The Real Canadian Gamer Essential Facts 2020 was created by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and contains a range of statistics regarding who, what, when, where, and why so many Canadians turned to video gaming during the pandemic.
Of particular interest to me was page 28, "Who are Canadians Playing Video Games With?", which stated the following statistics:
- 72% of adults play with their friends
- 35% of adults play with their siblings
- 34% of adults play with their spouses/partners
- 15% of adults play with their parents
This final statistic lead me to wonder what percentage of children and teens are engaging in video games alongside their parental figures and guardians? Could this be an opportunity for education into healthy gaming-related behaviours?
Other statistics within the resource speak to the level of engagement parents have regarding what games their children play, stating 78% of parents are at least aware of the ESRB rating system to understand age-appropriateness.
However, I am hopeful others within this forum may have more insight into how parents can engage their children in developing healthy habits and practices when gaming.