ESA: 68 percent of American households play games

When Nintendo said “everyone’s game” at its press conference today, perhaps they were on to something. According to new research from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) sixty-eight percent of American households play computer or video games, according to new research from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. The data was revealed during ESA CEO Michael D. Gallagher’s key note address on the opening day of the Electronic Entertainment Expo happening this week in Los Angeles.

“This is the new golden age of entertainment software. Our products are now being enjoyed by over two-thirds of Americans,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA. “As the findings of the 2009 Essential Facts illustrate, more and more Americans across all demographics are now embracing the interactive entertainment experience that computer and video games provide.”

Other findings of the survey? Forty-two percent of American homes have a video game console; the average adult gamer has been playing for 12 years - a decrease from 2008 and an indication that more Americans are picking up video game controllers for the first time; the average game player is 35 years old;
seventy-seven percent of parents believe that the parental controls available in all recent video game consoles are useful; almost half of all games sold (45 percent) are rated ‘E’ for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board; and forty-three percent of online game players are female.

In addition, the report indicates that parents are paying attention to what their kids game play. Sixty-three percent of parents who have children under 18 with a gaming console in the home believe games are a positive part of their children’s lives. Those parents are present when games are purchased or rented 92 percent of the time and report always or sometimes monitoring the games their children play 91 percent of the time.

The research for Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2009 was conducted by Ipsos MediaCT, gathering data from almost 1,200 nationally representative households that have been identified as owning either or both a video game console or a personal computer used to run entertainment software.

GamerDNA Makes AlwaysOn East 100 List

GamerDNA.com has been selected to the 2009 AlwaysOn East 100 List. The AlwaysOn East 100 Award is given to “private, emerging technology companies creating new business opportunities in high-growth markets.” GamerDNA.com was selected by the AlwaysOn editorial team based on its growth, market opportunity, innovation and customer traction. The AlwaysOn East 100 winners were selected from among hundreds of other technology companies nominated by investors, bankers, journalists and industry insiders.

“We are honored to accept this award and are thrilled that gamerDNA has been recognized by AlwaysOn as one of the leading tech innovators in the Eastern United States,” said Jon Radoff, CEO and founder of gamerDNA, Inc. “Despite a challenging economy, we have been able to grow significantly over the past year and look forward to continuing to build our community and adding innovative new features to the site.”

GamerDNA is an online community for sharing game experiences and discovering new games being enjoyed by people with similar interests. GamerDNA aims to know gamers better than anyone in the world. Members develop a unique gamer identity - their “gamerDNA” - that records gameplay history from the places they play (such as Xbox Live or Xfire) and allows them to share these experiences via popular social media applications like Twitter and Tumblr.

My Dinner With Halpin

A fireside chat with Entertainment Consumer Association president Hal Halpin.

In July 2006, Hal Halpin founded the Entertainment Consumer Association, an advocacy group to champion consumer rights and issues. Since that time, the organization has done its part to give gamers a voice on a variety of issues and has gone out of its way to highlight — and with the help of its members — defeat unconstitutional state and federal anti-consumer legislation all over the United States.

But the waters have become a whole lot murkier since 2006; study after study attempts to pin the ill behavior of a small segment of society on video games, the video game industry’s trade associations have lost their way and a brave new world of uncertainty awaits publishers and developers in Washington. Halpin has his work cut out for him.

With these challenges in mind, we talk to the ECA president about what the road ahead looks like. Our conversation after the break.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pages: 1 2 3

Fallout 3 in Stores

Last night gamers across the nation stood in lines outside game retailers for hours to get their hands on Bethesda’s Fallout 3. For most it was worth the wait. At the Best Buy in Rockville, MD, located near Bethesda Game Studios, members of the development team, along with Lynda Carter, actress and wife of ZeniMax Media CEO Robert Altman, were on-hand to celebrate with hundreds of fans who lined up in the rain as early as 1:00pm and came as far as North Carolina to buy the game and meet the developers.

From a few hours of play I can safely say that I love this game, but for another opinion check out Crispy Gamer’s Fallout 3 Review. Also, be sure to check out the latest Games for Lunch for Kyle Orland’s take on the game. Or you could just take my word for it - I wouldn’t lie to you, my friends.

Women Love Video Games, Says ESA Survey

We say DUH. According to survey results released by the ESA, 40 percent of gamers in the United States are women. The survey also found that 65 percent of American households play computer and video games and 38 percent of American homes have a video game console.

Want more? The average game player is 35 years old; one out of four gamers are over age 50; Women age 18 or older represent greater portion of the game-playing population (33 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (18 percent); and, 41 percent of Americans expect to purchase one or more games this year. The survey results are catalyst for companies like Nintendo, Microsoft, and Ubisoft to create more games that cater to this demographic.

The new research also shows how involved parents are in the way their children buy, rent and play games, with 94 percent of parents present when games are purchased or rented; 88 percent “always” or “sometimes” monitoring the games their children play; and 63 percent holding the believe that games are a positive part of their children’s lives.

The survey, “The 2008 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry,” also includes statistics on the top selling titles and genres of 2007, provided by The NPD Group. Based on unit sales, 85 percent of the games sold last year were rated “Everyone (E),” “Everyone 10+ (E10+)” or “Teen (T).” While only 15 percent of the games sold in 2007 were rated “Mature (M).”

Fascinating stuff.

GameStrata Survey: 18 - 48, The Spending Years

According to a survey conducted by GameStrata, gamers spend on average more than $30,500 on games and gaming hardware during the years of 18-48. The survey, which solicited the opinions of “hundreds” of GameStrata members, also found a strong correlation between digital purchases and the Xbox 360. Online multiplayer was another important reason that most surveyed seemed to prefer the Xbox 360 over other platforms. Some respondents also mentioned the PS3 as their platform of choice for micro transactions and multiplayer.

85 percent of respondents confirmed the purchase of a virtual good in the last month and nearly 40 percent said that they play 6-10 hours online per week. The study also found that having a social network helped foster and encourage micro transactions and multiplayer.

“Though most gamers are already likely to purchase virtual goods online, participating in a social network and seeing friends update their games and systems may expedite the process and help gamers make buying decisions faster,” says GameStrata.

You can learn more about GameStrata and the survey by visiting www.gamestrata.com.

PSU Girls Love Games

Duh. That’’s what you are thinking, I know, but bear with me a second. The Daily Collegian, an online newspaper by students for students of Penn State University, says that more college-age women are playing videogames than ever before. An online survey, which polled 1,000 college students, showed that about two-thirds of students (82 percent men, 59 percent women) spent approximately six hours a week playing videogames. The survey was conducted by Anderson Analytics. The upswing in women playing games is being attributed to the Nintendo Wii, with 15 percent of the 59 percent of women who played videogames saying they most desired a Wii. Fifty-seven percent of gamers surveyed also expressed a desire to see more gender-neutral games like Guitar Hero, Mario Kart, Sonic, etc.

The survey is only interesting because it supports data on national trends in gaming among new age groups and gender. Some of this is due in part to the Wii’’s social gaming aspects, but many other game experiences like Rock Band are having the same affect. The audience for games is expanding and changing — women of all ages are not the Pogo and Slingo-playing slaves that the media and marketing departments have portrayed them to be.