Adults Love Video Games 257
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. "
Of course we do. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Of course we do. (Score:5, Funny)
"MOM! Dad pwned me again!"
"There there, honey. You won't always be such a noob."
Re:Of course we do. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Of course we do. (Score:2)
Re:Of course we do. (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:Of course we do. (Score:2)
I'm guessing it will soon be common to see people in retirement homes doing it.
Stress relief (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Stress relief (Score:5, Interesting)
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)
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)
Re:Stress relief (Score:2)
Porns Tips Guzzardo!
Re:Stress relief (Score:2)
Re:Stress relief (Score:2)
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.
Re:Stress relief (Score:2)
Games are entertainment, and have no substantial value beyond that. I don't seek anything "real" from playing games. Playing with or without cheats enabled results in the same thing - I spent time sitting on my butt pushing buttons. In the end, I've accomplished nothing "real."
Blasting synthetic bad-guys all to hell is just escapism, but it's
Article text (Score:5, Informative)
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.
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
Re:Article text (Score:2)
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)
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.
Re:it's about time people accepted it.. (Score:2)
Re:it's about time people accepted it.. (Score:2)
old folks (Score:3, Interesting)
not as young as I used to be (Score:2, Insightful)
Simple reasons. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Simple reasons. (Score:2)
Or, maybe you've just had more time to get addicted to them.
Kids ain't got sh*t on me! (Score:3, Funny)
Missing statistic: (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Missing statistic: (Score:2)
Are you surprised, given... (Score:2)
supporting /. article (Score:2)
Obvious (Score:5, Interesting)
What are you smoking? (Score:3, Insightful)
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.
Re:What are you smoking? (Score:2)
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
Re:What are you smoking? (Score:2)
Why? Because I don't have the time nor the inclination to pirate games? Either way, that should make game companies target their wares more at me than someone like you.
Re:What are you smoking? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:What are you smoking? (Score:2)
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
Re:What are you smoking? (Score:2)
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.
Re:What are you smoking? (Score:2)
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
Re:What are you smoking? (Score:2)
Re:What are you smoking? (Score:2)
My (high school) class time goes from 8:30 to 3:15. Add transportation time, multiply by 5 days/week, and you get almost 40 hours/week.
It does? Lessee... 8:30 to 3:15, that's 6:45. Take out an hour for lunch (which isn't included in the 40-hour work week, either) and that leaves 5:45. Don't add in transportation time, because most people have to commute, too (and generally farther and longer, but we'll ignore that). So 5:45 * 5 = 28:45. Add in some homework time, though, and you might catch up, and
Re:Obvious (Score:2)
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)
Re:Obvious (Score:2)
It makes sense if you put even a little thought into it.
Re:Obvious (Score:2)
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)
Your "dept" was right on... (Score:2, Interesting)
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...
Re:Your "dept" was right on... (Score:2)
Re:Your "dept" was right on... (Score:2)
Re:Your "dept" was right on... (Score:2)
Re:Your "dept" was right on... (Score:2)
Ditto. I've been married nine months, and I never get to play games anymore. Fortunately I had a chance to finsih Half-life 2, Doom 3, and KotOR before getting married. Since then, I haven't played much at all. I live for the times that she works on the weekends or goes out of town to see her family so that I can play some games. Otherwise I have to
Re:Your "dept" was right on... (Score:2)
Re:Your "dept" was right on... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Your "dept" was right on... (Score:2)
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)
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.
Re:Vague article with weak numbers. (Score:2, Insightful)
What do you consider adult? (Score:2)
Re:Vague article with weak numbers. (Score:2)
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.
Re:Vague article with weak numbers. (Score:2)
I'd agree with you that gamefaqs is a lot "cheats." But most of the people I know who use that site are on there for the message boards, or reading up on older games to find new things out about them. i.e. Morrowind comes to mind.
I believe I speak for most of Slashdot when I say (Score:3, Insightful)
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.
Re:I believe I speak for most of Slashdot when I s (Score:2)
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)
Duh!
RTFA and it agrees with what I've seen (Score:2, Insightful)
- 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)
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.
