Board Games Make A Lockdown Comeback, Uswitch Study Reveals
- Board games have made a lockdown comeback with millions of Americans Googling old-school board games to play online
- Searches for 'online board games with friends' increased 12,556% in March with 'Trivial Pursuit online' recording 1,608% increase from February to April
- Xbox recorded Black Friday levels of traffic and PlayStation saw searches more than double whilst Nintendo Switch was the most searched lockdown console (592% increase)
- Searches for The Sims almost doubled in March, increasing 94%
LONDON, June 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Board games have made a lockdown comeback with millions of Americans Googling old-school board games to play online at home, according to new data collected by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
Uswitch's Isolation (Play) Station study analysed gaming Google search trends in the US and UK during lockdown to determine the most searched for video games.
Table 1: Lockdown Google Search Increase for Online Board Games in US
Online Board Game | Av. monthly searches (May '19 - Apr '20) | Total searches Feb '20 | Total searches Mar '20 | Total Searches Apr '20 | Total increase in searches (Feb - Mar '20) | Total increase in searches (Mar - April '20) | Total % increase in searches (Feb - April '20) |
Trivial Pursuit online | 3,600 | 1,300 | 12,100 | 22,200 | 10,800 | 10,100 | 1,608% |
Pictionary online | 1,2100 | 4,400 | 33,100 | 60,500 | 28,700 | 27,400 | 1,275% |
Cluedo online | 2,400 | 1,300 | 4,400 | 9,900 | 3,100 | 5,500 | 662% |
Monopoly online | 33,100 | 22,200 | 90,500 | 110,000 | 68,300 | 19,500 | 395% |
Connect Four/4 online | 10,200 | 9,500 | 17,500 | 26,200 | 8,000 | 8,700 | 176% |
Battleships online | 8,100 | 8,100 | 18,100 | 22,200 | 10,000 | 4,100 | 174% |
Game of Life online | 9,900 | 6,600 | 14,800 | 18,100 | 8,200 | 3,300 | 174% |
Boggle online | 8,100 | 8,100 | 12,100 | 18,100 | 40,00 | 6,000 | 123% |
Backgammon online | 18,100 | 18,100 | 27,100 | 33,100 | 9,000 | 6,000 | 83% |
Checkers online | 40,500 | 40,500 | 49,500 | 60,500 | 9,000 | 11,000 | 49% |
Source: Uswitch.com
Searches for online board games saw an increase in volume in the US, with 'online board games' being Googled an extra 61,900 times in March compared to February. The term 'online board games with friends' saw searches increase 12,556% from February to March.
Compared to the nine other popular board games analysed, 'Trivial Pursuit online' searches increased the most by 1,608% from 1,300 in February to 22,200 in April. However, 'Monopoly online' recorded the greatest increase in actual searches from 22,200 in February to 110,000 in April.
Consoles also saw a significant increase in searches, with 16,670,340 (170% increase from February to March) search terms recorded during March relating to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox. In April, searches increased to 29,274,020 (76%).
The Nintendo Switch saw the greatest increase of 592% from February to April, while PlayStation saw searches more than double in April compared to February.
Xbox recorded the lowest increase in search volume compared to competitors, however, in March it experienced similar traffic levels recorded during the 2019 Black Friday and Christmas period sales, before increasing to 3,044,530 searches in April.
Due to increase in demand, consumers experienced Nintendo Switch shortages across the US, with the console sold out at most retailers in March and April. However, the console is now back in stock and available to buy from the official Nintendo website. Whilst the Sony PlayStation 5 event is postponed without a current reschedule date, it is said to still be on track to release PlayStation 5 late 2020, however there may be fewer units available[1].
Table 2: Lockdown Google Search Increase for The Sims in US and Europe
Country | Av. monthly searches | Total searches Feb '20 | Total searches Mar '20 | Total searches Apr '20 | Total increase in searches (Feb - Mar '20) | Total % increase in searches | Total % increase in searches (Mar - April '20) |
USA | 705,200 | 599,900 | 1,165,200 | 1,362,700 | 565,300 | 94% | 17% |
UK | 222,200 | 202,800 | 579,000 | 468,500 | 376,200 | 186% | -19% |
France | 165,230 | 150,130 | 444,730 | 338,640 | 279,500 | 196% | -24% |
Germany | 160,940 | 174,360 | 360,190 | 242,390 | 185,380 | 107% | -33% |
Spain | 63,330 | 51,360 | 177,040 | 147,330 | 125,680 | 245% | -17% |
Italy | 23,640 | 22,350 | 40,480 | 40,840 | 40,480 | 81% | 0% |
Ireland | 11,050 | 10,010 | 31,150 | 25,670 | 21,140 | 211% | -18% |
Source: Uswitch.com
Once the best-selling PC game series of all time, The Sims has seen a resurgence of search traffic. The US's Sims search volume increased 94% (565,300) from 599,900 searches in February to 1,165,200 searches in March. Searches rose a further 17% in April, to 1,362,700.
Compared to the six European countries analysed, in March the UK recorded the second greatest increase in actual searches in March with 376,200 extra searches. Spain recorded the greatest proportional increase (245%), whilst Italy recorded the lowest percentage increase of 81%.
Only the US recorded an increase in search traffic from March to April (17%). However, the UK, France, Spain, and Ireland still recorded at least double the monthly average search volume in April.
Nick Baker, broadband expert at Uswitch.com, says: "It's hardly surprising that people are looking for games to play at home during lockdown. However, what is surprising is that people aren't searching for new games to play, instead they are seeking entertainment and solace in nostalgia.
"We all remember spending hours playing The Sims and Monopoly in our childhood bedrooms. Before lockdown, the average casual gamer spent 6 hours per week gaming. Now that many of us have more time than ever to spend at home, we can once again get lost in our favourite virtual gaming worlds of the past.
"Social distancing can be a lonely time for many people, especially those that live alone. Therefore, connecting with friends online to play classic board games is a great way to switch off and have some much-needed fun.
"With all this extra gaming, it is important to have a good broadband connection at home. A good place to start is by checking your broadband speed and comparing it to what you should be getting."
You can see the full report here.
Find out your home broadband speed and the fastest service available in your area here.
Source/Creative Commons: Uswitch
Methodology:
Google search trends were analysed using the Google Ads Keyword Plan tool. Historical data from April 2019 to March 2020 was extracted. This data was then analysed by Uswitch.
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About Uswitch
Uswitch is the UK's top comparison website for home services switching. Launched in September 2000, we help consumers save money on their gas, electricity, broadband, mobile, TV, and financial services products and get more of what matters to them. Last year we saved consumers over £373 million on their energy bills alone.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a new business that also owns Money.co.uk and Bankrate.
For more information please contact:
Lucy Moffat, Uswitch.com on lucy.moffat@rvu.co.uk
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1178952/Uswitch_gaming_search_trends.jpg
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