Videogames...they're not just for adolescent males anymore

The very mention of videogames conjures feelings that come from the surge of testosterone that accompanies images of mayhem, monsters, and automatic weapons fire. Videogames have a long history, and much of it has focused on its initial target audience—young males. And while that demo continues to constitute a large slice of the market, there is ever-increasing buy-in from almost every demographic segment. The Bureau of Labor predicts that the video game industry will expand by 67.9% between 2002 and 2012. To put it in perspective—revenue from computer games now exceeds that from Hollywood box office receipts.

Here are the top 10 industry facts according to the Entertainment Software Association

1. U.S. computer and video game software sales grew four percent in 2005 to $7 billion -- a more than doubling of industry software sales since 1996.

2. Sixty-nine percent of American heads of households play computer and video games.

3. The average game player is 33 years old and has been playing games for 12 years.

4. The average age of the most frequent game buyer is 40 years old. In 2006, 93 percent of computer game buyers and 83 percent of console game buyers were over the age of 18.

5. Eighty-five percent of all games sold in 2005 were rated "E" for Everyone, "T" for Teen, or "E10+" for Everyone 10+. For more information on ratings, please see www.esrb.org.

6. Eighty-seven percent of game players under the age of 18 report that they get their parents’ permission when renting or buying games, and 89 percent say their parents are present when they buy games.

7. Thirty-five percent of American parents say they play computer and video games. Further, 80 percent of gamer parents say they play video games with their kids. Sixty-six percent feel that playing games has brought their families closer together.

8. Thirty-eight percent of all game players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (30%) than boys age 17 or younger (23%).

9. In 2005, 25 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video games, an increase from nine percent in 1999.

10. Forty-four percent of game players say they play games online one or more hours per week. In addition, 32 percent of heads of households play games on a wireless device, such as a cell phone or PDA, up from 20 percent in 2002.

Videogames come in different formats (arcade, console, PC), different genres (action, sports, strategy, role playing, etc.) and for different age groups (E, T, M, etc.). In addition to console and PC games, online gaming continues to command a huge following. EverQuest, an extremely popular MMOG, is approaching half-a-million players and Lineage, wildly popular in Korea, has approximately 2.5 million players worldwide (but only about 7,000 in the US). For more data about MMOGs see Bruce Sterling Woodcock’s excellent site.

Given your experience with videogames, what explains the phenomenal attraction of interactive videogames? Also, based on your personal preferences, what future direction would you like to see for the videogame industry?