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Adults Love Video Games 257

Posted by CmdrTaco from the well-i'm-only-technically-an-adult dept.
flabbybuns writes "For those of you who feel you may waste too much time behind a controller fret no longer. According to a recent report on adult gamer statistics, it turns out that the adults are more hardcore about gaming than the kids are. "
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Adults Love Video Games More

Adults Love Video Games

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  • Of course we do. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Vengeance ( 46019 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @03:52PM (#14982621)
    I'm WAY better at Unreal Tournament 2004 than my five year old.

    • Re:Of course we do. (Score:5, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 23, 2006 @03:54PM (#14982637)

      "MOM! Dad pwned me again!"

      "There there, honey. You won't always be such a noob."

    • Re:Of course we do. (Score:3, Interesting)

      by potus98 ( 741836 )
      I too have a 5 year old. The problem for me has become the fact that I must wait to play my games after he goes to bed. Having to give up sleep to continue progressing on games is getting harder as I get older. Fortunately, I have a broad range of likes and can enjoy the games he likes (Lego Star Wars, Katamari Damacy). God, I hope he never discovers Poke-e-mon or Yu-gi-oh...
    • I think this screenie [imageshack.us] shows how much I kick the ass of my little brother at Half Life 2: Deathmatch. Ahh, tis fun pwning close relatives with the crossbow after a hard day :D

    • Re:Of course we do. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by kannibal_klown ( 531544 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:10PM (#14982792)
      I mean, come on. This is a no brainer.

      I'm an adult, but my whole childhoold was filled with gaming, through my teenage years. And I still play games.

      Sure, if it was 1985 I'd be shocked to hear that more adult gamers were so numerous. But in this period, most young adults grew up playing Atari/Intellivision/Coleco, Nintento, SNES, etc. It's common sense that many of them would continue the habit.
      • True true. I'm 41 and play all the time. I have friends around the same age and they play too. When you grow up with this shit, I don't see how anyone could expect anything different. When your big choice for the evening is watching Deal or No Deal (wtf?) or playing F.E.A.R., I'll take F.E.A.R. anyday.
        I'm guessing it will soon be common to see people in retirement homes doing it.

  • Stress relief (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Migraineman ( 632203 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @03:54PM (#14982639)
    God Mode + FPS = Stress Relief

    • Re:Stress relief (Score:5, Interesting)

      by lukewarmfusion ( 726141 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:06PM (#14982750) Homepage Journal
      Heck yeah. I play through my favorite levels in Jedi Academy with all the cheats enabled just to blow off steam.

      Psychologically, (a geek who overanalyzes stuff?!) I think this helps me compensate for the lack of control I have in my life. The demands of work, home, marriage, etc. are all wiped away with a half an hour of tossing stormtroopers into the lava.

      • Re:Stress relief (Score:5, Funny)

        by The-Bus ( 138060 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:59PM (#14983248)
        "The demands of work, home, marriage, etc. are all wiped away with a half an hour of tossing stormtroopers into the lava."


        Ah, is that what they call it now? I guess "Performing the Jedi Hand Trick" and "Manually Targeting the Rebel Base" have become passé.

      • Re:Stress relief (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Kokuyo ( 549451 )
        I am rally not trying to flame you here but... The demands of marriage? My marriage doesn't demand shit of me. It just gives me a haven of comfort, rest and peace. I'm sorry to phrase it like that but... if your marriage puts you through even more stress, why have you married in the first place?
    • Now if only marriage would come with a God Mode.

      Porns Tips Guzzardo!
    • God Mode + FPS = Stress Relief

      I've found the opposite.

      I find after a little while of zooming about with infinite ammo, being invincible, and just shooting anything that moves actually leaves me more wired than when I began because I'm all jazzed from the adrenaline.

      YMMV, but as someone who isn't a fan of FPS games, I don't find it to relieve any stress whatsoever. It makes more --- which makes me regret buying Star Wars: Battlefront.

