Abstract
"If game companies insist on chasing the mythical hardcore and casual gamer
segments, they will miss out on more than half of the market," said Yuanzhe
(Michael) Cai, Director of Broadband and Gaming, Parks Associates. "The
market is not black and white anymore, and game marketers need to understand
these finer nuances."
This survey of more than 2,000 Internet gamers reveals that the U.S. Internet
gamer population has diversified to include six distinctive gamer groups. This
study provides analysis of these gamers' favorite gaming platforms and genres,
their gaming behaviors (time and money spent on different gaming activities),
interest in new gaming services, and perspectives on game advertising.
Table of Contents
Deliverables
- Executive Summary
- The Bottom Line (Slide Deck)
- Resource Book (Slide Deck)
- Banner Tabs
- Raw data (in SPSS)
Executive Summary
1.0 Overview of the Study
2.0 Key Recommendations
3.0 Key Findings
- 3.1 U.S. Internet Gamers: At a Glance
- 3.2 A New Approach For Identifying Key Gamer Groups
- 3.3 Gaming Platform Dynamics
- 3.3.1 PC and Console Gaming
- 3.3.2 Portable and Mobile Gaming
- 3.4 Trends in Online Gaming
- 3.5 Gamers as Early Adopters
- 3.6 Game Advertising
- 3.7 The Concept of Pervasive Gaming
The Bottom Line (Slide Deck)
- Notes on Methodology
- Market Sizing
- Methodology for Identifying Key Gamer Groups
- Platforms and Gaming Behavior
- Other General Gaming Behaviors
- Gaming Expenditure
- Expected Change in Gaming Expenditure
- Game Genres
- Trends in Online Gaming
- MMOG Gaming
- Pervasive Gaming
- Interest in STB Gaming and Other New Services
- Game Advertising
- Gaming PC
- Tapping into Portable and Mobile Gaming
- Ownership of Stationary Consoles
- Purchase Intention of Stationary Consoles
- Digital Habits
Resource Book (Slide Deck)
- Notes on Methodology
- Screening & Platforms
- Gaming Habits & Services
- Gaming Equipment
- Segmentation Questions
- Media Center PCs
- Demographics & Technographics
figures
Executive Summary
- U.S. Internet Gamers: At a Glance
- Ranking Different Gamer Groups: Motivation, Time, and Money
- Number and Percentage of Households with Gamers from Different Groups
- Retail Gaming Revenue by Gamer Groups
- Average Retail Expenditure per Gaming Hour among Different Gamer Groups
- Comparison of Gaming Time across Platforms
- Gaming Time Allocation by Platform: Male vs. Female (Q2/06)
- Gaming Expenditure by Platform: Percentage of Spenders and Mean Monthly
Spending
- Average Gaming Hours: Top Five PC Genres vs. Console Genres
- Interest in Receiving Mobile Updates on MMOG by Gender
- Popular Online Multiplayer Games
- Online Gamers Expect to Grow Their Online Gaming Service Expenditure in
the Next Two Years
- Addictiveness of MMOG and Online Casual Gaming
- Interest in In-Game Music Download Service: by Age and Gender
- Interest in Set-Top TV Gaming by Gamer Groups
- Interest in a Feature-Rich Web-Gaming Service by Gamer Groups
- Adoption of Digital Devices and Online Media among Gamer Groups
- Gaming Drives Adoption of New PC Peripherals
- Price Sensitivity to Gaming Services with Ads
- Perception of In-Game Advertising
- Discount Expected for Games with Ads: by Age and Gender
- Appeal of Games with Ads That Are Free, Discounted, or Offer Prizes: among
Leisure Gamers
- Least Intrusive Approach of Ad Insertion: by Age and Gender
- Interest in Pervasive Gaming Very High among Core Gamers
- Interest in Pervasive Gaming High among Gamers Already Playing on Multiple
Platforms
The Bottom Line (Slide Deck)
- Retail Market Revenue Estimate (Q2 2006)
- Estimates of Online Gaming Revenue
- Percentage of Various Gamer Groups
