Men Spend £1600 a year on LARPing

Not your usual gaming news but an interesting insight to think about into the world of gaming, cosplay and more. Groupon UK recently did a study which revealed that middle-aged men on average are spending £1,200 a year on their hobbies.

The highest amount on average being spent was not on holidays, gaming or meals out but on live action role playing or ‘LARPing’. If you don’t know LARPing, it is where players will get into costume much like cosplay (Costume Play) and re-enact fictional or historical events with other players. With only 3% partaking in the hobby it still costs on average £1,573 p/year to be apart of which is much more than say running which only costs  £256 p/year.

Below are some of the other highest spend on hobbies. 

Top five most expensive hobbies (average cost per year):

  1. Live Action Role Playing (3 per cent) – £1,573 p/year
  2. Motor biking (6 per cent)  – £1,082 p/year
  3. Mountaineering (3 per cent) – £1,008 p/year
  4. Sailing (4 per cent) – £1,007 p/year
  5. Playing rugby (4 per cent)  – £985 p/year

“This research definitely shows the passion men have for a broad range of hobbies from sailing to motor biking. It’s never too late to try something new and at Groupon, we reward your everyday curiosity”.

– Elyas Chowdhury, MD of Groupon UK

We know you love free stuff and Groupon UK are giving away eight iPad minis. You can enter the Groupon UK iPad competition on their website.

The important question being, how much do you spend on your gaming? With an average cost of games being £40-50 it would be no understatement that the hardcore gamer probably spends just as much if not more than a LARPer. Let us know how much you spend in the comments.