  • Article text (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 23, 2006 @03:55PM (#14982645)

    Every time I do a report on computer or console video games I wonder if I am targeting the correct market. I personally have been known to get addicted to a computer game here and there-- *cough* Unreal Tournament, Counter Strike, Halo 2 --and admit that I have been upset with myself many a time for wasting too many hours behind a controller or mouse. Heck, at one point I think I pulled in twenty-four hours in a two week period for Counter Strike; or was it Unreal Tournament?

    Anywho, based on the latest survey it now looks like it is the adults, not the kids, who are more likely to be found behind a joystick.

    Adults are Gamers

    According to a report by the Consumer Electronics Association [businesswire.com], about one-third of adult gamers spend ten hours or more playing video games per week. Compared to only eleven percent of teens, some have to wonder where we find the time.

    • 58% of homes with consoles consider it their primary game platform
    • 25% of adults used handhelds in the last 6 months
    • 64% of adults play alone
    • 55% of adults play online
    • 5x more teens are playing mmogs than adults especially women
    • 77% of teens used handhelds in the last 6 months
    • 78% of teen males play online games
    • 58% of teen females play online games

    The Consumer Electronics Association finds the statistics startling while the people working on PS3 rejoice. According to the report put out by the CEA, adults will purchase 19 million of the next-generation consoles in the first year.

    "The fact that adults are racking up more gaming hours than teens is startling, but there are several associated findings that shed light on this," said CEA's Senior Manager, Industry Analysis Steve Koenig. "Interestingly, a greater percentage of 12-14 year olds spend time gaming than older teens ages 15-17. Older teens simply may not have the free time for extra hours of gaming or they could be gaming on wireless handsets since 81 percent of teens own or use a wireless phone."

    Through the new study, CEA also investigated gaming platform ownership and behaviors and found the data revealed the PC dominates the adult game market while teens spend more time using game consoles. For households owning a PC and a console, 58 percent consider the console to be their primary gaming platform despite its lower engagement. Additionally, the study showed portable gaming to be decidedly more popular with teens than adults. Only 25 percent of adult gamers who own a portable game device have used it in the past six months compared to 77 percent of teens.

    Additional adult vs. teen behavioral differences emerge in the study when online game play is evaluated. The majority (64 percent) of adult gamers either mostly or always play console games by themselves and just over half (55 percent) play online. Conversely, teens are five times as likely to engage in multiplayer gaming with their consoles, especially teenage girls - an unexpected result. Teens also are much more likely to game online, but here males outnumber females - some 78 percent of teen male's game online in a given month compared to 58 percent of teen females.

    The survey results also suggest female gamers outnumber male gamers in the 25-34 age category. This result stems from high rates of play of online games, many of which are free of charge (i.e. Yahoo! Games), among female gamers. The 25-34 age group also comprises the largest concentration among overall female gamers (29 percent).

    In a promising trend for consumer electronics (CE) retailers, CEA found that some adult gamers purchase additional CE products specifically to enhanc

    • Heck, at one point I think I pulled in twenty-four hours in a two week period for Counter Strike; or was it Unreal Tournament?

      Hell, he's bragging about that? When Civ II came out I pulled 24 hours in a 24 hour period. That shit's worse than crack.

  • it's about time people accepted it.. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by joevai ( 952546 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @03:56PM (#14982654)

    I'm so sick and tired of TV and the media in general making out that games are just for kids. With the level of technology games currently have and the sheer joyful fun you can have with them, and the fact that this survey proves a lot of adults know this already it's about time the world at large accepted it.

  • old folks (Score:3, Interesting)

    by firl ( 907479 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @03:57PM (#14982660)
    Ya it is quite disturbing when you have this nice image of this girl char who is very nice in game then you get in on a vent channel and they sound like a 70 yr old smoker, who you then later find out its a 60 year old... damn retirement.
  • I find that the hangovers from games are much less severe than the drug/substance hangovers I used to get in college.

  • Simple reasons. (Score:3, Informative)

    by BigZaphod ( 12942 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @03:58PM (#14982673) Homepage
    Adults have more money to spend on it. Not only that, but adults are the ones telling the kids to get outside and cut the grass, take out the trash, clean their rooms, etc... while they keep playing World of Warcraft themselves!
    • I think there's more to it than that. All the responsibilities of adulthood make a lot of casual gamers stop playing. So, if you are an adult and pay video games, chances are that you take them seriously, or are a pretty avid player.

