gaming habits Archives

AppWizard

February 11, 2025

Minecraft’s Top 5 Tips for Safer Gaming

Minecraft is promoting "Top 5 Tips for Safe Gaming" in recognition of Safer Internet Day on February 11, aimed at supporting families in Australia and New Zealand. Recent statistics show that 89% of individuals aged 8-17 in Australia engage in online gaming, with 40% having interacted with strangers and over half of teen gamers encountering harmful content. In New Zealand, 80% of children aged 8-17 are involved in online gaming, with half of teenagers reporting conflicts with friends due to gaming. The tips include: 1. Understand Online Interactions: Teach children not to share personal information, use reporting tools, and maintain open dialogue about interactions. 2. Set Up A Child Account: Use the Xbox Family Settings App for age-appropriate accounts and content settings. 3. Recognise In-Game Purchases: Differentiate between virtual currency and real money, set spending limits, and review purchase requests. 4. Balance Screen Time: Create a balanced schedule for gaming and other activities, set playtime limits, and encourage breaks. 5. Build a Safe Online World: Help set up private servers, use moderation tools, and organize supervised activities within the game.

AppWizard

February 8, 2025

New study shows 30% of Minecraft players still have their first save

Minecraft is the second-best-selling game of all time. A study by Liquid Web in December 2024 surveyed 1,000 players and found that approximately 30% of Minecraft players still cherish their first save file. Four out of five Gen Z players believe Minecraft will remain popular for at least another decade. A quarter of respondents are willing to pay for new features. Nearly half of those surveyed attribute their ongoing enjoyment to player creativity and user-generated content, while two out of five consider mods and custom servers essential to their experience. The data suggests a vibrant and engaged community, making a Minecraft 2 unlikely in the near future.

AppWizard

December 23, 2024

Steam Replay is back, giving you a fresh look at what you’ve been playing in 2024

Steam Replay 2024 provides gamers with a personalized overview of their gaming habits over the past year, featuring statistics such as achievements unlocked, total games played, and longest gaming streaks. The year 2024 has seen notable game releases, including Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Helldivers 2, Balatro, and Hades 2, alongside enduring titles like Counter-Strike 2 and Call of Duty. Users can choose to share or keep their gaming statistics private. A significant trend revealed by Steam Replay is that only 15% of total playtime was spent on new releases in 2024, highlighting the continued popularity of classic games like DOTA 2, GTA 5, and PUBG. The Steam Deck's arrival in Australia has influenced gaming habits, with some users reporting a focus on roguelikes and action games. One user noted V Rising as their most-played title, followed by Hades II, and achieved a total of 643 unlocked achievements.

AppWizard

December 23, 2024

The year’s Steam Replay reveals 85% of Steam users in 2024 spent time playing games released in 2023 or earlier

Only 15 percent of Steam users dedicated time to new releases in 2024, according to Steam Replay 2024. On average, players achieved around 13 accomplishments and engaged with four games throughout the year, with a median longest play streak of six days. A class action lawsuit has been filed against Steam, initially by Wolfire Studios and Dark Catt Studios, now including any developers or individuals who accepted Steam's 30 percent cut on purchases since January 28, 2017, with a motion for class certification recently approved.

AppWizard

December 20, 2024

Older games dominate Steam as 85% of playtime in 2024 was spent on titles released before this year

Steam gamers have shown a preference for older titles, with 47% of total playtime in 2024 spent on games released between one and seven years ago and 37% on games that are eight years or older. Only 15% of playtime was dedicated to games released in 2024, an increase from 9% the previous year. Live service games like Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and PUBG BATTLEGROUNDS are currently the most popular on Steam. Despite the popularity of older games, several new titles have been released in 2024, including Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Baldur's Gate 3.

AppWizard

December 20, 2024

Only 15% of Steam users have played games released in 2024, but why?

Steam's annual review indicates that only 15% of total playtime in 2024 was spent on new games released that year. In contrast, 47% of playtime was dedicated to games released in the last seven years, and 37% was spent on titles launched eight or more years ago. The popularity of the Steam Deck has influenced player preferences, as many recent AAA games are less compatible with the device. Long-standing live service games like Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and PUBG continue to dominate playtime. The platform hosts over 200,000 titles, leading players to favor older games over the 18,000 released in 2024. Despite the low percentage of playtime for new releases, the figure represents a slight recovery from 17% in 2022, following a downturn in 2023.

AppWizard

December 20, 2024

Valve is fixin’ to start some arguments over the holidays because ‘All adult members in a Steam Family’ can see your Steam Replay page

The latest Steam Replay feature allows users to set games in their Steam library to hidden and private by right-clicking on a game, selecting Properties, and navigating to Privacy settings. However, this privacy setting may not apply retroactively to previously generated Steam Replays. Users at PC Gamer are sharing their Steam Replays and engaging in friendly competition over gaming statistics, including the prevalence of the word "Dwarf" in their data. One team member noted that Stardew Valley and Balatro accounted for nearly 40% of their playtime this year. Concerns about privacy arise, as some users worry about family and friends discovering certain games in their library, and there is discomfort regarding the data collection practices of large corporations.

AppWizard

December 20, 2024

Only 15% of all Steam users’ time was spent playing games released in 2024

Steam users played 50% fewer games in 2024 compared to the previous year, influenced by Game Pass, emulation, and the Nintendo 3DS XL. Only 15% of total gaming time was spent on titles launched in 2024, while 47% was dedicated to games released in the last one to seven years, and 37% to titles over eight years old. The free-to-play game Banana gained significant attention, and the action-adventure game Black Myth: Wukong led in single-player concurrent players. Long-standing games like Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and PUBG dominated the Most Played charts, making it challenging for new live service games to succeed. Steam offers over 200,000 titles, with around 18,000 released in 2024, making the 15% of playtime on new games seem reasonable.

AppWizard

December 19, 2024

Steam Replay shows how your gaming habits compare to the average user

Steam has launched the 2024 Steam Replay, allowing users to view their gaming statistics, including achievements unlocked, total games played, and longest gaming streak. Users can access their personalized recap by clicking a button at the top of the store upon logging in. The Replay includes a genre spider graph that visually represents users' gaming preferences. One user noted that their gaming time was primarily spent on virtual lottery tickets rather than fishing games, with the MOBA category being influenced by the game Deadlock and the roguelike deckbuilder category highlighted by Balatro. Voting for the 2024 Steam Awards has also begun, encouraging community engagement and discussions about gaming habits.

AppWizard

December 19, 2024

Here I was thinking I was neglecting my Steam library, but Valve’s 2024 player stats prove y’all are only playing 4 games a year on average

Valve has introduced personalized player statistics for 2024, allowing users to explore their gaming habits. Players can view details such as the total number of games played, longest gaming streaks, achievements unlocked, and compare their stats to average players. The average player engaged with four games annually, while the user played five. The user's longest gaming streak was three days, below the average of six days. The most-played game was humorously labeled "Nothing" due to leaving it running for 48 hours. Users can also analyze the frequency of keyboard and mouse usage versus controller play and the proportion of new releases played in 2024. A spider graph illustrates the genres of the most-played games.