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The Core Gamer a Myth?
Next Generation explores the possibility that the 18 to 34 year old 'hardcore' male gamer, a coveted demographic, may not actually exist. Research from the NPD Group indicates that most 'heavy use' gamers are younger, between six and 17. From the article: "Frazier explained ... 'The segments were determined by examining player behavior, rather than defining segments demographically. While it's easy to talk about the 18 to 34 core gamer, it's not necessarily accurate. The industry has been in need of much more nuanced information that can be used both when developing and marketing content. In all, 10 behavioral attributes were used to determine the segments, and they fall into four primary areas: ownership of systems, use of systems, frequency of use, and purchase behavior. Segments emerged by minimizing differences within clusters and maximizing differences between the clusters." Is this yet another sign of the 'greying gamer' phenomenon, or simply evidence indicating the marketers have had it wrong all along?
"The segments were determined by examining player behavior..."
So age was determined based on behavior? Can someone think of any flaws with this, or did I misunderstand something?
Of course the Core gamer is a myth! Everybody got shanghaied into buying the Premium just for the hard drive.
Clearly the authors have not seen Grandma's Boy. Don't they know that all 25-38 year olds live with their Grandma and work as game level testers while programming games in their spare time?
Forget about kids, they're *so* yesterday. Aging baby-boomers are where it's at. (Although I have a seething hatred for that demographic.)
Look on T.V. Notice anything lately? You see all those T.V. anchors with grey hair? What about Taylor Hicks from American Idol? Get it? The boomers are getting older, and unfortunately are still the biggest demographic in the U.S.
In addition, MMOs are getting better and better, and bandwidth is increasing. Add in a bunch of retirees who have absolutely *nothing* to do, and all of a sudden we'll be seeing games like "World of Shuffleboardcraft", and "The Sims: Retirement Community"
Know it. Fear it.