      Or, maybe you've just had more time to get addicted to them.

  • Kids ain't got sh*t on me! (Score:3, Funny)

    by gasmonso ( 929871 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @03:59PM (#14982684) Homepage
    I've been gaming since 1980 and will put the smackdown on any kids including my own :) Of course when I'm old, senile and can't wipe my own *ss, I probably won't be so good. But growing up with the classics that actually depended on good gameplay versus graphics makes one a better gamer. gasmonso

  • Missing statistic: (Score:5, Funny)

    by rain9441 ( 959621 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @03:59PM (#14982685)
    75% of adult gamers act like teens.

  • Obvious (Score:5, Interesting)

    by postgrep ( 803732 ) <djandercore AT gmail DOT com> on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:00PM (#14982702) Homepage Journal
    Whilst many people may use the "Adults have to work, kids don't" may I remind people that: . Adults have more disposable income than children, moreso if they're single. . Generally, Adults have stopped learning (unless you go to university), and thus, they have more time to game and less to study (as high school is a frantic time) . Adults have all resources available to buy these controversial games (GTA:SA uncensored, all new violent games) whilst children have to pirate or illegally obtain these new games to play them. I would have thought it was pretty obvious.

    • Generally, Adults have stopped learning (unless you go to university), and thus, they have more time to game and less to study (as high school is a frantic time).

      I'm not sure what planet you're from, but I have WAY less time to game now that I'm a 40-hr a week employee than I did when in college (both undergrad and grad). There's no way in hell I spent a full 8 hours a day * 5 days a week on school work and/or class. A real job TOTALLY takes away from game time.

      • A real job TOTALLY takes away from game time.

        Yes, but you miss half the point. Companies make these games to make money selling them. You do have to admit that working adults have more money than poor college or high school students. Further, college and high school students also have the time to pirate games. So, the adult gamers should be the target audience, however most games seem created for the 12-13 year olds.

        The working adults may not have as much time to play, but they certainly have the mone
      • Not everyone was a business major.
      • Odd. I work 40 hours a week, commute 1.25 hours (each way) to work, have a house and lawn to take care of, and I'm married and I *still* find time to get some gaming in on a regular basis. My wife isn't a gamer, although she has watched me play a few fun games (Resident Evil 4, Psychonauts, Indigo Prophecy), but she does understand that gaming is my hobby.

        It's all in what you take time for. You can say that the job is what's taking your time, but that's only 40 (let's say 45 hours including a normal commute

        • You can say that the job is what's taking your time, but that's only 40 (let's say 45 hours including a normal commute) out of 168. Giving you 8 hours of sleep per night is 56 hours per week. 168-45-56=67 hours left. So where's all that time going?

          Slashdot.

      • I have WAY less time to game now that I'm a 40-hr a week employee than I did when in college (both undergrad and grad).

        GP said UNLESS you go to a university (aka college), adults have more time to game. Furthermore, I think if you go to college that pretty much means you're an adult (at least physically).

        It's funny. My mom wouldn't allow me to play video games during the week when I was in High School. When I moved on to college, I played counter-strike non-stop until my last semester. Some how I manag
    • "Adults have more disposable income than children, moreso if they're single"

      that makes no sense. how can having two incomes make you have less disposable income than if you had one? two is still greater than one yes? on top of that, you get to split the rent.

      • Re:Obvious (Score:3, Insightful)

        by drinkypoo ( 153816 )
        I think they were making the assumption that couples have children. The best situation is DINK, "dual income no kids"... which is where I am now. Well, it's even better if you make decent money to boot...
      • Both in a couple don't have to work. Just because on paper you might have the ability to make twice as much as a couple doesn't mean you do.

        It makes sense if you put even a little thought into it.
    • Don't be so sure of this ESRB we have created. The ability to have Hot Coffee is nothing, next to the power of Solitaire.

      I've got a neighbor that regularly log a couple hours of solitaire every evening. I think she's farked, but you would be astonished how much solitaire occcurs at the workplace.

