New Japanese Study Reveals Average Player Ages for Completing Final Fantasy, Super Mario, and More

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I’ve been playing Final Fantasy games since 1997. A recent study by GEM Partners, shared by Nikkei Entertainment, shows I’m not alone in my age.

This study looked into the gaming habits of many Japanese fans, revealing the average ages of popular games and their estimated gender ratios. Some findings were surprising.

The Answer To Final Fantasy Is 42

The study included 180,000 participants, providing good insights into what people of all backgrounds enjoy in gaming. Many titles were represented, including Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Pokemon, Mario, Kirby, Fortnite, Valorant, and Minecraft. Japan’s passion for Splatoon was also noted.

Both Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest have average player ages in the early 40s. Despite having mobile versions, their players tend to be older.

Before seeing the data, I guessed that the average age for Final Fantasy would be around 38 to 40, and Dragon Quest would be closer to 45. Surprisingly, both are 42. This information sheds light on a challenge for Square Enix: Final Fantasy, which used to be a top JRPG series, has seen a decline recently. A common theory is that many fans who loved games like Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 10 are now moving away from gaming entirely.

The gender ratio for Final Fantasy is 70% male to 30% female, which isn’t surprising. I thought Mario would be different, but it shares the same 70:30 split, with an average player age of 32. I expected Pokemon to be younger, but it is also at 32.

Nikkei notes that Nintendo has a stable approach in appealing to a wide audience. “Nintendo titles are close to the overall gaming average of 30 years old and have reasonably balanced gender ratios.” This indicates that Nintendo aims to connect with a broad range of players, which is beneficial for selling games across different generations.

As for gender differences, Kirby’s ratio is 45% male to 55% female. Notably, Animal Crossing skews heavily female at 25% male to 75% female. The Yakuza/Like a Dragon series has a close 60% male to 40% female ratio, despite featuring many shirtless men.