🧠 Why gaming? Why now?
Digital games are no longer a niche topic. Children today grow up playing games — they are an integral part of their leisure activities and often also a social hub. For brands in a child and family context, it is therefore crucial to understand What really moves childrenwhen they play.
With the 2025 gaming study KB&B | Family Facts not only created a broad database based on 350 interviews with children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years — but also used a new methodology for the first time: AI-powered inquiries for open answers. That creates depth. And returns real language and emotions.
📊 The most important results at a glance
note: For this study, only children and adolescents who say they regularly use digital games were interviewed.
🎮 Usage & frequency:
- 81% of the children surveyed play regularly, 42% of them daily
- Boys play more frequently on a daily basis than girls (50% vs. 32%)
- Older people (14—17 years) and younger people (6—9 years) show particularly high daily usage rates
🕹️ Popular devices:
- Nintendo Switch (40%) is the most used device across generations
- PC/laptop (21%), PlayStation (15%) follow
- Boys are more likely to use stationary devices, girls are more likely to use mobile or family-friendly options such as tablets and switches
🌍 Favourite genres:
- Adventure games (48%) lead in all ages
- Action games (30%) strong among boys
- simulations (28%), particularly popular with girls
⏳ Game times:
- On school days: 75% play under 1 hour
- On weekends: Many children play 1-3 hours or longer
→ Leisure budget noticeably influences gaming behavior
🧱 Roblox usage:
- 33% of kids use Roblox
- Particularly popular among 10—13 year olds
→ Platform offers creative freedom, social interaction & community experience
🧸 Physical game remains relevant:
- 95% of gamers also play analog games
- 6—9 year olds in particular combine gaming with classic toys or board games
→ Digital games don't replace the analog — they complement it
🤖 AI-supported inquiries: The game changer in an open survey
For the first time in a kb&b study, a automated demand technology environment based on AI for use. For unanswered questions, individual questions were asked, e.g.:
“Why do you prefer to play alone? ”
“What do you particularly enjoy about Roblox? ”
“What games do you play with your parents? ”
This method allows deeper, contextual answers in real children's language — and therefore qualitative insights that go beyond standard coding.
We were then able to make the statements Weighting by age and sex and derive valid, strategically relevant target group types from this.
🧩 Insights from a child's perspective — what AI demands really tell us
👶 6-9 years:
- Gaming is social and familial — parents or siblings are frequent players
- Roblox & Super Mario are particularly popular — due to variety, imagination and fun
- Boys love racing games & challenges, girls emphasize freedom & self-determination
🧒 10-13 years:
- Roblox remains central, often with a focus on creativity & interaction
- Girls appreciate games that can be played alone & together
- Boys emphasize competition, progress and clear tasks
🧑 14-17 years:
- Boys focus on social aspects & multiplayer — the game is a means of exchange
- Girls sometimes consciously use games to relax & retreat — without social pressure
- Minecraft is particularly popular for team play & creative building
💡 Recommendations for action for brands
- Think about everyday life
Gaming is part of everyday life — but not always the same. Parents, school, free time and availability help determine when and how children play. Offers should be designed to be flexible and contextually relevant. - Diversity as a strength
Kids want to choose: between single player and multiplayer, between retreat and community, between building, fighting, exploring, or simply laughing. Product developments should respect this freedom of choice. - Adjust communication
“Gamer kids” are not a uniform target group. If you want to communicate convincingly, you need to know what counts differently for 7-year-old girls and 14-year-old boys. Emotions, motives and situations should be incorporated into the tonality and design. - Rethinking research
The combination of quantitative breadth and AI-supported deep research opens up new ways to really understand children. It's not a dream of the future — it's now.
🎯 Conclusion: Gaming is more than entertainment
Gaming is so much more than a game for children today: it is a place of retreat, social meeting place, learning space and an expression of identity. By understanding this reality, you can develop products, services, and brand messages that are relevant, honest, and effective.
The study was carried out by KB&B Family Facts in spring 2025 with 350 children and adolescents aged 6—17 years. The open answers were deepened and analysed using an AI-based demand mechanism.
🔗 More about the study and individual market research projects:
👉 www.kbundb.de/market research
