to having the government step in. The ESA recently congratulated President-elect Donald Trump on his victory, extending praise also to the senators and representatives who make up the 119th Congress.

“We look forward to working with the Trump administration and the incoming Congress in support of policies that help to ensure that we can continue to captivate and engage the more than 190 million Americans that play video games regularly,” the ESA said.