Gaming is bigger than sports in Sweden

[StarZander]

A survey has been done in Sweden, and the results are pretty surprising.

http://www.sk-gaming.com/content/20136-Gaming_in_Sweden_bigger_than_football_and_hockey

Gaming bigger than football and hockey combined
39% of the population has played computer games this year. The figures for football are 24% and for hockey 3%. 17% of the ones who play computer games do it regularly, compared to 5% for football and 1% for hockey. This means that computer gaming is almost three times as big as football and hockey combined.

Gamers participate more in physical activity
74% of the gamers participate in physical activity compared to 61% of the population as whole.

Gaming is social
54% of the gamers play together with friends while in the age group 16-29 as many as 69% do. 12% of the gamers have gotten new friends thanks to their hobby. That means that over 300 000 Swedes over 15 have widened their social network through computer games.

Who said that gamers were lazy, lightshy nerds? :)

[Darth Lime]

And who said that games cause people to shun society and then go on a murderous rampage?

[Dyne]

American media. For one.

[Dunnowhathuh]

Compared to down here in Australia where our awesome ratings board can't stop banning games.

[SoloGamer]

And who said that games cause people to shun society and then go on a murderous rampage?

Sure, you say that now, but just wait until they start raping and pillaging neighboring lands.

[Torzelan]

54% of the gamers play together with friends while in the age group 16-29 as many as 69% do. 12% of the gamers have gotten new friends thanks to their hobby.
I'm really surprised that only 12% aren't just exclusively playing with people they already know. Guilds in MMO's, clans in FPS'es...

[zyko]

growing up in sweden is probably different than growing up in america

[Monobrow]

they don't even have swedish fish in swedeland

also what is with the swedish invasion on ocr... god too many of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! complain complain!

[Platonist]

they don't even have swedish fish in swedeland

also what is with the swedish invasion on ocr... god too many of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! complain complain!

ill go with this one first:
the reason why there's so many swedes online is because we're only 9 million people and everyone has an internet connection, we have great welfare and everyone have the opportunity to go to music school from the age of 9..


and also: growing up in sweden wasn't that big of a difference back in my days - gaming was still taboo back in the 80s 90s before internet hit us. things are different now though

[Rambo]

Compared to down here in Australia where our awesome ratings board can't stop banning games.

But that's different. You guys all have murderer blood in you. Theyre trying to keep it suppressed. That ratings board is an age old council trying to protect the country from certain doom.

[Hobocop]

This survey isn't an isolated footnote, as much of game studies literature is beginning to report the same kind of information. While the analysis of this survey merely suggests that gamers are social, many have claimed that gamers are MORE social than nongamers. In particular, Beck and Wade discuss this in their book:

http://www.e-learningguru.com/books/gotgame.pdf

It's a great book, I would recommend it, although it's obviously highly controversial and susceptible to individual beliefs. They also claim that gamers are better business people (better problem solvers, highly experienced at taking calculated risks, results driven etc). Anyway, in the interest of not sounding like an advertisement I'll stop talking about the book. Thanks for that link, though, it's always very interesting seeing new studies and surveys such as these.

[zircon]

Saying more people play games than sports doesn't mean anything... completely useless statistic. Far more people play video games in the U.S. than those who play football, but that doesn't mean that people in general here don't get more pumped up about the Super Bowl than, say, the latest Halo game. Not that many people play sports past high school, in ANY country, whereas video games are a leisure activity like reading books.

[Platonist]

Saying more people play games than sports doesn't mean anything... completely useless statistic. Far more people play video games in the U.S. than those who play football, but that doesn't mean that people in general here don't get more pumped up about the Super Bowl than, say, the latest Halo game. Not that many people play sports past high school, in ANY country, whereas video games are a leisure activity like reading books.

agreed and just my original thought

[wiredzombie]

Saying more people play games than sports doesn't mean anything... completely useless statistic. Far more people play video games in the U.S. than those who play football, but that doesn't mean that people in general here don't get more pumped up about the Super Bowl than, say, the latest Halo game. Not that many people play sports past high school, in ANY country, whereas video games are a leisure activity like reading books.
i agree
and how many of those people who play sports do you think play videogames anyways?

[GeckoYamori]

Sweden is probably the #1 geek country in the world. Multiplayer and LAN parties are deeply etched into youth culture, so much that we have songs about IRC and Warcraft 3 mods hitting the charts. There are nightclubs occasionally playing chiptunes, and there was a show on national radio dedicated to chiptunes and video game music.

[Hobocop]

Saying more people play games than sports doesn't mean anything... completely useless statistic. Far more people play video games in the U.S. than those who play football, but that doesn't mean that people in general here don't get more pumped up about the Super Bowl than, say, the latest Halo game. Not that many people play sports past high school, in ANY country, whereas video games are a leisure activity like reading books.


