I find the Entertainment Software Association’s (ESA) surveys weirdly depressing. Not because of their contents—they are in fact usually incredibly spiriting and positive—but because of how they are wholly ignored by the worldwide media in favor of reporting on video games as either a peculiar niche or a lethal scourge. Facts like how the average age of a games player is 41, demographics split almost 50:50 men and women, and 80 percent of people play games socially, go routinely ignored. The latest data you won’t be seeing recalled on your favorite morning news show is that a significant majority of children wish their parents would play video games with them. Oh, and also that they give them money to spend in them.
This ESA latest holiday survey, conducted with YouGov, spoke to 1,912 people aged 5 to 65, to find out what kids want to find under their tree this year. And, like in 2023, it found that most kids want video games and video game-related currency. 58 percent of children are putting games on their wish list, meaning games are the third most popular desire after money and gift cards (69 percent) and clothing or accessories (63 percent). And as we’ve seen previously, it’s primarily not a new physical game that kids are after, but rather in-game currency.
43 percent will be asking for money to spend in a game they already own (be it Vbux, Robux, G-tag Shinies, etc), compared to 39 percent who are after a new console, and just 37 percent looking for a new physical game. 32 percent, meanwhile, are looking for an in-game subscription.
The boy/girl split has become far more stark in 2025, however. This year 76 percent of boys aged 5 to 17 want something video game-related, while only 39 percent of girls have it on their letter to Santa. In 2023 it was 59 percent of girls. In 2024 it was 67 percent. So what on Earth has happened in the last year to see that number plummet? Well, the best explanation I can find is that this year’s survey has expanded its age range to include 5 to 9-year-olds as well, and perhaps younger girls are less interested and so skewing the numbers.
But what stands out most to me is the data that more than half of children say they want to play more video games with their parents. 58 percent, in fact. Obviously those numbers drop off significantly as kids get older, but among 5 to 7-year-olds, an astonishing 73 percent say they want their parents to play alongside them more. It’s still 66 percent aged 8 to 9, and 62 percent for kids aged 10 to 12. (The ESA doesn’t include 12 to 17 numbers, so we can assume it sharply drops off at that point in order to get the overall figure down to 58 percent.)
Play games with your kids! They want you to! Not only is it the most effective way of negating harm—being able to help moderate mood, better control screen time, and intervene when online issues arise—but it’s a wonderful way to bond. Sure, Minecraft might not be your number one choice of game to play, but let them bring you in, show you their builds, challenge them to some PvP, suggest going on a diamond hunt, or have a house-building competition. Yes, you may suck at Fortnite, but play in Duos and let them teach you, revive you, and put the blame on you when you lose in third place. Even just using the app to stream what they’re playing in VR to your phone can make that a shared experience, kids delighted to have you discover the otherwise secret worlds.
The ESA is obviously a biased source, given it’s a trade association for the industry, the cause of E3, and indeed a regressive force against games preservation, but its surveys do tend to be based on solid data. Data I wish the broader media would bother reading.
