Nearly 40% of American gamers play at work

A new survey, released last week, suggests a good chunk of gamers are spending time on their favorite hobby at work — meaning several of you reading this article are gaming when you shouldn’t be.

The survey, compiled by Limelight Networks, was taken by over 3,000 gamers across six countries: the US, UK, France, Germany, South Korea, and Japan. The questions ranged from “How many hours do you spend playing video games per week?” to “Will you continue to play online games or make purchases from a gaming website that has previously experienced a security breach or been hacked?”

Perhaps one of the most subversive questions was “How often do you play video games during work?”

According to the findings, almost 40 percent of American gamers play at work at least once a month. Among gamers in all of the survey’s countries, almost 35 percent of respondents ages 18-25 have gamed at work. 8.6 percent responded they play games at work daily. That’s a lot of potential productivity lost.

The survey leaves out one crucial bit of information: the games played while working. I’m sure we’ve all played the odd game of Solitaire or Candy Crush over a five-minute break without losing too much momentum, but several rounds of Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds is going to be a bit more disruptive.

It’s hardly the first time researchers have suggested that games could be interfering with our work. Researchers who published last year with National Bureau of Economic Research suggested young men in particular could be working less than older ones because they’re spending so much time playing video games.

There are a few other findings gamers will find relatable: Over 60 percent of gamers globally admit to losing sleep for games, and almost 40 have admitted to missing a meal. We’ve all been there. I also wonder if sleepy, hungry gamers are the ones gaming at work, which would probably mean even more time lost.

Also, several respondents apparently said they’d quit their jobs if they thought they could make a living playing video games, but I would think that’d be a given. Anybody would love to make a living on their hobby, but it’s likely not as easy as it sounds.

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