A study of the American gaming market. Demographics, sales and other interesting facts

Association Entertainment Software Association has published a recent study of the American market of computer and video games. According to the report, the average age of a gamer is 34 years!









')

Demography

• The average age of the buyer of games is 40 years . 54% of them are men, and 46% are women
• In 2010, the number of players over 50 years old will reach 26%
• The average number of years devoted to computer or video games is 12 . At the same time, in men this period reaches 13 , and women do not exceed 10
• In 2010, 64% of players prefer to play with someone (increased compared to 2009 - 62%, 2008- 59%)

Parental involvement

• 93% of parents are present when buying games or renting
• 64% of parents believe that games have a positive impact on the lives of their children.
• In 86% of cases, children ask for parental permission before they buy games or rent them.
• 48% of parents play with their children at least once a week
• 76% of parents find the parental control tools present on all modern consoles useful. In addition, parents assign time limits for games more often than for other types of entertainment:
  
  
  • 83% of parents set time limits for video games.
  • 78% limit TV viewing
  • 75% restrict the use of the Internet
  • 66% limit movie viewing
  
  
  

4 most popular reasons why parents play with their children:

1. It is fun for the whole family - 87%
2. Because children asked them - 83%
3. This is a good opportunity to be closer to your children - 75%
4. This is a good opportunity to check the content of games - 60%

Sales

The most popular genres of video games in 2009 (by number of sales)

The most popular genres of computer games in 2009 (by number of sales)

Distribution of sales by age rating in 2009

20 best-selling video games in 2009

20 best-selling computer games in 2009

Online Games

• 58% of online players are men, and 42% are women
• 17% constantly playing pay for playing online
• 42% of representatives say they play using wireless devices such as a cell phone or PDA (20% in 2002)

The most popular types / genres of online games

Comparison of sales of video games in 2008 and 2009, in billions of dollars

Comparison of sales of video games in 2008 and 2009, in sold copies

Change in sales of computer and video games, in billions of dollars

Change in sales of computer and video games sold in copies

41% of Americans bought or are going to buy one or several games in 2010.



All figures and facts are provided based on an analysis of the American market. Translation materials are from the Entertainment Software Association.



If the report seemed interesting to you, then please support the publication (I am saving up an invite to a friend).



UPD: Representatives from the game developers are invited to reflect on the following question:

There is a common opinion among developers (and also among players) that the gameplay is greatly simplified every year, adapting to the audience. In other words, programmers used to make games for programmers, and now designers are making for kids. And we will no longer see (at least in the tops) such step-by-step strategies like X-Com or various sophisticated quests, since it’s not necessary for kids with joysticks in front of TVs. But here we see the average age of a player at 34 years.