  • Kids lack the necessary intellect! (Score:4, Funny)

    by moochfish ( 822730 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:00PM (#14982703)
    Kids can't possibly understand the subtle complexities of Pong.
  • I think the average age of an adult has increased significantly. What's the definition of "adult"?

    Is someone who's 25 but does nothing but go to work, then game until sleeping 5 days a week count as an adult? If they haven't changed their habits since they were in school then gaming til bedtime I'd be hesitant to call them an adult. Agewise, they're an adult, but something's missing...
    • I'm 23, but do pretty much exactly what you describe, monday through thursday, but on fridays I go see my fiencee, and since we're getting married in 3 months, I don't think it is going to last much longer...
    • No, nothings missing. They enjoy gaming, so they spend large amounts of time doing it. Would they somehow be more adult if like the majority of Americans they watch TV until bedtime instead?
    • Is someone who is 25 years of age that does nothing but go to work, then watch television until bedtime 5 days a week count as an adult? If being of age and completely self-supporting are not the sole criteria for adulthood, then what else do you require?
    • I think the point of the article is simply that there is an age group of people who are playing video games now that weren't before. In 1990, a 25-year-old playing video games would have seemed strange, whereas now it's the norm.

      I have no problem with the guy in what he does with his life, so long as he isn't committing crime. He works and pays taxes. What do you think he should be doing instead? Raising a family? Reading great literature? Going to night classes?

  • Vague article with weak numbers. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by SynapseLapse ( 644398 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:02PM (#14982713)
    From TFA ...about one-third of adult gamers spend ten hours or more playing video games per week. Compared to only eleven percent of teens, some have to wonder where we find the time.

    I find it hard to believe there are more adults playing long hours of video games than teens. Compare that to a recent poll by Gamefaqs about their users age. [gamefaqs.com]

    Admittedly, that is only a poll showing the age of the people using that site, but it seems to be a fairly accurate representation of the age demographics of video game players.
    • 10 hours a week -- that's 2 hours a weeknight. Pretty easy for MMORPG fare or even most FPS. I'm sorry(?) to say I play at least that much after the kids go to bed. Sometimes my son and I play together, too. I definitely get more time in becasue I GO TO BED MUCH LATER since I'm not a growing boy anymore (not even sideways). Looking at the hours my kids are up (and even would be up when they're older) and able to play -- I just have more time. I've got 2 hours at a minimum of time after they're in bed
    • 18-23 sounds like an adult-ish age range to me. In Canada at 18/19 you're pretty much legal age for anything, 21 in most of the USA. At 21-22 I was done 2.5yr of college, at 23 I was making as much as or more than many of the older generation.
    • I didn't actually read the article, of course, but the text you quoted does not compare the total number of adult gamers to the total number of teen gamers. It just says that adult gamers are more likely to spend ten hours or more per week than teen gamers.

      In other words, it's 33% vs 11%. It could be 3 adult gamers out of the total 10 vs 11 teens out of the total 100.

  • I believe I speak for most of Slashdot when I say (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Rob T Firefly ( 844560 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:02PM (#14982714) Homepage Journal
    well, DUH.

    The first batch of kids in history to grow up playing videogames are now adults with the money to afford today's largely exorbitant game prices, and the age to be able to play games rated as violent/sexy/socially unredeeming as they want to.
    • By almost any definition, prices for new games have been dropping steadily . Cartridge games for the NES were up to $50 ($86 in today's dollars), and I distinctively remember seeing Mortal Kombat for the SNES on "sale" somewhere for $70 ($90 in today's dollars).

      Even if you take the most expensive widely available game out now (the Oblivion "Collector's Edition") and discount the fact that it has $10 of "value"-added material on it, it's still about $45 for the late 80's.

      Even if you were to take the cheapest

  • OBVIOUS +5 (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Nom du Keyboard ( 633989 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:03PM (#14982724)
    Of course adults love video games. You don't think they're going to spend that much money on video game consoles, games, and gaming PC's just for their kids, do you?

    Duh!

