Xbox boss Phil Spencer has built up a reputation over the past eight years as an executive looking out for gamers. He wants to be known as a gamer working for gamers, even choosing to retain his "P3" Xbox username as a social media handle over a more sanitized and professional title. Recently, the Xbox boss shared how much time he spends playing games, and his answer may surprise some fans.
Spencer recently had an interview with Bloomberg Studio 1.0, during which he answered a question regarding his gaming habits. Talking about his gaming habits, the Xbox boss responded that he goes to bed early, so he only manages to play around 15 hours a week. That's around two hours a day, or one hour a day on weekdays with longer sessions on the weekend.
For an executive at a major company like Microsoft, 15 hours a week is a relatively healthy amount of time spent playing games. It's easy to imagine some executives having unhealthy work-life balances to the point that playing any games would be out of reach. Of course, Spencer could be getting those 15 hours of gaming in while at work as he experiences his studios' projects for himself, but he's seemingly referring to gaming on his personal time. Since he mentions going to bed early, he's probably thinking he'd play more if he stayed up later.
While 15 hours a week may seem like a lot for an Xbox executive, for gamers it may seem like a more casual gaming schedule. Spencer has previously said he's a big fan of Destiny 2, but spending less than 15 hours a week in Destiny 2 may make it difficult to stay on the cutting edge. It's also hard to imagine Spencer getting much time to play a diverse range of games, which is unfortunate considering Xbox Game Pass offers a broad selection of new titles month to month. He certainly would find it difficult to complete a massive RPG.
Still, Spencer is playing games week to week, and that's perhaps more than most executives at major gaming companies. When asked what he's currently playing, Spencer excitedly mentioned Cult of the Lamb, so he's clearly trying new things and keeping up with what's being released month to month.
By no means should anyone be evaluating Spencer's hours logged on the Xbox Series X to judge his gamer credibility, of course. It's just interesting to hear if one of the most powerful executives in the gaming industry does spend time playing games, and how he chooses to spend that time. Spencer's relatability as a gamer has undoubtedly helped rebuild trust in the Xbox brand over the past eight years.