New Survey Finds How Much The Average Gamer Spends On Gaming In Their Life

Look, I know that the last thing you really want to hear on a Tuesday morning is how much money you’ve been spending, and how much you could have had if you’d held back from a few potentially impulsive purchases. I mean, you probably only have to have a quick glance in your bank account to remind you of that.

But no, a new survey by All Home Connections has been published, with results which seem to have specifically set out to make gamers everywhere feel bad. Fun! As reported by TheGamer, 1000 American video game fans were quizzed to figure out how much money they spend on gaming, and the results are wild.

Of course, the money that each individual gamer spends will vary massively - the numbers we're about to get into would certainly be a lot higher if everyone had a setup like this.

It turns out that the average gamer spends around $76 (about £60) per month on gaming, or about $58,000 (£45,600) during their entire life. That “entire life” is calculated assuming that they started splashing the cash on gaming when they turned 16, and would live to 80, by the way. 

When it comes to age groups, perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s millennials who are spending the most, with a monthly average of $86 (£68), and a projected lifetime spend of $66,048 (roughly £52,000). That age group grew up in a time where gaming was already a big thing, and they generally earn more money than Gen Z, so it adds up. Speaking of which, Gen Z spend just a bit less at $80 a month (£63), and are expected to spend $61,440 (£48,000) during their entire life. On the flip side, it’s boomers who tend to spend the least, with a monthly average of $52 (£41), and a lifetime projection of $39,936 (about £31,000). 

Need more salt rubbing in the wound? Of course you do. All Home Connections decided that it’d be fun to add in how much money we could expect to have made by retirement if we weren’t busy buying Xbox Game Pass every month and new instalments of FIFA every year, and I’m not gonna lie, it’s depressing. Gen Z could have had about $285,000 (£224,000) by the time they turn 65 (assuming a 6% annual return). Meanwhile, millennials could have had over $307,000 (£241,000), and boomers $185,000 (£145,000). 

So, that’s cheery, isn’t it? Oh well, if we weren’t spending all that money on games, what else could we possibly hope to spend it on? A house? Boooring. Now, please excuse me while I contemplate my life choices.