Gaming market research firm Newzoo has recently released the results of a video game usage survey that reveals a number of interesting insights into today’s “state of games.” Most notable in the survey was the finding that 2/5ths of America’s 160 million gamers regularly play social games on Facebook.
The survey includes data from both the US (an estimated 160 million gamers) and the UK (approximately 32.5 million gamers), and segments them into seven non-exclusive groups. This segmentation is based on each gamers’ platform(s) of choice: console (including portable), MMO, PC/Mac (boxed games), PC/Mac (digital delivery), online casual, social networks, and mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.).
While consoles still take home the lion’s share of attention, with 56 percent of all US respondents and 62 percent of all UK respondents indicating consoles as their weapon of choice, the survey found that these same console users are also utilizing other platforms on a regular basis. More than half (56 percent) of all US console gamers also indicated that they are playing games on mobile devices, (59 percent) social networks, and (40 percent) MMOs. UK results were quite similar.
Clearly these numbers indicate that gamers aren’t preferring one platform over the other, but rather, adding more options to their gaming choices. According to Newzoo, the average gamer is playing on any 3 of the 7 segments at any given time – sometimes simultaneously.
Before we start jumping for joy, it’s important to keep in mind that the Newzoo survey also found that 72 percent of US gamers and 75 percent of UK gamers are actually forking over cash to play their game of choice. So while the numbers indicate a strong diversification of gaming tastes, at the end of the day, only ¾ of them are actually paying to do so. The survey found that console gamers in both the US and UK are the most likely to pay up, however, gamers that used mobile devices and social networks (read:Facebook) are the least likely to pay to play.
While music digital downloads took the top slot, with 75% of consumers surveyed indicating that they would spend the same or more on music as they did in 2008, 65% of those surveyed said that will spend the same amount or more on video games. Indicating a favorable nod to downloadable content, in this case, specifically music, only 60% of respondents indicated that they would spend the same or more on physical CD’s. Although spending on theatrical movies did not take the top slot, tracking at 73%, this entertainment sector appears to be in the best position for growth, as the same question in the previous years’ survey logged only a 66% response from those polled.
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Being back in Europe the jetlag still doesn’t allow me much sleep at night but – and what’s a lot more relevant – I am looking back to a super exciting week at fatfoogoo.
The super swanky “AMD Game Ultra” logo is reserved for top shelf systems only. These Johnny Walker Blue Label systems need to have a minimum of a Phenom X4 9650, 2GB of memory, a Radeon HD 3870, and an AMD 770 chipset.
