Majority of Kids are Playing Video Games, But Not with Their Parents

Business Wire, Nov 12, 2007

Nearly Half of All Adults Admit to Playing Videogames Reveals AOL Games/The Associated Press Poll

DULLES, Va. & NEW YORK -- Eight out of ten children between the ages of 4 and 17 regularly play computer or video games reveals a new poll from AOL Games (games.aol.com) and The Associated Press*. According to the findings, 81% of all children play at least occasionally, while 38% of all adults admit to playing computer or video games. Additionally, while conventional wisdom holds that adult gamers are predominately male, the poll finds that 45% are actually female.

"These findings underscore gaming's broadening reach," said Ralph Rivera, Vice President of AOL Games. "It's not about eating dots and shooting pixilated aliens anymore. Today, games are multi-million dollar productions that range from kid-friendly to adults-only fare."

Gaming as a Family Activity:

When parents were asked how many hours a week they spend playing video games with their kids, 43% stated that they never play with their kids, while 30% stated less than an hour. Younger parents were found to be more likely to play games with their kids than older parents.

Holiday Season:

18% of those surveyed said they were very or somewhat likely to purchase a video game console like an XBox, Nintendo, or Playstation during the upcoming holiday season, while 35% stated they were very or somewhat likely to purchase video games. When it comes to selecting a video console, a majority (51%) of those planning to purchase a console during the holiday season stated that price was the most important factor followed by recommendations from friends and family (34%).

Adult Gamers:

The poll finds that more than half of all adult gamers are under 40 years old, while 27% are under the age of 30. Only a third of all adult gamers are married and have children. The typical adult gamer spends 2 hours each week playing video games. This number increases to 4 hours per week for fans of shooter games, and 5 hours for fans of adventure and role playing games. 93% stated they usually play online games at home, while 5% admitted to playing at work or school.

Hardcore vs Light Gamers:

41% of all gamers are classified as "hardcore gamers," those who spend at least 3 hours per week playing video games, while light gamers (31%) play less than an hour per week on average. Hardcore gamers are younger than other gamers with 59% under the age of 40 and 32% under 30. 58% of hardcore gamers are male, while 42% are female. Light gamers are more likely to be female, in their 40's and employed full-time. A majority (68%) of light gamers are married versus 50% of hardcore gamers.

* The AP-AOL Games poll of 2,016 adults and 770 gamers was conducted from October 9-11 and 16-18 by Ispos, an international public opinion company. The margin of error for all adults is -2.2 for all adults, -3.5 for Gamers.

About AOL

AOL[R] is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., AOL LLC and its subsidiaries have operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.

About The Associated Press

The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP.