A question on video game demographics [Archive]

ADC

11-04-2006, 08:25 PM

Theories:

1. Many of today's gamers grew up playing games and simply haven't stopped. By contrast, 20 years ago, video games weren't so pervasive in the home.

2. The chicken v egg question: Are gamers older because there are more games directed at adults? Or are more games directed at adults because gamers are older?

3. Lidderussy jes ain't wut it use 2 b. i kent reede ur rite cuz i plyd gamez to mich wen i wuz yung. i kent tipe eethr.

Kellory

11-04-2006, 08:28 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Javan said:
some people are known to play video games beyond age 30. Why is the average gamer age is higher now?

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats a base lie. No one over the age of 25 plays video games.

Seriously though, why stop? Those of us who were teenagers playing on NES systems grow up and continue playing. Everyone I know, and we're all over 30, play video games. The only difference is that we have money now and great systems and the cash to blow on all kinds of things we never could as kids. Oh yeah, and we just keep getting better and better. Reflexes are fine and all, but experience owns.

Now that I'm over 30 I still play games and can order a Wii and PS3 without having to ask my mom or dad's permission, and stock up on any games I would want. The average age of gamers will always continue to go up for the most part because as Generation X ages, we'll continue to play games.

something

11-04-2006, 08:58 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Javan said:
In the NES era, the average gamer age was a pre-teen or teenager. Today, the average gamer age is in the twenties, and some people are known to play video games beyond age 30. Why is the average gamer age is higher now?

[/ QUOTE ]
Partly because the gamers who were around in the beginning are still around, getting older. I mean, it makes sense that if they keep playing the number will skew a bit higher, right?

Collectonian

11-04-2006, 09:24 PM

Wait...I'm supposed to stop when I hit 30?? Ha! Never! /images/graemlins/tongue.gif And don't tell that to my dad who played the Mrs Pac-man/Galaga plug in play game I got him so much it broke and I'm sending him another one for his birthday. He also takes great joy in putting the top score on the arcade games and seeing the young players look so shocked. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

Seriously, though, as others have mentioned a large number of the people who kept NES in business when it first came out have continued to play, so as the industry gets older the players will get older too (even as fresh players come in).

I would say the gaming companies are pretty aware of this, which is why we also see more rated M games coming out.

jecca-neko

11-04-2006, 10:27 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Collectonian said:
Seriously, though, as others have mentioned a large number of the people who kept NES in business when it first came out have continued to play, so as the industry gets older the players will get older too (even as fresh players come in).

I would say the gaming companies are pretty aware of this, which is why we also see more rated M games coming out.

[/ QUOTE ]

Some gaming companies have also found that the older players don't necessarily care about M rated games. Look at how well Nintendo is doing with the DS and the Touch Generation line.

Really though, I think the M rated game increase is not necessarily because the gaming demographic is aging. A lot of teens, pre-teens, and younger play M rated games and PREFER M rated games, mostly because of the violence.

GHardin

11-04-2006, 11:46 PM

[ QUOTE ]
ADC said:
Theories:

1. Many of today's gamers grew up playing games and simply haven't stopped. By contrast, 20 years ago, video games weren't so pervasive in the home.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm more inclined to agree with this theory. Many of those who grew up playing games (I'm sure that's a good number of us posting here!) sure as hell aren't going to stop now! /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

RommieSG

11-05-2006, 12:16 AM

My Mom's over 50, and she loves to play games. Especially if they're cute, like Donkey Kong Country, or the Zelda games. She loves playing Conker too. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

And me, I've been playing since I was a kid. I don't plan on stopping. The older I get, I keep changing demographics. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Rommie /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif

Johnny

11-05-2006, 04:48 AM

Well, it depends on the console. Sony have said that their demographic with the PS3 is males between 20 and 30. This will be due to games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Devil May Cry 3, Gran Turismo HD and so on. It's also because they are targetting tech heads with the Blu Ray player and they will generally fall into that age range too.
Finally the cost, the fact is that 20-30 years olds are more likely to have less commitments and more disposable income and therefore are much more likely to plunk down the cash than a 15 year old working 5 hours a week in McDonalds.

