Computer gaming becoming increasingly popular with both women and adults

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• Conceptis Puzzles

Monday, October 13, 2003

Computer gaming activity is becoming increasingly popular with adults in general and with women in particular. In addition, more gamers are playing online or offline on PCs and on mobile devices such as handheld systems, PDAs and cell phones.

Based on the results of a 2003 consumer survey conducted by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) andreleased at the E3 exhibition on May 14, 2003, today more than one third (41.9%) of frequent American computer game players and more than a quarter (28.5%) of frequent video game players are women. According to the IDSA’s 2002 Consumer Survey, published a year before, in 2002 only 38% of the most frequent PC game players and 28% of the most frequent consol game players were women.

The 2003 research also found that a wide range of age groups are playing computer and video games: half of all Americans age six and older play computer and video games in 2003, while the average age of a game player is 29 years old. In addition, there has been a significant growth of more than 100% in the percentage of gamers who played online games during the last four years: In 2003 more than a third (37%) of most frequent game players say they play games online, up from 31% in 2002 and 18% in 1999. Furthermore, 39% of Americans who own computers used to play games or game consoles report that they play games on mobile devices such as handheld systems, PDAs and cell phones.

Positive addition to children's lives

In terms of parental attitude towards games in general, nearly two thirds (65%) of parents with children under the age of 18 say that computer and video games are a positive addition to their children's lives. Parents are also more aware to the content of the games their children are playing nowadays. Almost all (96%) parents surveyed who have children under the age of 18 said they are paying attention to the content of the computer and video games their children play.

But parents are not only paying attention to their children's gaming activity. Nearly half (44%) of parents in households that own game console or computers used to play interactive games say "they play games with their kids daily or weekly". Overall, more than half (60%) say they play interactive games with their kids at least once a month.

The IDSA study is the most in-depth and targeted survey of its kind, gathering data from more than 1,350 nationally representative households that have been identified as owning either or both a video game console or a personal computer used to run entertainment software. According to the IDSA study, "whether people are playing at home on their online or offline computers, on the latest “next generation” game console, or on the road using handheld devices such as Nintendo’s GameBoy, cell phones, or personal digital assistants, digital interactive games have an undisputed impact on both our culture and economy".

About The ESA

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the U.S. association exclusively dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies that publish video and computer games for video game consoles, personal computers, and the Internet. ESA members collectively account for more than 90 percent of the $6.9 billion in entertainment software sold in the U.S. in 2002, and billions more in export sales of U.S.-made entertainment software. The ESA offers services to interactive entertainment software publishers including a global anti-piracy program, owning the Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show, business and consumer research, government relations and First Amendment and intellectual property protection efforts.

Related resources

• The Entertainment Software Association
• e3expo