- Estimated Number of Households with Gamers from Different Segments
- How Do Different Gamer Groups Compare
- Retail Gaming Revenue by Gamer Groups
- Device Used for Gaming (Q2/06)
- Comparison of Gaming Time across Platforms
- Number of PC Gaming Sessions per Month: by Age and Gender (Q2/06)
- Number of Console Gaming Sessions per Month: by Age and Gender (Q2/06)
- Number of Gaming Sessions on Portable Players: by Age and Gender (Q2/06)
- Number of Gaming Sessions on a Mobile Phone: by Age and Gender (Q2/06)
- PC Gamers Spend More Time Playing Games: Percentile Analysis
- Gaming Time Allocation by Platform: Male vs. Female (Q2/06)
- Gaming Hour Allocation by Platform: by Age Groups (Q2/06)
- How Do Different Gamer Groups Allocate Gaming Time
- Average Total Gaming Hours by Gamer Groups
- Average Gaming Session Length by Platform
- Mean Percentage of Time Spent on New Games across Platforms
- Time Spent on New Release vs. Back-Catalog Games: among Console Gamers Who
Play New Releases
- Number of Games Owned Personally (Q2/06)
- Average Number of Games Played Personally (Q2/06)
- Average Number Computer Games Played Personally: by Gender (Q2/06)
- Average Number of Console Games Played Personally: by Gender (Q2/06)
- Average Number of Portable Games Played Personally: by Gender (Q2/06)
- Gaming Outside of the Home: by Gender and Age (Q2/06)
- Gaming Expenditure by Platform: Percentage of Spender and Mean Monthly
Spending
- PC Gamers Spend Least Money on Retail Game Purchases: Percentile Analysis
- PC Gaming Undermonetized Compared to Console Gaming among Gamers Who Spend
More than 20 hours per Month Playing PC vs. Console Games
- PC Gaming Undermonetized Compared to Console Gaming among Gamers Who Spend
More than 40 hours per Month Playing PC vs. Console Games
- Average Total Monthly Retail Game Expenditure by Gamer Groups
- How Do Different Gamer Groups Allocate Retail Gaming Budget
- Gaming Expenditure Allocation by Gender (Q2/06)
- Gaming Expenditure Allocation by Age (Q2/06)
- Gaming Expenditure Allocation by Number of Children at Home (Q2/06)
- Gaming Expenditure Allocation by MMOG and Online Console Gamers (Q2/06)
- Monthly Expenditure on Computer Games by Age and Gender (Q2/06)
- Monthly Expenditure on Console Games by Age and Gender (Q2/06)
- Monthly Expenditure on Portable Player Games (Q2/06)
- Expected Change in Expenditure: Console vs. PC Game (Q2/06)
- Expected Change in Expenditure: Console vs. Portable Game (Q2/06)
- Expected Change in Game Expenditure: Retail PC Games vs. Online Gaming
Services (Q2/06)
- Expected Change in Expenditure: Retail PC Games vs. Downloads (Q2/06)
- Types of Games Played Personally (Q2/06)
- Top Three Genres Played by Demographics
- Types of Core Games Played Personally: Computer Only vs. Console/PC Gamers
(Q2/06)
- Types of Casual Games Played Personally: Computer Only vs. Console/PC
Gamers (Q2/06)
- Average Hours Spent on Core Computer Games
- Average Hours Spent on Casual Computer Games
- Average Hours Spent on Core Console Games
- Average Hours Spent on Casual Console Games
- Average Gaming Hours: Top Five PC Genres vs. Console Genres
- Top Game Genres Played on PC and Console among Gamer Groups
- Time Spent on Computer Gaming (Q2/06)
- Gaming Hour Allocation: Online vs. Offline
- Online Desktop Gaming by Age and Gender (Q2/06)
- Online Desktop Gaming Hours by Age and Gender
- Top Five Online Gaming Services: by Awareness and Usage
- Top Five Online Gaming Services: by Percentage of Paying Users (Q2/06)
- Top Five Online Gaming Services: by Conversion Rate (Q2/06)
- Service Affiliation among Subscribers to Premium Online Gaming Services
- Usage of Top Online Gaming Service Users by Gender (Q2/06)
- Online Gaming Service Users by Age (Q2/06)
- Popular Online Multiplayer Games (Q2/06)
- Popular Online Multiplayer Games: by Age and Gender (Q2/06)
- Estimated Number of Users and Paying Users to Different Online Gaming
Services
- Online Game Spenders by Gender (Q2/06)
- Online Game Spenders by Age (Q2/06)
- Addictiveness of MMOG and Online Casual Gaming
- Online Gamers Expect to Grow Their Online Gaming Service Expenditure in
the Next Two Years
- Adoption of MMOG Gaming among Different Age/Gender Groups
- Interest in MMOG Gaming: by Age and Gender
- Interest in Console MMOG Gaming by Gender
- Interest in Receiving Mobile Updates on MMOG by Gender
- Interest in Playing Mobile MMOG (3MOG) by Gender
- The Concept of Pervasive Gaming: Portability and Networkability
- Interest in Pervasive Gaming Very High among Core Gamers
- Interest in Buying a Game Once and Play on Multiple Devices among Gamers
Playing on Multiple Devices
- Interest in Cross-Platform Multi-Player Gaming among Gamers Playing on
Multiple Devices (Q2/06)
- Interest in Set-Top TV Gaming by Gamer Groups
- Interest in Set-Top TV Gaming: by Age and Gender
- Interest in TV STB Gaming at Various Price Points (Q2/06)
- Interest in a Feature-Rich Web-Gaming Service by Gamer Groups
- Interest in Web-Gaming Service with Rich Features: by Age and Gender
- Interest in In-Game Music Download Service: by Age and Gender
- Free-Ad-Supported Gaming Service:
- Appeal of Free Ad-Supported Gaming Service by Gender and Age (Q2/06)
- Price Sensitivity to Gaming Service with Ads
- Price Sensitivity towards Game Services with Ads: Male vs. Female
- Perceptions and Opinions about Game Advertising:
- Power Gamers Have Strong Opinions about Game Advertising
- Opinion about Seeing In-Game Ads If It Helps Enhance Game Play: by Gender
and Age (Q2/06)
- Opinion about Seeing In-Game Ads If It Helps Reduce Cost: by Gender and
Age (Q2/06)
- Opinion about Seeing In-Game Ads in Free Games: by Gender and Age (Q2/06)
- Opinion about Seeing In-Game Ads to Win Prizes: by Gender and Age (Q2/06)
- Perception of In-Game Ads Always Having Negative Impacts: by Gender and
Age (Q2/06)
- Perception of In-Game Ads: Negative Impact (Q2/06)
- Perception of In-Game Ads Enhancing Game Play by Percentage of Time Spent
on New vs. Old PC Games
- Perception of In-Game Ads Having Negative Impact by Percentage of Time
Spent on New vs. Old PC Games
- Interest In Extra Features in a Game with In-Game Ads: Gender Difference
- Appeal of Games with Ads That Are Free, Discounted, or Offer Prizes among
Core Gamers
- Desired Discount for Tolerating Game Advertising:
- Desired Discount for Games with In-Game Ads (Q2/06)
- Discount Expected for Games with Ads: by Age and Gender (Q2/06)
- Least intrusive Approach to Game Advertising:
- Perception of Different Types of Ad-Insertion (Q2/06)
- Least Intrusive Approach of Ad Insertion: by Age and Gender (Q2/06)
- Brand of a New Computer (Q2/06)
- Self-Built Computer (Q2/06)
- Gaming Drives Adoption of PC Peripherals
- 2005 Unit Sales of PSP and Nintendo DS (2005)
- Portable Game Player Ownership (Q2/06)
- Portable Gaming Device Owners by Age and Gender (Q2/06)
- Portable Game Player Ownership among Game Console Owners
- Gamers with Both Fixed and Portable Consoles Spend More Money on Software
- Correlation between Portable Console and Mobile Phone Gaming
- Percentage of Paying Mobile Game Downloaders among Different Gamer Groups
- Multiple Current-Generation Console Households
- Game Console Ownership (Q2/06)
- Adoption of Xbox 360 among Xbox Owners and Non-Owners
