Xbox Asks 1,500 Players To Sum Up Whether Gaming Is 'Time Well Spent' In New Survey

Over the years, every one of us has probably been told that we're wasting our time playing games, but there are obviously numerous benefits that come with a hobby like ours, and Xbox has been trying to get to the bottom of it.

Microsoft recently partnered with Edelman Data & Intelligence to conduct a survey in which 1,500 players in the United States were questioned about the impact gaming has on their lives, as well as how it contrasts with habits like doom-scrolling. The audiences for this survey were broken down into three categories spanning "core players", "enthusiastic players" and "casual players".

"To get a truer picture of how players feel about gaming, we partnered with Edelman Data & Intelligence to survey 1,500 adult video game players in the U.S. – representing a broad mix of play styles and perspectives, from core players to casual participants, across diverse demographics and backgrounds."

The results are pretty interesting, and we'll sum them up in a few bullet points below:

• "Nearly 68% of players surveyed say gaming is more emotionally fulfilling than their other hobbies, and three in four reported feeling that they’re doing something meaningful when they play."

• "Six in ten players in our study made lifelong friends through gaming, and more than half say their communities have supported them in tough times."

• "Nearly half of players surveyed say they often feel overwhelmed by too many choices in gaming, almost nine in ten find curation useful, and eight in ten say they’re open to smarter ways to discover what to play next."

• "71% of players hope to pass on their love of gaming to the next generation."

The Xbox Wire blog about the survey goes into more detail about each category, and insists the insights will "help us keep shaping what comes next", suggesting there are "three key reasons players keep coming back: meaning, connection, and self-expression".

"We spend more time than ever scrolling, swiping, and streaming. Most of it passes by in a blur, and habits like doom-scrolling fill the time but leave us feeling empty. But there’s one type of entertainment that feels different – one that gives back, turning moments into meaning – and in a way that our social feeds rarely do. Gaming."

"The findings reveal three key reasons players keep coming back: meaning, connection, and self-expression. It’s something you’ve known for years, and now the world is catching on: gaming just might be the most fulfilling, socially connected, and powerful form of entertainment today."

From our perspective here at Pure Xbox, gaming is of course time well spent for so many people. There's so much meaning to be had in making great memories in single-player adventures, spending quality time with friends and family in multiplayer games, sharing your love of the hobby with the next generation, making new friends through communities (like Pure Xbox!), learning skills, accomplishing goals, keeping your mind active... the list goes on and on.

It's important to note that gaming can become detrimental in certain circumstances where it becomes relied on too much and responsibilities go out the window, but as a general hobby that's enjoyed in a healthy manner, it's very much "time well spent" in our eyes.

We'll leave you with some of the images from that Xbox Wire blog down below:

What's your take on this? Let us know down in the comments section!