  • 25 percent adults playing portables vs 75? percent teens

    - Adults are busying doing something like WORK or driving home so it's hard to play games then. Once they get home, they have their entertainment system, so there's no use playing on something with a tiny screen vs the console hooked into the big screen tv, or even the computer. Teens on the other hand are the ones in the back seat playing their games (hey, I did that with my game boy way back when.) Those 25% adults are either commut

  • We Love ET (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Tripster ( 23407 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:08PM (#14982776) Homepage
    I'm part of a clan (www.ofclan.net) that is made up of only people over 30, we have members approaching 60. We play Enemy Territory, many play for several hours daily (the retired members can put in lots of time) and our main server is full every night of the week.

    On April 1 we celebrate our first anniversary as a clan, our clan is non-skills based and is purely for the social aspect of the game. It is the social aspect that keeps the members coming back.

    It is quite surprising how many older players there are, our server attracts them more since we announce we're the "Old Farts" in the server name, we have many of the players on TeamSpeak when they're playing and it is a great time.

    One of the nice things about our servers is we don't allow swearing in the game chat (you can however swear your heart out on our TS server). We do this because many of the members have kids who play with us on the servers or have kids who watch them play.

    We also have attempted to make the servers player friendly for newbs and those of all skill levels by limiting abilities.
    • One of the nice things about our servers is we don't allow swearing in the game chat (you can however swear your heart out on our TS server). We do this because many of the members have kids who play with us on the servers or have kids who watch them play.

      I have always thought this strange. When it is your server, you can set the rules of course. But I find it ironic that it is ok for kids to play an M rated game that is high in violence - but they can't say "fuck". Sure, they can knife people and use shotg
  • I fire up GTA:SA, or some other game that's just way too heavy in the realistic violence department for my preschooler.

    We gaming adults spend a lot of time and effort getting our kids out and about, having them do things that don't involve a video display, because we know otherwise they'd do nothing but play video games all frickin' day.

    Because that's what we'd do, if given a chance. The only reason my kid doesn't play more video games than I do is because his bedtime is earlier and we limit the time he sp

    • We gaming adults spend a lot of time and effort getting our kids out and about, having them do things that don't involve a video display, because we know otherwise they'd do nothing but play video games all frickin' day.

      Preach it, brother.

      Because that's what we'd do, if given a chance.

      Speak for yourself. I get easily bored with many modern games, and actually spend very little time playing the classics. My wife and I try to keep our kids from playing video games for too long because they've shown that their
  • if you classify adults as people who are over the age of, lets say 25, chances are they grew up on mario. Chances are also strong that they have been playing ever since. And the reason why older teen (right now) are playing less than younger teens is becuase their parents won't let them have a gorey x-box while the parents of the younger teens will let them have a gamecube for yu-gee-oh. SURE, lets see if that flys :)

  • I keep hoping... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by PFI_Optix ( 936301 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:16PM (#14982838) Journal
    I keep hoping that some day the mainstream groupthink will come to realize that video games are no more immature a pasttime than watching television. The average American has no problem sitting in front of a TV for two hours a night, yet the same people act as if there's something wrong with an adult gaming for the same length of time.

    He watches TV, she plays bridge with her friends, they read books, I play games. What's the big deal?
    • Yeah, every so often someone gives me grief about video games. Then I ask them how much television they watch. Then I explain to them that for their two hours of television a night, I watch 0. While they are sitting there drooling into their frappucino, I am [relatively] active and actually using my mind, not being brought down to the level of the lowest common denominator. Then they usually get pissed off and tell me I'm full of shit :D
    • That is the argument I use with my wife, she loves to sit and watch mindless garbage on TV and I simply refuse to sit there and watch it with her, I have no use for sitcoms, endless crime dramas and reality crap that the TV networks are using the keep the sheep watching.

      Instead I would much rather be either working on the computer or playing with a bunch of friends online and chatting in teamspeak.

      I don't go to the bar, etc. and she knows where I am and what I am doing, she doesn't mind it at all when compa
      • My wife is pretty cool about me gaming, though early on we had a few disagreements about it.

        Then I pointed out all the time she spent watching the Bachelor and it stopped. I suppose I get the whole Bachelor thing...an unrealistic scenario in a fantasy setting that could never happen in real life, characters you become somewhat emotionally attached to, if only because you want them to do things your way, even though they sometimes don't...it's sort of like a passive, team-oriented MMORPG.

