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posted by malloc at 11:39 am on 2008-08-18 |
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Average video gamer is 35 years old, 1/3 of US households own a console
A new industry report released by IBISWorld, reveals women and older adults -- not the proverbial nerdy teenage boys -- are the new driving force behind the success of the video games industry as console manufacturers and software developers race to expand their offerings beyond the traditional action genre which has always appealed to youngsters. According to the report: *38 percent of U.S. gamers are women and the average player is 35 years old, *The average purchaser of video games is 39 years old, *24 percent of game players are aged over 50, *around a third of American households have a gaming console.
Press Release
The New American Players: Baby Boomers and Women Take on Video Gaming
Move Over Mom And Dad - It's My Turn To Play!
A new industry report released by IBISWorld, Inc. (http://www.ibisworld.com), reveals women and older adults
-- not the proverbial nerdy teenage boys -- are the new driving force
behind the success of the video games industry as console manufacturers and software developers race to expand their offerings beyond the traditional action genre which has always appealed to youngsters.
Recognized as one of the nation's most respected independent publishers
of business intelligence research, Los Angeles-based IBISWorld publishes
more than 700 industry reports covering virtually every segment of the U.S. economy. According to IBISWorld's latest research report on the video
gaming industry, 38 percent of U.S. gamers are women and the average player is 35 years old -- not the teenage boys of the past.
"The average purchaser of video games is 39 years old -- proving that
video gaming is attracting a much broader audience," said Senior Analyst
with IBISWorld, Mr. George Van Horn. "In fact, 67 percent of household
heads play computer or video games; and besides the rapidly growing number
of women taking up the hobby, 24 percent of game players are aged over 50.
"When video game consoles began to appear in the 1980s, they were
dismissed as a short-lived craze, or at the very least, the domain for
awkward adolescents," said Mr. Van Horn. "How astonishingly wrong we were.
Our research has revealed that the teenage boys that played Atari back then are still playing video games now, largely being drawn in to new, advanced electronic gaming that simulates real-life interaction that their kids love as well."
"And while we're not suggesting the market for teen and young adult men
is not a strong market, men between 18 and 45 still represent 37 percent of the game playing market -- it's the other demographics which are posting significant growth," added Mr. Van Horn.
New Formats For New Markets
"The average American gamer has been playing for 12 years, and is now,
on average, 35 years of age," said Mr. Van Horn. "When comparing today's
industry climate with that of 20 years ago, there is a marked shift in the
sector's target client base. It is apparent that women and many adults are
no longer shunning the fun."
Mr. Van Horn added, "Companies are frantically at work developing games
for what they hope will be expand into fresh, new markets." For example,
the major players in the gaming segment are working on games that will
appeal to older adults and women of all ages. Nintendo's new console format -- Wii -- and Microsoft's Xbox have been a major factor in changing the landscape of the gaming industry. With these games' party-style format, and innovative products, such as the phenomenally successful Wii Sports, IBISWorld believes the major market players such as Sony and Microsoft, are sitting up and taking notice that there is an untapped market which could substantially enhance the industry's current and future growth.
Fortunately for the gaming industry, its broadening appeal suggests the
industry's robust growth is set to continue for some time yet. "Until those original gamers cease playing, either due to death or physical incapacity -- losing interest appears unlikely -- meaning new gamers entering the market will not be replacing those leaving, they'll just be adding to the swelling numbers worldwide."
Tomorrow's Gamers
The percentage of female gamers has increased from 33 to 38 percent in
just five years as women flock to purchase not just Nintendo's Wii Fit, but interactive group games such as Singstar, Rock Band, and Lips, as well as The Sims, The Movies, Nintendogs and NeoPets. Games targeting girls, such as Bratz Rock Angels and Dora the Explorer have also succeeded in introducing a new generation of female gamers to the console format.
"Wii Fit is the perfect example of how recent developments in game
design and marketing are opening up female gamers as the potential growth
market in the industry, and the fact women comprise 38 percent of game
players indicates the level of growth available to the industry, as there
are still very few titles designed specifically to target that demographic. Wii Fit shows the attention women can expect to receive as manufacturers and developers actively chase the female dollar," predicted Mr. Van Horn.
As the young male demographic is comprehensively served by existing
game titles, and the female market is the latest focus, IBISWorld expects
one of the remaining markets ripe for the picking is older gamers.
Until recently, the teenage pioneers of video games 25 years ago were
under 40 years old. Today, those gamers are approaching their mid-to late-
forties. In order to retain those original fans, games are being designed
specifically to appeal to older players are most likely the next, and
perhaps final frontier for developers and publishers to cross. This has
already begun, with Nintendo's DS 'Brain Age' testing games, and IBISWorld
anticipates it will continue as the industry faces a diminishing number of
potential new customers in the longer-term.
"Parents also fall into the 'older gamer' category, and the sheer
number of them playing games with their children is another factor driving
industry growth," said Mr. Van Horn. "Some surveys (NPD) suggest that 93
percent of parents playing video games have children who are playing too.
In fact, nearly half the games sold in 2006 held an 'E' rating, and with 39 the average age of a game buyer, that would suggest the Mom and Dad market is a major one."
Future Forecast
According to IBISWorld, the gaming industry is somewhat
"recession-proof," with the sector expected to grow 9.5 percent this year
to generate total industry revenue of around $38.9 billion, despite
flagging consumer sentiment and lower disposable incomes.
Today the video games industry, including development, production and
retailing, is a $40 billion business, with more than 34 million consoles
sold in the U.S. last year alone. It seems the spotty teens who originally
took to gaming never grew out of it, and today's youth adopt
next-generation consoles with even greater vigor than their parents.
"The result is a healthy balance sheet for the video games industry,"
said Mr. Van Horn, who forecasts growth of 10.2 percent per year to reach
$63.2 billion by 2013." He adds, "This is an industry in an enviable
position with a loyal client base regularly topped up by a fresh generation of users with older players failing to desert the sector at the age originally expected. Around a third of American households have a gaming console, which means the industry can still achieve considerable growth, spurred on by constantly evolving technology."
IBISWorld predicts, as long as older players remain unwilling to give
up gaming, the industry's future will be unambiguously upbeat. By
attracting children with family-friendly games and the latest technology,
drawing in women with fun communal games, retaining the key male
demographic, and expanding the offering to aging gamers, IBISWorld sees no
limit to the growth in the gaming industry in the foreseeable future.
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