On French radio RMC, Daniel Riolo called adults who still play games at 35 anxiety-inducing; industry figures show the average French player is nearly 40.
Sources lacremedugaming.fr
Three weeks before GTA 6, the debate over gamers' age has restarted on French radio. On October 22, on Estelle Midi, commentator Daniel Riolo went after what he calls "kidults", reports La Crème du Gaming.
A former FIFA 13 ambassador, he admits he was "all in" on the game but felt he was "wasting time" on his life. He then said: "What worries me is kidults! 'I'm 35 and I keep numbing myself with this'." A colleague answered that it is an activity "no more condemnable than fishing or hunting", according to La Crème du Gaming. GTA 6 is in the article's title, but the target is video games in general, not Rockstar.
No. The site cites SELL and French Senate figures: 40.2 million French people play at least once a year, nearly 30 million weekly, 88% are adults and the average age is around 39 to 40. "Kidults", adults aged 20 to 55 buying games, toys and geek culture, reportedly account for 29 to 33% of French games and toys revenue, about 1.3 to 1.4 billion euros.
On excess, the same source notes the WHO recognises "gaming disorder", but puts problem use at roughly 3 to 5% of players. The criterion is loss of control, not age.
Read also GTA 6 launch day sick days: the $1 billion productivity loss claim doesn't add up
The game is rated PEGI 18, so it is aimed at adults first. We have already looked at that audience with Webedia's boss calling it the event of the decade and days off for November 20. See the release page for the date.
Nothing for the game. But the row is a reminder that GTA 6's audience is the one in the official statistics: people in their thirties and forties with a job, a budget and often a day off booked.
Sources lacremedugaming.fr
Reported Reported by the press, not confirmed by Rockstar
By Solange Rocheval · GTAVIFRANCE newsroom
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