It's not a new idea by any means (that more people play games than sports), and a lot of us can say that we already knew this. But to dismiss it as completely useless is somewhat missing the point, if you ask me. While many of us may claim that we've known this all along, this is an empirically based study, and while that doesn't necessarily correlate to fact, it does provide tangible evidence of something we have assumed already (as mentioned). This may not be news to you, but it is for some.

This study wasn't for me or for you. It was for those that aren't into games and who don't see this coming. It, like most surveys, is probably also very political, and, like most surveys, the funding for it would most likely indicate the bias from which it originated. Also, this is just a news posting on a site, the statistics chosen for it were most likely not the study in its entirety.

Anyway, the way the author of this news article reported the findings is obviously not the most effective. I think that's one of the problems, but the findings themselves are quite interesting, especially the one indicating that gamers are more active. Then again, it makes me wonder about the sampling frame...

[Meeting_Gman]

Well, time to move to Sweden. Seriously though, everything I hear about Sweden is positive. Is the quality of life there really that good?

[Rozovian]

I have to say pretty much everything is great except some of their dialects. But then there's this (http://www.backpacking.se/grfx/MemberPictures/sweden_sucks3.jpg).

As for the gaming vs sports, some random country in the west going geek isn't gonna change the world overnight, neither is a study about how geeky the swedes are. Some of it might be unrelated, as swedes, scandinavians... europeans overall seem to spend a little less time at McDonalds than those in the US. Less of a polarization between jocks and geeks too, I suppose. Can't imagine tehre being that great a difference between here and there, and over here, all the cool kids played games.

On the other hand, Sweden gone geek might explain the swedish invasion on ocr.

[Mustin]

wtb swedish women zomg

[StarZander]

they don't even have swedish fish in swedeland

Actually, we do, we just call them something else. :)

Gott & Blandat FTW.

[I-n-j-i-n]

Not too surprising IMO. They don't really have their own national sport to speak of (or don't BS and say that Soccer or any other international one if theirs when it in fact isn't).

Also, gaming leagues have had a lot of Swedish presence other than the typical German, Japanese, Korean and American lot. Some Chinese presence lately too.

[Platonist]

wtb swedish women zomg

if you come here you might
cause you and the oneups got a whole page in the latest "level" magazine ^^
that's an awesome effort being in the biggest game magazine in sweden.. I just read it last night

grats :P

[StarZander]

if you come here you might
cause you and the oneups got a whole page in the latest "level" magazine ^^
that's an awesome effort being in the biggest game magazine in sweden.. I just read it last night

grats :P

I read that last night aswell, congrats Mustin (and the rest of your posse).

[Mustin]

Scan it and send it to me?

I wanna see it!

[Salluz]

I'm going to Sweden. No taxes, more gamers and women...

[StarZander]

I'm going to Sweden. No taxes, more gamers and women...

No taxes? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha .

The incometax is at a record low of 27%.

[StarZander]

Scan it and send it to me?

I wanna see it!

Maybe not the most awesome scan of all times, but here it is:

http://www.beffo.se/starzander/OneUpsScan.jpg

[Rozovian]

"För att bekanta dig med The OneUps kan du besökte theoneups.com och oneupstudios.com."

lol

(rough translation: "To familiarize yourself with The OneUps went to theoneups.com and oneupstudios.com.")

Mustin, any bluegrass coming ocr's way?

[StarZander]

"För att bekanta dig med The OneUps kan du besökte theoneups.com och oneupstudios.com."


I saw that too. :P Silly writer.

[Doulifée]

Sure, you say that now, but just wait until they start raping and pillaging neighboring lands.

they did that centuries ago. :nicework:

[Platonist]

besökte ... hahahaha :tomatoface: <- Johan Köhn

[Deathtank]

they did that centuries ago. :nicework:

so true, damn vikings!!! lol
Its funny how old violent people turned in quiet, non-violent people.
Sweden had its vikings and Japan had samurais and ninjas, they are quiet people now. :lol:

[anosou]

Actually, we do, we just call them something else. :)

Gott & Blandat FTW.

So THAT's what swedish fish are :/ I've been wondering a long time because everyone keeps pestering me about it :)

[Rozovian]

so true, damn vikings!!! lol
Its funny how old violent people turned in quiet, non-violent people.
Sweden had its vikings and Japan had samurais and ninjas, they are quiet people now. :lol:

Well, there's the Yakuza, the japanese mafia. And respectively, um... IKEA?

[anosou]

Well, there's the Yakuza, the japanese mafia. And respectively, um... IKEA?

or Swedish mafia? bikergangs? We're not saints y'know :)