Woburn, MA – December 9, 2020 – Global research from Kaspersky found that more than a quarter (27%) of gamers around the world are ashamed of how much they game and hide it from their parents. The findings will be discussed today in a live panel called “Mum’s Got Game.”
The research1, commissioned by Kaspersky and conducted by Savanta this November, looked at gaming in 2020 across 17 countries and 5,031 respondents, and considers the dynamics between gamers and their parents that have changed and what can be done to break down barriers and stigmas.
According to the gamers surveyed, gaming shame is due to outdated stigmas2 that remain around it, such as “bad for your health” (61%) or "rotting your brain" (42%).
The biggest disappointment for gamers is that, while parents appreciate many of the positives, such as creativity (43%), social skills (34%), and problem solving (31%), they are less able to engage with them about their passion, mainly because gameplay and the social elements of gaming are so different from other, more traditional entertainment media like movies and music. In fact, half (47%) believe that if their parents "got" gaming, their relationship overall would be better.
To help with this, Kaspersky has teamed up with three moms for the first-ever “Mum’s Got Game” panel show. These moms are either gamers or raised professional gamers, and have a lot to say:
- Anne Fish, mom to Benjyfishy, Fortnite player for NRGgg with 2.5m Twitch subscribers
- Keza MacDonald, Video Games Editor, Guardian
- Ruth Payne, mom to Behzinga, member of Sidemen group (4m YouTube subscribers)
“Supporting your kids’ passions is vital, even if you don’t share them,” said MacDonald. “It's about seeing games the same way as you'd see any other interest and not necessarily as [a] potentially insidious force.”
The panel will be broadcast on YouTube here on December 9th at 6 am GMT.
“Gaming has provided huge support to many this year; offering solace, relief and friendship in difficult times,” said Andrew Winton, Vice President of Marketing at Kaspersky. “But for many families, the negative perceptions of gaming can be very counter-productive in enabling open dialogue and building relationships. We hope that the wise words from these mums will help others start to have better and more positive conversations between gamers and parents.”
To read the full report visit our blog.
1"Generation Game" research was commissioned by Kaspersky and conducted by Savanta in November 2020, over 17 countries and 5,031 respondents. All respondents were under 35, spread evenly across gender, age and socioeconomics within that, consider themselves gamers, and game at least 5-10 hours per week on a PC. The countries are: Russia, USA & UK (at least 500 each), Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey and UAE (at least 250 each).
2Negative Stereotypes of Online Gamers and the Communication Consequences
3Based on 3.1bn global gamers, 48% are on PC
About Kaspersky
Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 250,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at usa.kaspersky.com.
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