Friday 9th February 2018

• Go 8 Bit returns to screens Monday 12th February at 10pm on Dave
• 60% of Brits feel gaming is a key component of their social life
• Almost half (42%) of those surveyed feel at their happiest when performing well in a video game
• The average person playing games has made up to three friends through gaming
• Over a third claim that playing a game online with other people has helped to increase their confidence levels

To kick-start the return of Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit, which airs Monday 12th February at 10pm on Dave, the home of TV comedy has surveyed 1,000 gamers (1) to uncover the positive effects gaming has on the lives of its players.

The brand new third series; hosted by Dara O Briain alongside team captains Steve McNeil and Sam Pamphilon and resident games expert Ellie Gibson; sees the likes of Gregg Wallace, Jodie Kidd, Jonathan Ross, Nish Kumar and Katherine Ryan take each other on at classic and contemporary games.

Go 8 Bit's up-beat style goes a long way to showcasing the fun side of gaming, and with 3 in 5 gamers believing gaming is misrepresented, this new research shines a light on the benefits of gaming that are not widely discussed - such as helping gamers escape from everyday issues; encouraging gamers to make friends both on & offline; and giving gamers a boost by winning.

The study has revealed that 3 in 10 gamers believe playing video games has helped them to process or deal with a mental health issue or concern. Furthermore, when it comes to why gamers want to switch their console on in the first place, the research found that fifty-five per cent play video games predominantly do so because the activity helps them to unwind and relieve stress after a tough time. With 1 in 2 admitting they value gaming as a method of escapism to process the worries of daily life, it's clear to see that gaming can have encouraging effects.

Despite all these positive findings, up to 43% of the gamers surveyed still feel that it's presented as an antisocial activity, rather than as a way to improve social skills or mental health.

As shown on Go 8 Bit; where celebrities battle each other and build friendships over games; from Super Mario Kart to Football Manager; not only do games boost gamers' happiness, but the research uncovered that it is actually a brilliant gateway to friendship building. From playing together, talking about games outside of taking part and sharing tips and tricks - 3 in 5 of those polled play specifically to connect with friends and have established their 'clan' to play with.

Likewise, it was found that the average gamer has made a minimum of three friends through gaming, either by playing together or via the surrounding community and culture.

Luke Hales, Dave General Manager, said:

We've loved watching stars come together and unleash their competitive sides across the three series of Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit to date. But this survey is incredibly revealing in showing the positive mental benefits of getting together for a gaming session.

Season 3 of Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit launches Monday 12th February at 10pm only on Dave, and is available to preview now on UKTV Play.

Footnotes:
1. Survey of 1,000 gamers ages 18 - 30 by OnePoll

ENDS

For more information, please contact:
Camilla Mosley - camilla.mosley@itsprettygreen / 07880328845
Rob Leary - rob.leary@itsprettygreen.com

Pictures - pictures.uktv.co.uk
Press Office - pressoffice.uktv.co.uk

About Dave
Sky 111/246, Virgin 128/194, Freeview 12, BT & TalkTalk 12 On demand on Sky, Virgin and UKTV Play

Dave's had a haircut and shave in recent years as it grows from awkward teenager to fully-fledged commissioner of new and original shows. And it's not just comedy these days but entertainment and even some knock-out live sport. Hit UKTV Original commissions include Taskmaster, Dave Gorman Modern Life is Goodish, Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled, Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit and Crackanory, all laden with the biggest names in British comedy. Dave enjoyed critical success with two series of Hoff the Record, a mockumentary ensemble comedy led by the living legend David Hasselhoff.

As well as home-grown delights Dave also goes stateside, cherry-picking cult US Shows including the sharp-witted and sharp-suited Suits and much-loved Parks and Recreation along with Emmy-nominated The Last Man on Earth. This all contributed to Dave's award win at the 2016 Broadcast Digital Awards for Best Entertainment Channel.

Dave is the UK's most watched non-PSB channel broadcasting to over 27 million people per month, and viewers continue to enjoy the ludicrously addictive American Pickers and UK remake of Storage Hunters. The channel continues to grow its original commissioning slate with political show Unspun With Matt Forde, Red Dwarf XI, fantasy comedy Zapped! and Celebrity Storage Hunters.

About UKTV
UKTV is a commercial broadcaster reaching over 40m viewers every month.

The award-winning independent has eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, W, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food. These include the two most popular non-PSB channels in the UK and account for nearly 10% of the British commercial TV market. The company's most recent financial results showed record-breaking year-end revenue of £344.8m and EBITDA of £91.3m. It invested £151.2m in programming and related launches last year, and is a significant investor in British creativity.

The network embraces technology to deliver inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat, Amazon Fire and UKTV Play, and distributes its highly valued original programmes to 200 territories.
Now celebrating over 20 years at the forefront of digital television, UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI) - is proud to be the first British television broadcaster in The Sunday Times top 100 companies list.

corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktvpress

About Grain

Grain Media have won over 100 international awards, including an Oscar, Emmy, Peabody, One Pencil, and Grierson, for both unscripted and scripted programming across all platforms. Specialising in telling sensitive, inescapably relatable and multi-layered human stories, credits include: Emmy winning, and Academy Award nominated feature VIRUNGA exec-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, documentary series MOON SHOT for Google exec-produced by J.J. Abrams, Academy Award winning Netflix Original Documentary THE WHITE HELMETS, and critically acclaimed superhero rom-com SUPERBOB starring Brett Goldstein and Catherine Tate.