At least in the USA
The gaming industry is growing, and games as a holiday gift have long been a no-brainer. However, a recent study shows that modern children no longer want a new game as a gift, but rather a subscription or in-game currency.
The ESA study covers US children ages 10 to 17, so it can't cover all regions, but the gaming industry trends in the US are similar to those in the global market. 72% of children surveyed said they would like a gift for Christmas that was somehow related to video games.
At the same time, only 22% of respondents would like specific games. The most popular choice was a subscription (39%) to a game in one form or another. Now subscriptions are available in many popular multi-user projects.
38% of children would like to receive a new game console as a gift, 32% chose accessories, 29% voted for in-game currency.
Nearly one in three (32%) adults say they plan to buy video games as gifts for themselves or others, and among parents the figure stands at 57%, meaning more than one in two parents will buy video games this Christmas.