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More Than Half of the US Plays Videogames
The newest NPD numbers pass on a heartening statistic about the adoption of games: more than half of the US population plays videogames via some method. "Most people said that per week, they're either playing just as many or less hours than they did last year. Thirty percent said that they play more than a year ago, while another 30 percent said they play less and 40 percent say that they play the same amount of hours. Males aged 18-34 continue to be the heaviest gamers and are more attracted to hardcore games as opposed to casual games."
...that means that according to Jack Thompson, over half the US is going to go on a killing rampage.
The other half just play with their wanker...
Most people said that per week, they're either playing just as many or less hours than they did last year.
Or
"Most people said that per week, they're either playing just as many or more hours than they did last year."
Both statements are true.
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
Ok, those numbers are meaningless... Half of the rest of the half between the ages of something or other play more, while some play less, unless they're male between X and Y then they play MAN GAMES!.
Ok, The only thing I fully understand with a brief look is that males my age (31) would rather play a hardcore game. I can agree with that. Currently I'm playing Crysis. I'd say it's pretty hardcore. After this, it'll either be call of duty 4 or Bioshock. No tetris for me! I also don't care for MMOLMOLMP games any longer because I usually only can play for 30 minutes at a time, and I remember spending the first 30 minutes of my Eversmack hours trying to find a group that was worth a damn.
Oh, and if I can't play it with a mouse/keyboard at 1600*1200 then it's not worth playing. Sorry Xboxers and PS3 kiddies. No sitting on the living room floor playing with a controller for me. 8 buttons ain't enough. I need all 104. And I can't STAND trying to sniper with a joy nub! Nothing comes close to a mouse... Oh and I saw that 'aim assist' crap once. Please!
Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are subtle, and quick to anger.
The number might be higher if people realized (or admitted, depending on how you view it) that those online flash distractions and card games are actually video games.
With that out of the way, is this really surprising anyways? With Nintendo making games appeal to a much broader audience than ever before, we literally have a wide selection of video games for every market. Whether it's the sims on PC, soduku on hand-held, bowling on the Wii, or educational and learning games for the kids, I think that the US has learned to embrace the entertainment value and tailor it to everything from learning to leisure.
The only real barrier to entry is getting used to a specific UI and there are a stubborn few that will refuse to learn something new, but there are plenty willing to learn as the market adapts to them, and thus I think that adaptation will only continue to grow too.
I also think it makes sense that the hours played is flattening off. While I formerly was bad at putting a game down to go to (work / class / social interactions), I slowly realized there was a time and place for video games and began to play responsibly (although WOW is still pretty friggin addictive). I think most (we'll say 'normal') people already have this internal regulation, recovering addicts like myself that threw off the "hours played" curve are slowly coming out of the darkness.
I won't say this is a good change as educational video games are not a substitute for good parenting, only a supplement, and I see some people forget this. Additionally (and I still refuse to say this in certain terms) things like video games could be a cause of ADD and other attention disorders.
I will say that it is good to kick back and relax as long as it doesn't interfere with your life and some games can be good teaching tools if used properly.
The original generic sig.
How many of THEM?
And who ARE they?
And how come they never invites us over to their place for some games and fried carbohydrates?
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
That's frickin insightful, IMHO, mod accordingly.
"If you have friends over, how many keyboards and how many mice can you connect to your PC and let them use?"
:O
You can usually hook up several keyboards, mice may vary. Of course you may only have one game on one screen so several people playing at the same time gets rough on said keyboards trying to out control the others......just don't expect to set many high scores
Actually that was more fun once to try than some games....
Game crusaders are on the wrong path any ways. I mean, seriously, what is more likely to invoke a murderous rampage? Orange-box, or Super Mario Galaxy? In my opinion, the latter.
BAN ALL PLATFORMERS. THEY INCREASE VIOLENCE, OH NOES.
...as far as I know, there's roughly a 50/50 split between males & females, in terms of U.S. population. Now I'm pretty sure that this doesn't mean that the entire male population plays video games, though by all accounts, males DO make up the majority. Even so, if an estimated 2/3 of video game players are males, that leaves an AMAZING amount of girl gamers!
I don't believe, though, that most people in that study were gamers in the typical sense... those who play console or PC games. I believe a large number of those people would fall into the casual gamer category, mostly because of games that happen to be accesable on their Portable Electronic Device of Choice(TM). Without those "just-happen-to-be-there" diversions, I don't think they'd be counted as gamers.
Considering a mup.sys error in Windows (Google for it) is keeping me from playing. I just may go on a killing rage.
Just not in a funny - haha - sense of the word. Maybe more of a "what smells?" kind.
Just because you can, does not mean you should.
DVD FLLC earns a cut for each DVD-Video disc pressed through licensed manufacturers of pressed and recordable discs, but that doesn't mean DVD FLLC has to reject titles.
Bottom line: If I have developed a Windows-based working prototype of a video game that's more easily appreciated on a sofa + 27" monitor than on a desk + 17" monitor, how should I market it?
"The survey included over 5,000 online participants." ...Okay... doesn't that mean that certain huge demographics have been completely ignored? Like, the people out there who don't have internet access? Or don't have access to a computer at all?
I think this skews the stats a little...?
I wonder if the writers' strike, resulting in numerous TV reruns(& reality shows) would give a boost in video gaming. No new episodes of your favorite shows? Fire up the console then.
Notice the pattern? Here's an idea. If you have a point, make your point. Don't disguise your points as questions. It's a cheap argumentative strategy and all it does is cloud the conversation. Thank you.