Gaming has been on the rise in the US as much of the nation continues to seek out entertainment while social distancing. That’s especially true among kids who have been watching more gameplay-related videos online and have been playing more games on mobile devices, according to Intepret’s latest GameByte^® report.

Among kids age 3-12, weekly gaming hours increased from 11.9 in Q1 to 13.4 in Q3. Additionally, when not playing, many kids enjoy watching others play their favorite games, as 66% report watching more gameplay-related videos during the pandemic.

Mobile devices have long been an entry point for gaming among children, and mobile was far and away the most popular gaming platform for kids during the last 6 months, Interpret data shows. 87% of kids age 3-12 report having played a mobile game, and that figure jumps to 92% among girls age 3-9. There was also a significant increase (from 48% in Q1 to 56% in Q3) in girls age 6-9 playing a social PC game.

In fact, when it comes to weekly hours spent watching gameplay videos, the 3-5 age bracket among girls saw the biggest increase during the pandemic, rising from 3.5 hours in Q1 to 5.7 hours in Q3. The data is encouraging and points to further interest in games among girls at an even earlier age, which bodes well for continued involvement from women in games in the future as these girls grow older. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) already shows strong participation from women across various age brackets, especially on smartphones.