Game Player Data
Video games are now a mass medium, widely enjoyed on a variety of platforms by a diverse audience. The ESA's 2011 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry show that 72 percent of American households play computer and video games. The research also reveals other interesting demographic facts about today's gamers and the games they play, including:
- The average gamer is 37 years old and has been playing for 12 years. Eighty-two percent of gamers are 18 years of age or older.
- Forty-two 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 (37 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (13 percent).
- Twenty-nine 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.
- Sixty-five percent of gamers play games with other gamers in person.
- Fifty-five percent of gamers play games on their phones or handheld device.
- Ninety-one percent of the time parents are present at the time games are purchased or rented. Ninety-eight percent of parents are confident in the accuracy of the Entertainment Software Rating Board ratings. Seventy-five percent of parents believe that the parental controls available in all new video game consoles are useful.
- Parents also see several benefits of entertainment software. Sixty-eight percent of parents believe that game play provides mental stimulation or education, 57 percent believe games encourage their family to spend to time together, and 54 percent believe that game play helps their children connect with their friends.
Copyright © 2012 — ESA Entertainment Software Association |
 |