Strange Server Restrictions (Score:2)
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
Just as soon as I can get that kid to go to sleep, (Score:2)
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
Re:Just as soon as I can get that kid to go to sle (Score:2)
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
I don't think this is too hard to understand (Score:2)
I keep hoping... (Score:5, Insightful)
He watches TV, she plays bridge with her friends, they read books, I play games. What's the big deal?
Re:I keep hoping... (Score:2)
Re:I keep hoping... (Score:2)
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
Re:I keep hoping... (Score:2)
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
Re:I keep hoping... (Score:2)
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
Re:I keep hoping... (Score:2)
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
Re:I keep hoping... (Score:2)
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
Hell yeah! (Score:2)
does it inversely relate with impressing women? (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:does it inversely relate with impressing women? (Score:2)
Re:does it inversely relate with impressing women? (Score:2)
What is this "impress women" you speak of? I find your ideas intruging and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
no surprise (Score:2)
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)
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.
Re:Most adults don't live with their moms (Score:2)
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.
Did anyone else read the title as... (Score:2)
For a minute, I thought I was on Boing Boing or Fleshbot.
Look at it this way... (Score:5, Funny)
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)
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)
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)
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.
Is there anything else? (Score:2)
Hey! (Score:2)
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)
http://open.bbc.co.uk/newmediaresearch/files/BBC_
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.
Re:Play Sudoku, Kakuro or Chess! (Score:2)
Re:Play Sudoku, Kakuro or Chess! (Score:2)
I'll go out on a limb here and say no more than 1.
Re:Play Sudoku, Kakuro or Chess! (Score:2)
And no, English isn't my first language either.
Re:Play Sudoku, Kakuro or Chess! (Score:4, Interesting)
While I do love Chess (And everyone and their brother should learn to play Go [playgo.to].) I really don't see the intrinsic intellectual value of Sudoku. Sudoku is quite similar to the children's game with the various shaped pegs that you have to fit into the corresponding holes on a board. It can be challenging, but ultimately it comes down to a process of elimination and time will solve just about any problem as long as you keep track of what you've tried.
I'll grant that your average FPS, MMORPG, and Platform game do almost nothing to improve your intellect and really they only improve response times. There is something to be said for a good quality RTS, Turn based strategy game, or the all but dead adventure game which forces you to think critically. And to a lesser extent even the classic "falling object puzzle" games. Certainly far more than watching movies and television.
Like any and all hobbies, moderation is the key.
Re:Play Sudoku, Kakuro or Chess! (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Play Sudoku, Kakuro or Chess! (Score:2)
The two main approaches to analysis are "candidate elimination" and "what-if"."
"In "candidate elimination", progress is made by successively eliminating candidate numerals from one or more cells to leave just one choice."
"In the "what-if" approach, a cell with only two candidate numerals is selected, and a guess is made. The steps above are repeated unless a duplication is found or a cell is left with no possible candidate, in which case the alternative candidate is the soluti
Re:keep fretting (Score:2)
For my mind, I hate hiking. Mountain climbing is way too dangerous, its a hell of a lot more of a waste if my life ended at 25 in a landslide than if I spent it gaming. Mushing a dogsled just sounds cruel, on top of the fact I hate dogs. And I'm not even a particularly good driver, I don't trust myself to land a plane.
In 20 years am I going to look back and think I wasted my life? Not at all. I *enjoy* gaming. I'm spending time doing
Re:keep fretting (Score:2)
Re:Well... (Score:2)
Re:Mmmm.... adult love in video game form (Score:2)
I wouldn't consider MMOs "hardcore" (Score:3, Interesting)
Seriously, I fail to see what's so "hardcore" about a MMO. The fact of the matter is that in virtually any MMO you'll eventually go up in levels whether you have any skill and dedication or not.
I've met people who were top level, or within the last 10 levels, and hadn't yet even figured out the very basics like "pulling", "tanking", "kiting", or generally using element
Re:I wouldn't consider MMOs "hardcore" (Score:2)
Re:I wouldn't consider MMOs "hardcore" (Score:2)
There's also a "soft" cap on how much you can enhance one aspect of any power. (Mind you, "soft" in this case is sorta like saying that hitting a wooden ceiling is softer than a concrete one;)
So basically you can't herd and nuke 1000 npcs off the whole map any more. Personally