Demographics

Internet effect on demographics = MORE companies online, cheaper start-up costs for websites!

The players in the Industry are the game developers and the console makers.

The top companies in the industry are the game developers. The are only diverse in the games that they produce. The Internet has however diversified their roles. The top Gaming company offer online games. World of Warcraft (made by Blizzard) has contributed greatly to the online gaming segment.

World of Warcraft has 62.3% of the online gaming market. (mmogchart, 2008)

Consumer Demographics

Recent U.S statistics have shown that the growth of the video game industry isn't due to its stereotypical demographic (teenage males). Its growth is rocketing because of everyone else. This article shows the forward movement of the Video Game Industry. It lets us know that people from all walks of life play video games.

(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/technology/11video.html - Retrieved, 4/22/08)

According to NPD a reported 72% of the U.S are Video Gamers. (Retrieved, 4/24/08)

According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) a surprising statistic shows:

  • The average video gamer is 33 years of age.
  • 69% of head of household play video and computer games.
  • 58% of online game players are male, while the other 42% are female.
  • Men on average, play video games 7.6 hours over the course of the week, while women play 7.4 hours.

(http://www.bizreport.com/2008/04/study_gamer_demographic_complex.html - Retrieved, 4/27/08)

Game Player Data (from the Entertainment Software Assoc.)

Video games are no longer just a form of entertainment for children and young adults alone, and the old stereotypes of a gamer no longer apply. According to a 2008 report by the NPD group, a global market research company, 63 percent of the U.S. population now plays video games.

The ESA's "2007 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry" showed that today's average gamer is 33 years old and has been playing for 12 years. The research also revealed other interesting demographic facts about today's gamers including:

Heads of Households – Sixty-seven percent of heads of households play computer and video games.

Women – Forty percent of all players are women and women over 18 years of age are one of the industry's fastest growing demographics. Today, adult women represent a greater portion of the game-playing population (33 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (18 percent).

Seniors – Twenty-six percent of game players are over the age of 50, an increase from nine percent in 1999. This figure is sure to rise in coming years with nursing homes and senior centers across the nation now incorporating video games into their activities.
Parents – More than a third (35 percent) of parents play computer and video games and 93 percent of these parents have children who also play them. Sixty-three percent of parents with children under the age of 18 consider computer and video games a positive addition to their children's lives.
The industry has also studied what types of computer and video games are being playing in the United States.

Online – Fifty-one percent of most frequent game players say they play games online at least one hour per week, up from 31 percent in 2002. Fifty-six percent of online game players are male and 44 percent are female.
Console – Thirty-five percent of the most frequent console game players are under eighteen years old. Thirty-eight percent are between 18 and 35 years old and 27 percent are over 35 years old.
Computer – Forty-seven percent of the most frequent computer game players are over 35 years old. Twenty-eight percent are between 18 and 35 years old and 25 percent are under 18 years old.
Finally, the research also detailed how long individuals are playing games, and what other activities they take part in.

Women vs. Men – An average adult woman plays games 7.4 hours per week. The average adult man plays 7.6 hours per week. Though males spend more time playing than do females, the gender/time gap has narrowed significantly in recent years. In 2003, males spent an average of 18 more minutes a day playing games than did their female counterparts; in 2004 they spent only six minutes more each day doing so.
Parents – Forty-five percent of parents say they play computer and video games with their kids weekly and report that the top reasons they play are because "it’s fun for all of us" (72%), "my child asks me to" (71%), and "it's a good way for me to socialize with my child" (66%).
Other Activities – Ninety-three percent of game players also report reading books or daily newspapers on a regular basis, while 62 percent consistently attend cultural events, such as concerts, museums, or the theater. Fifty percent of gamers are regularly involved in creative activities, such as painting, writing, or playing an instrument. In addition, adult gamers exhibit a high level of interest in current events, with 94 percent following news and current events, and 78 percent reporting that they vote in most of the elections for which they are eligible.

[http://www.theesa.com/facts/gameplayer.asp]

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