NeoMarketing, Inc., a provider of marketing support services focusing on consumers, conducted Internet research on " e-sports for seniors " among men and women aged 60 and older nationwide, and released the results.
The e-sports market is expanding rapidly, and a survey on the status of e-sports among seniors was conducted.
In recent years, the e-sports market has been expanding rapidly, and interest in e-sports is gradually growing not only among young people but also among seniors. In particular, e-sports for seniors is attracting attention as a form of rehabilitation and social interaction, and its potential is beginning to be widely recognized. Neo Marketing Co., Ltd. conducted a survey on " e-sports for seniors " targeting men and women aged 60 or older nationwide, and asked the seniors involved about their awareness of and participation in e-sports, their level of interest in the sport, and what they find attractive about the sport. The results of the survey were as follows. Regarding the benefits of e-sports, 66.3% of the total respondents found "activation of the brain and prevention of cognitive decline" to be appealing. When asked what kind of initiatives would help e-sports become more popular among people of the same age group and generation, the most common responses were that it should be "enjoyable in the community" and that "beginners will not be left behind.
Do you know e-sports?
79.7% of respondents were aware of "e-sports. The "I know only the name" category accounted for 70.4%, indicating that the name "e-sports" itself is widely known among seniors.
Have you ever seen e-sports?
0.8% of the respondents were enthusiastic enough to say that they have seen e-sports at a venue, while 27.0% had seen it on video. According to the Japan e-Sports Association, the e-sports market in Japan is expected to grow to 19.4 billion yen by 2024 and 21.7 billion yen by 2025, so the opportunities for e-sports to be featured in mass media such as TV are expected to increase. The opportunities for senior citizens to come into contact with e-sports videos are also expected to increase further in the future.
Have you ever participated in e-sports as a player?
0.4% have experience as a player, and 4.3% are potential players who have "never participated but would like to participate. The results indicate that e-sports is still in its infancy among seniors.
What do you think is good about e-sports (free answer)
Respondents who answered "Yes, I have seen e-sports" or "Yes, I have seen e-sports online or on TV" in the "Have you ever seen e-sports" section or "Yes, I have participated in e-sports as a player" section were asked to indicate whether they had participated in e-sports as a player or not. The respondents who answered "I have never participated in e-sports, but I would like to participate in e-sports," were asked to describe what they thought was good about e-sports in a free answer format.
- Can participate even if I am not physically fit
- Can be enjoyed even if you are not good at sports
- Can compete without handicap
- Everyone has a chance
Are you interested in participating in e-sports as a player?
There are many players in their 60s and older in the world of e-sports, including Japan's first senior e-sports team, the Matagisnipers.
After informing respondents that "there are e-sports that have players in their 60s and older," we asked them again about their interest in participating in e-sports as a player. After learning this information, 9.8% (the sum of "very interested" and "somewhat interested") responded, more than twice as many as in the previous question. This figure is likely to increase further as more people see on TV and in newspapers that "people of the same generation are also active as players.
What are your thoughts on e-sports as it applies to you?
It seems that e-sports is not yet recognized as a "sport," with 70.6% and 80.0% of respondents agreeing that "I don't think it is a sport" and "I think it is just for fun," respectively. However, 33.5% and 46.9% agreed with the positive image of the sport, saying that it "seems to lead to social interaction" and "seems to be fun regardless of age and gender," respectively. On the other hand, around 20% agreed that "I hope it will become more popular" and "I would like to participate if there is an opportunity to experience it," indicating that there are people who are concerned about the hurdles they may face in the beginning and how high the hurdles may be.
Among the effects of e-sports, which do you think are attractive?
The top response was "brain activation and prevention of cognitive decline" at 66.3% (sum of "very appealing" and "somewhat appealing"). The fact that e-sports is effective in maintaining and improving cognitive function has been demonstrated in a demonstration experiment conducted by Kawanishi Town, Isogi-gun, Nara Prefecture, and in an effectiveness study announced by Tsurugashima City, Saitama Prefecture, but it seems that the image of e-sports as health promotion is also widely spread among seniors.
What kind of initiatives would make e-sports more popular among the same age group and generation (free answer)
- I think it would become more popular if there were people in the community who could teach it.
- I expect it to spread from familiar places, such as competitive games in the community, etc.
- I think it will be easier to participate if there are more supporter companies and more tournaments are held in the community. Also, I think it will become more familiar if tournaments are frequently televised on SNS and TV, etc.
- There should be tournaments in each region that anyone can participate in, and each level can participate in them.
The keyword "regional" stood out in this question. From the results of the survey, it can be said that the shortcut to popularization is to create places where people can learn the game in their neighborhoods without having to go out of their way to travel far. Some were also concerned about being left behind when they first try it for the first time. As e-sports facilities are still in the process of popularizing e-sports among seniors, it would be important to allay their concerns by offering courses that are labeled "beginners only" or "first-time e-sports" in order to attract seniors to these facilities.
Details of the survey results can be found on the official NeoMarketing website.
| Outline of the Survey | |
|---|---|
| Survey method | Web-based survey method using a survey system operated by Neo Marketing Co. |
| Subjects of the survey | Men and women aged 60 and over nationwide |
| Number of valid responses | 1,000 respondents |
| Survey period | September 5, 2024 (Thursday) to September 6, 2024 (Friday) |