- Household Income: by Game Console Owners (Q2/06)
- Large Percentage of Singles among Xbox 360 Owners
- Brand New Game Console (Q2/06)
- Gender by Game Console Intenders (Q2/06)
- Household Income by Game Console Intenders (Q2/06)
- Purchase Intention for Game Console and Portable Game Player among
Different Gamer Groups (Q2/06)
- Purchase Intention for Game Console and Portable Game Player: by Age and
Gender (Q2/06)
- Preferred Next-Generation Game Console: by Age and Gender (Q2/06)
- Adoption of Digital Devices and Online Media among Gamer Groups
Resource Book (Slide Deck)
- Percentage of Qualified Gamers-Electronic Gaming (Q2/06)
- Gaming Platforms (Q2/06)
- Device Usage for Gaming (Q2/06)
- Number of Hours Spent on Gaming Device (Q2/06)
- Mean Hours Spent on Gaming Device (Q2/06)
- Reason for not Gaming (Q2/06)
- Likelihood of Becoming a Gamer (Q2/06)
- Role in Decision-Making (Q2/06)
- Gaming Location (Q2/06)
- Computer Gaming (Q2/06)
- Time Spent on Computer Gaming (Q2/06)
- Type of Games Played Personally (Q2/06)
- Time Spent on PC Games (Q2/06)
- Average Number of Hours Playing PC Games (Q2/06)
- Time Spent on Console Games (Q2/06)
- Average Number of Hours Playing Console Games (Q2/06)
- Number of Games Owned Personally (Q2/06)
- Average Number of Games Played Personally (Q2/06)
- Number of PC Games Played Personally (Q2/06)
- Number of Console Games Played Personally (Q2/06)
- Time Spent on Playing New vs. Old Games (Q2/06)
- Online Gaming Services (Q2/06)
- Using Online Gaming Services (Q2/06)
- Online Multiplayer Games (Q2/06)
- Monthly Expenditure on Online Games II (Q2/06)
- In-Gaming Trading Activities (Q2/06)
- Interest in New Game Services (Q2/06)
- Interest in New MMOG Game Services (Q2/06)
- Interest in Games Featuring In-Game Ads and Special Features (Q2/06)
- Interest in Subscribing to a Game Service Featuring In-Game Ads at Various
Price Points (Q2/06)
- Perception of In-Game Advertising (Q2/06)
- Desired Discount for Games with In-Game Ads (Q2/06)
- Perception of Different Types of Ad-Insertion (Q2/06)
- Monthly Expenditure on Gaming (Q2/06)
- Change in Game Expenditure (Q2/06)
- Game Console Ownership (Q2/06)
- Portable Game Player Ownership (Q2/06)
- Purchase Intention (Q2/06)
- Brand of New Game Console (Q2/06)
- Brand of a New Computer (Q2/06)
- Interest in TV STB Gaming at Various Price Points (Q2/06)
- Self-Built Computer (Q2/06)
- Computer Brand (Q2/06)
- Computer Peripherals (Q2/06)
- Years Spent Gaming (Q2/06)
- Gamer Psychographics I (Q2/06)
- Gamer Psychographics II (Q2/06)
- Gamer Segments (Q2/06)
- Social Gaming Habits-Teenagers (Q2/06)
- Social Gaming Habits-Adults (Q2/06)
- Gaming with Child (Q2/06)
- Media Center PC (Q2/06)
- Ownership of Media Center PC (Q2/06)
- Purchase Intention for a Media Center PC (Q2/06)
- Reasons for Lack of Interest in MCPC (Q2/06)
- Media Center PC Scenarios (Q2/06)
- Media Center Remote Control (Q2/06)
- Location of Media Center PCs (Q2/06)
- Technology Connection (Q2/06)
- MCPC: Keyboard and Mouse Control (Q2/06)
- MCPC: Remote Control (Q2/06)
- Connect Game Console to Media Center PC (Q2/06)
- Media Center PC vs. Home Control (Q2/06)
- Technology Adoption (Q2/06)
- Computer Usage (Q2/06)
- Type of Internet Access (Q2/06)
- Home Network Ownership (Q2/06)
- Home Network Technologies (Q2/06)
- Age (Q2/06)
- Gender (Q2/06)
- Race (Q2/06)
- Adult in Household (Q2/06)
- Household Members Under 18 (Q2/06)
- Living Environment (Q2/06)
- Type of Residence (Q2/06)
- Home Ownership (Q2/06)
- Employment Status (Q2/06)
- Household Income (Q2/06)
- Marital Status (Q2/06)
- Education (Q2/06)
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