        I enjoy a few TV sho
        • My wife and I have a few shows we watch together, Boston Legal is pretty good just to hear some of Bill Shatner's lines (he does some pretty funny stuff there and sometimes pokes fun at his Trek roots). We watch South Park and Drawn Together each week, and a couple of other shows when they are in season.

          But she'll also PVR every sitcom going, she has 2 soaps a day she watches, Judge Judy hour, etc. and I just can't handle watching that amount of TV. So, she can watch that and I'll play on the computer. :)

          Ju
    • I keep hoping that some day the mainstream groupthink will come to realize that video games are no more immature a pasttime than watching television. The average American has no problem sitting in front of a TV for two hours a night, yet the same people act as if there's something wrong with an adult gaming for the same length of time.

      The answer to the problem is inside your question.

      Who controls mainstream groupthink?

      The mainstream media, which includes TV.

      These people obviously want you to keep watching

    • Agreed. On average I watch 0.00 hours of television a week. I don't even own one, but when I did, I might have watch half an hour. I do spend around 10 hours a week gaming. I have my laptop for WoW and CivIV and a TV I borrowed that I can play my old SNES on (it's the old kind of TV, it has knobs and the two screws on the back for an antenna, I don't want my Gamecube to blow it up...).

      My dad gives me a hard time about video games if he ever sees me play them. Meanwhile, at his house, he sits on his ass

  • We play Super Mario Strikers (soccer), Mario Kart (racing), Mario Party 7 (board game like), Mario DDR (dance, dance, revolution!) with our 3 and 5 1/2 year old and have a blast. We can almost play some games 4 player now, and my 5 1/2 year old is really pushing me on Strikers! (how the hell does she score from so far out all the time?) I don't play outside of playing with the kids, well, perhaps once every other week, but we love playing together - the GameCube is the most fun system IMO.

  • does it inversely relate with impressing women? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by bubba_the_mermaid ( 225049 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:18PM (#14982852)
    In the tween/early teen years, men spend less time trying to impress women, and more time following "other" pursuits, which video games definitely fall into. From ages 15-25, we spend most of our time trying to impress women, which leaves less time for videogames, sports and other pursuits.

    After that, we have long term girlfriends and wives, so pursuing other women will only get us into trouble. Instead, we revert back and pursue "other" interests... videogames, sports etc.
    • I think your numbers are probably less accurate for geeks and gamers (well, they're geeks too) than for the population at large. I pretty well divided my time between 15 and now between video games and trying to get laid, aside from the time when I was in a relationship - and while it was not a 50/50 split, the majority didn't go to trying to acquire a sexual partner. I thought about sex more than video games, but unsurprisingly, I spent a lot more time video gaming :D
    • From ages 15-25, we spend most of our time trying to impress women, which leaves less time for videogames, sports and other pursuits.

      What is this "impress women" you speak of? I find your ideas intruging and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
  • Kids have a lot of responsibilities and have parents that enforce those responsibilities, such as school and homework and "family time" or whatever they do now-a-days. I have several friends who are unemployed that sit there and play video games all day long and they're all around 22 - 24 years old. Even me and all my other friends who ARE employed enjoy playing video games every chance we get.

    Another thing that might make adults more likely to play games is the fact that they do have jobs.. and they do h

  • Most adults don't live with their moms (Score:3, Insightful)

    by skam240 ( 789197 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:31PM (#14982974)
    A big reason why adults are more hardcore gammers may be because they don't (typicaly) live with their parents like kids do. They don't have Moms and Dads bugging them to go outside to play and getting them into sports programs. Parents are in charge of the house's TV so if they want video games on it they can make it happen as opposed to kids who have to get their game time in when their parents arent using the tube. Likewise with the family computer.

    One might say, in responce, that the wife (or husband) might serve as a limiting factor towards gaming for adults. One thing I have noticed, however, is that married men at least, often have friend networks far smaller than that of most children (which meens they go out to play far less often). While I only have a moderate number of married friends those that I know I see out in social situations far less while I see them playing more games or watching more tv now than they did when they were single. This being housebound seems to happen (albeit less so) to even those married couples who don't have children.
    • "While I only have a moderate number of married friends those that I know I see out in social situations far less while I see them playing more games or watching more tv now than they did when they were single."

