Teens & Tech: Hunger games – the teen appetite for virtual reality

Our recent research among teenagers and their attitudes towards technology and hospitality reveals their appetite for virtual reality experiences.

According to Statista, 92% of Brits aged between 16 and 24 class themselves as gamers and, if they are playing games at home, surely there is a role for this in venues?

56% of teens like to be among the first to use new technology, and unsurprisingly this still applies when it comes to entertainment.

A significant number (66%) of all teens are interested in in virtual reality tours and experiences of venues (rising to 73% for the group classed as ‘always online’), a percentage that dwarfs the number of venues currently using it in their businesses. Even those who are ‘rarely online’ have an interest in this area, with 57% saying they would be interested in VR gaming and 53% interested in using it in their work.

A not-insignificant 45% of teens also considered socialising online to be just as good as face-to-face, so allowing those that do crave face-to-face experiences to connect with absent friends in virtual reality spaces and gaming experiences presents a great opportunity for hospitality to position itself as central for hanging out, both in-person and virtually.

With McDonalds recently filing ten new trademark applications to open restaurants in the metaverse, a virtual hospitality industry may not be as far away as we think…

For more insights into teenagers’ thoughts on hospitality and technology, download the full report Face-to-Face Time: The teenage take on hospitality and technology.