Andre Yoskowitz
2 Apr 2008 18:48
According to a new NPD Group report, 72 percent of all Americans played video games in 2007, up almost 10 percent from 2006. From the group that said they played video games, half of them played games online.
The study, "Online Gaming 2008" reported that PC was the driving force behind online gaming but that console users were increasing their online playtime.
"Despite the buzz in the industry regarding online gaming, it is still relatively small compared to offline gaming," said NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier.
"There is still a large, untapped market for gaming in general and online gaming in particular."
Another interesting note was that children aged 2 to 12 accounted for over 25 percent of online gaming,and that 18 to 24 year-old represented only 10 percent of online gaming.
Not surprisingly, the Xbox 360 was the favored system for consoles and online play and that 360 owners "actually spent more time per week using their console to play games online than PC and PS3 owners."
The report was based on a survey of 20,240 consumer panel members which was conducted for two weeks earlier this year.