Xbox UK launches campaign for post-lockdown social gaming

Xbox UK has commissioned a survey of 2,000 UK adults to find out their views on the social benefits of gaming, a key consideration as the industry looks to whether it can maintain the momentum of the last year going forward. 

61 per cent of professional respondents said they played games with friends and family to stay in touch during lockdown, and 69 per cent said they believe that video games would provide the best way to break the ice with colleagues before returning to the office full-time. (whether screaming at your teammates for a revive in Warzone counts as ‘breaking the ice’ is not covered by the survey sadly).

76 per cent of survey respondents said that online gaming is “a good way to bond and make connections with people they can’t see face to face.” Though again whether wiping out your colleagues in a cold and treacherous manner in Among Us is going to endear you to your new workmates is something entirely different. 

Data findings in full:

• 88% of Brits are looking for new ways of communicating with friends/family/colleagues once lockdown lifts, beyond video calls
• 91% plan to continue to talk to others digitally to supplement in-person conversations even once lockdown lifts
• 6 in 10 (61%) played games on smart phone/laptop/console with friends/family/colleagues through lockdown as a way to keep in contact
• Over three quarters (76%) think online gaming is a good way to bond and make connections with people they can’t see face to face
• Listed among the main benefits of online gaming are its ability to strengthen existing friendships (53%) and the possibility of making new friendships (50%)
• Nearly 7 in 10 professionals (69%) believe gaming could provide the best way to break the ice with colleagues before returning to the office full-time

Xbox UK is working with TV psychologist Emma Kenny on the campaign, who said: “The last 12 months have fundamentally changed how people communicate, with technology providing an essential lifeline to family and friends. With data showing that 91% of Brits plan to continue supplementing in-person conversations with digital interactions for the foreseeable future, we want to show how gaming can provide that vital connection.”