Is working in gaming a serious job? We asked people in 17 markets what they thought
What does a good career look like today? In previous pieces, we discussed what respondents across 17 markets have to say of finance, auto and gambling jobs.
But, how do jobs in the video gaming industry rank?
Data from a recent YouGov survey that polled respondents across 17 international markets shows that video gaming jobs are among those people are least likely to view positively. A little over three in ten (31%) respondents have a positive view of roles in the video gaming industry - an impressive lead nonetheless over bottom-placed gambling jobs (12%).
One in five people (20%) say they see people working in video gaming jobs in a negative light, while over two in five (43%) take a neutral stance.
YouGov’s demographic data reveals that men are more likely than women (36% vs. 26%) to view gaming jobs positively. However, similar proportions of men and women (19% vs. 21%) view these jobs negatively.
Further, 46% of women view gaming jobs in neither positive nor negative light - a sentiment matched by two in five (40%) men.
By market, what people feel about those working in the video gaming industry
Positive view of people working in video gaming
Respondents in the UAE lead (48%) across markets in saying they have a positive view of video gaming jobs. The UAE is one of the markets in the Middle East investing generously in its gaming industry, with the larger region emerging as a global gaming hub in recent times. Interestingly, respondents in the UAE are also the most likely across markets to view esports as a real sport.
Indonesians (47%), Indians (41%) and Mexicans (39%), Singaporeans (32%) and Poles (32%) follow respondents in the UAE in feeling positively about video gaming jobs.
But less than a quarter of Brits (24%) and Americans (23%) agree as well.
Negative view of people working in video gaming
Germans account for the largest proportion (30%) of those who say they view video gaming jobs negatively, followed by Britons (26%) and Australians (25%). Notably, both, Americans and Brits (alongside Canadians) are the least likely across all markets to view esports as a real sport.
In Asia, Indians (18%) and Singaporeans (18%) are most likely to have a negative take of people working in the gaming space.
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Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 17 markets with sample sizes varying between 500 and 2040 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in January 2024. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.
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