Photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Imran Mojib, Special Correspondent

With social distancing and strict policies to curb COVID-19 being imposed by policy-makers, gaming is seen as one of the leading forms of entertainment in the UAE, and more women turned to gaming to fulfil that void, said Shika Samuel, analyst for IT panel at Growth from Knowledge (GfK).

Latest findings from a gaming survey conducted by GfK, with the objective of understanding how gaming habits have been shifting and continue to evolve since the COVID-19 outbreak, revealed that over half of all respondents increased their time spent on gaming.

It is apparent that the pandemic has significantly altered gaming habits on the three main devices: smartphones, consoles, and laptops in the UAE.

Survey findings revealed a spike in the number of gaming hours on these devices by consumers during lockdown.

Even though the number of gaming hours were reduced after the lockdown ended, the time spent on gaming post-lockdown was still higher than before it began as people continued to spend more hours playing games. In the UAE, an additional 1.4 hours were spent daily on smartphone gaming after the lockdown ended, compared to before it began.

In addition, the pandemic has also triggered a newly installed base of gamers in the UAE (+15%) with women accounting for over 40 per cent of this new base. The majority of new gamers overall were between the ages of 26 and 35.

Samuel added, “With restrictions still being imposed, and more people turning to gaming as a form of entertainment we will most likely see a continued growth in time spent playing across all devices in the coming months. I believe that experience fosters a growing habit, and with more time for gaming, we will most likely see an increase in purchasing consideration for devices, accessories, and games as people might look to enhance their gaming experience.”