Christmas is usually the point in the year when people get to spend more of their time outside of work. In addition to traditions like eating way too much food, spending time with loved ones and giving gifts, many of us turn to movies, TV shows, and books for entertainment.
Millions of us will watch classics like Home Alone (1990), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), and The Santa Clause (1994). Others will be tuning in to watch Christmas specials of hit TV shows including Call The Midwife, Doctor Who, and Mrs Brown’s Boys.
For others, gaming will be our go-to form of entertainment.
In 2020, Steam saw its Christmas Day traffic spike, with 23 million users logging on to enjoy titles like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Cyberpunk 2077, and Grand Theft Auto V. That figure was up 46% on 2019, when 15.8 million logged in.
In 2021, many experts expect a similar or even larger number of people to be playing games on 25th December, with several different factors driving this growth.
Widening Demographics
One of the biggest gaming trends in recent years has been the types of people that have been playing gaming titles. It is no longer the domain of men aged 18-30, but a hobby enjoyed by equal numbers of men and women in just about every age group.
Some games appeal to different demographics more than others. For example, casual and hyper-casual titles tend to appeal to older players, while first-person shooters have younger audiences.
Some games have broader appeal though. Online casinos, for example, offer hundreds of different slot games that cover many different genres ranging from Ancient Egyptian mythology to space, allowing them to cater to just about every taste. In recent years, the popularity of slots has grown further as many casinos have begun to offer free spins to new customers to let them try out their games without spending much, or anything at all.
New Devices
On top of a growing number of people interested in gaming, millions of people in the UK will receive an electronics product as a gift. Smartphones, tablets, computers, and consoles are often at the top of wishlists.
The vast majority will at least try out gaming on their new device on Christmas Day, even if they don’t commit to a long gaming session. This could simply involve seeing what options are available in the App Store or trying out the graphics of their new device.
They’re Fun
Of course, the only reason people need to play a game is that they enjoy it. Many modern titles can also be played together, so a large proportion of games played on the big day will be multiplayer ones.