40% of Adults Play Games
Gamasutra reports on an AP Poll stating that some 40% of American adults play games. From the article: "The poll also yielded plenty of other results worth ruminating on - 45 percent of gamers play over the Internet, and those who do are notably more 'hardcore' than those who do not. Forty-two percent of online gamers spent four hours or more per week playing games, but only 26% of offline gamers did similarly. The AP/AOL survey also revealed that, of those who play online games, almost one in five said they had formed real-life friendships or relationships with those they play with online, showing the use of gaming as a social activity, even when playing remotely against others."
Please not the article is talking about "video games", and more specifically console and computer games.
This past weekend I played a very fun game of Uno at a coffeeshop with some friends. I have been known to break out a Scrabble board on occasion. Last month I even played Parthenon with some friends. I would like to get back into D&D at some point.
When I am in a bar, if they have a Galaga or Ms. Pac-Man machine, I am all over it. I wish there was a D&B nearby (or maybe not, since I would probably end up going to often and spending too much money)
That said, I cannot remember the last time I played a game on my computer. On occasion I will play a console game at a friend's house, but I do not own one. I have nothing against them, they tend to just be beyond my budget (I feel like I could afford a console OR the games, but not both). I can have as much fun playing a much less expensive board game.
- (c) 2018 Hank Zimmerman