      Bingo. I'm (quite happily) married w/ 2 kids. There isn't much time for going out to social events. But each night between kids bedtime and mine, I've got a couple free hours. I don't like TV, so gaming it is.
  • "Love Adult Video Games"?
    For a minute, I thought I was on Boing Boing or Fleshbot.

  • Look at it this way... (Score:5, Funny)

    by ElVee ( 208723 ) <elvee61@noSpAM.gmail.com> on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:37PM (#14983049)
    I'm a divorced, unattached, middle-aged man.

    During the week I get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner. What should I do with the rest of my evening? I have no homework, I have no significant other demanding attention. TV sucks ass. I'm angry and bitter at the world and what better way to unwind and release some of that anger than smacking some punks around in World of Warcraft?

    It was either online gaming or find a tall tower and a sniper rifle.

  • Breaking News (Score:4, Interesting)

    by 955301 ( 209856 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:40PM (#14983070) Journal
    This important study just released.

    The real life of an average citizen is boring. News at Eleven.

    If life were more engaging, if television wasn't full of garbage spewed out by unimaginative conglomerates these statistics would say something else.

    But for now it just says games are better than nothing.

  • boy that's an odd result /sarcasm (Score:5, Insightful)

    by argStyopa ( 232550 ) on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:51PM (#14983164) Journal
    Let's see, you have two people in a household that are 'gamers'.

    One has a bedtime, one can stay up all night.

    One has homework, the other has a boss that can be placated (to a point).

    One has (perhaps) an allowance or a part time job, so $50 for a game is a major investment, the other has a REAL job where dropping $3000 for a new computer may be about a similar investment.

    Which one would be prone to hardcore gaming addiction?

    As far as adults are concerned, the only thing that can stop us are spouses, and, well, this IS slashdot...

  • Times change (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Southpaw018 ( 793465 ) * on Thursday March 23, 2006 @04:55PM (#14983219) Journal
    When I was 16, I was an assistant clan leader for a very small (10 member) Rogue Spear clan. We had one member - the leader, in fact - who was over 20 (he was 28), and we referred to him as "old man."

    Now 23, I'm among the younger in my WoW guild. The vast majority of our members are family men and women and many are parents. Instead of having 10% of our members legally adults, we have 60%. That's a hell of a change.
  • Most adults today that have not had formal training required by their job (or are not young enough to have grown up with computers a bit) probably barely know about spell check, let alone the real reasons to upgrade an operating system. You know what would have happened if XP hadn't been given a new interface and software hadn't dropped support for 98? No normal consumers would have had any interest to upgrade (few do upgrade of course, since most just get a new computer, but that's not my point). And fo

  • Hey! (Score:2)

    by hurfy ( 735314 )
    Watch who you are calling an adult!

    hehe the online racing mod i play has an average age in the late thirties! and only cause there is a couple teenagers dragging DOWN the average :)

    Rock on ya old geezers

  • BBC's 2005 UK Gamer Research Shows Different (Score:3, Interesting)

    by code-e255 ( 670104 ) on Friday March 24, 2006 @08:35AM (#14987046)
    BBC's 2005 UK Gamer research shows quite different results.

    http://open.bbc.co.uk/newmediaresearch/files/BBC_U K_Games_Research_2005.pdf [bbc.co.uk]

    In the UK, most gamers are young, and the percentage of gamers in each age group decreases for older age groups. Also, in all age groups, male gamers outnumber female gamers slightly.

    I find it a bit hard to believe that the gaming culture in the US is drastically different from the UK one. I think the different results are mainly due to different research methodologies and different definitions of things such as "gamer". For example, the CES people got their survey results from teenagers via telephone, and adult results via Web-form survey. If somebody asked me how much I play face to face or over the telephone, I'd be more likely to understate how much I really play (because I'm kinda embarassed by how much I play games). I'd give a more truthful answer to a paper or a Web form.

    The full report costs $499 USD. Without access to that it's kinda hard to judge how good or poor the study's research really was.

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