Nearly two thirds of gamers surveyed by Fandom in 2024 said it is easier to be themselves “with a controller in their hands.” The finding suggests that games can offer room for self-expression, but it is a reported perception—not proof that gaming changes identity or that every player feels the same way.
What Fandom’s survey found
Fandom’s 2024 Inside Gaming report drew on a global survey of 5,000 entertainment and gaming fans, combined with first-party data from Fandom’s platform. The company says nearly two thirds of gamers surveyed found it easier to be themselves while gaming. Fandom’s release does not provide the sampling frame, field dates, weighting, or detailed questionnaire wording, so the result should be read as a survey finding rather than a precise measure of all gamers.
Other reported responses add context to that finding:
- 80% said their gaming identity differs from their real-life identity.
- Half said they would prefer to be more like their in-game personality in real life.
- 60% said self-expression through gameplay is more important to them than ever.
- 46% named creation, imagination, and self-expression as their main gaming motivations, up 10% from the prior year.
- Among people who game for creation, imagination, and self-expression, Fandom reported they were 30% more likely to increase their gaming time.
These figures describe what respondents said; they do not establish why players feel this way or show that the same pattern applies to every game, community, or player.
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How games can make self-expression feel easier
Fandom points to character customization, open-world exploration, and game updates as ways players can explore and express identity. Its examples include Minecraft, Fortnite, and Roblox. These are examples named by Fandom, not a ranking of which game offers the most freedom or a guarantee that every player experiences them the same way.
Games can let players try out an appearance, role, or way of interacting in a setting with different expectations from everyday life. That can make self-expression feel more accessible to some people. The survey does not test whether a particular feature causes that feeling, and it does not show that an in-game identity is necessarily more authentic than a person’s offline identity.
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What the finding does—and doesn’t—say about gaming communities
Fandom reported that 64% of respondents considered gaming communities vital safe spaces where they could truly be themselves. That is a meaningful perception, but it should not be mistaken for a guarantee that every gaming space is safe or welcoming. The survey release does not establish how experiences differ across communities or players.
Stress relief remained the top reason people turned to games, according to Fandom. Self-expression was one part of a broader picture of why people play, rather than the only explanation for gaming’s appeal.
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How to interpret the numbers
- They are dated: these results describe Fandom’s 2024 report, not a current or all-time census.
- They are self-reported: the central claim is what surveyed gamers said about their own experience.
- Representativeness is unclear: the public release does not state the sampling, weighting, or fieldwork details needed to assess how closely the respondents reflect gamers overall.
- They are not causal: the figures do not prove that playing games makes someone more authentic, more confident, or more expressive.
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