Nintendo have pretty much changed (or are changing) everything with the DS and now Wii. I wasn't that surprised when Brain Training was being handed out in retirement homes in Japan (those crazy Japanese etc) but when it happened in the UK? Yes, old people playing and enjoying the DS was a big surprise.

With Microsoft, I'd say they're going for the 18-25 range. Maybe not as widespread as Sony, but they definitely have the mature titles and so on.
FWIW, MS don't really need to target an age demographic but rather a country beginning with J...

Overall though, the 20 year old gamer thing is true in the US (and Japan too pretty much) but not really here in the UK. Gaming still doesn't have anywhere near the mainstream appeal like it does elsewhere in the world.

jecca-neko

11-05-2006, 10:47 AM

[ QUOTE ]
johnny said:
Overall though, the 20 year old gamer thing is true in the US (and Japan too pretty much) but not really here in the UK.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unless your name is johnny. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Speaking of which, I hope you don't mind but whenever I get in discussions about game importing with people IRL your name usually comes up. When people think I'm crazy for importing DDR I point out that there's gamers who primarily import to satisfy their gaming hobby, like "my buddy johnny from AoD." /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

Johnny

11-05-2006, 10:51 AM

[ QUOTE ]
jecca-neko said:
[ QUOTE ]
johnny said:
Overall though, the 20 year old gamer thing is true in the US (and Japan too pretty much) but not really here in the UK.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unless your name is johnny. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Speaking of which, I hope you don't mind but whenever I get in discussions about game importing with people IRL your name usually comes up. When people think I'm crazy for importing DDR I point out that there's gamers who primarily import to satisfy their gaming hobby, like "my buddy johnny from AoD." /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha, that's awesome! /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

Soulblazer

11-05-2006, 10:58 AM

Probably because the people that started playing NES games never stopped playing games....

Zanza Hiro

11-05-2006, 11:14 AM

good call on the price, johnny

quick question to some of the older gamers on here, do you guys remember how much the original NES cost when it came out? i think i was just getting in gr 1 or 2 so i didn't buy it myself but, was curious as to how much it cost. i'm talking about the one with Duck Hunt and stuff /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

with the PS3 coming out at around $600 before games, i wonder how kids who want one nowadays get one. well off kids will always have the obliging parents but what about the average kid with a paper route? how is he gonna come up with $700-800 for a console, game etc? i kno i didn't start coming into that kind of money until i was almost 19

Johnny

11-05-2006, 11:20 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Zanza said:
good call on the price, johnny

quick question to some of the older gamers on here, do you guys remember how much the original NES cost when it came out? i think i was just getting in gr 1 or 2 so i didn't buy it myself but, was curious as to how much it cost. i'm talking about the one with Duck Hunt and stuff /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

with the PS3 coming out at around $600 before games, i wonder how kids who want one nowadays get one. well off kids will always have the obliging parents but what about the average kid with a paper route? how is he gonna come up with $700-800 for a console, game etc? i kno i didn't start coming into that kind of money until i was almost 19

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure but for all those who go on about the PS3's price, it's worth bearing in mind that the Saturn cost at least £400 (could have been as much as £450) when it came out. Yes, there are economic factors to take into consideration, but it was a lot of money at the time.

The NES couldn't have been that pricey. I'd guess £150-£200. I do know that I got one bought at Christmas the year or year after it came out and I doubt my parents would have paid a huge amount considering I would have been like 5 or 6 or so at the time.

Zanza Hiro

11-05-2006, 11:25 AM

holy crap, so the original NES was hundreds of dollars when it came out?

man, i knew nothing when i was a kid. some1 gave it to my brother and i for christmas when we were kids. i swear i thought it was like maybe $100 -_-

came with Mario and a gun to play duckhunt. hehehe, and that game where you shoot those clay disks, that was fun /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

Mononoke

11-05-2006, 12:35 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Zanza said:
quick question to some of the older gamers on here, do you guys remember how much the original NES cost when it came out?

[/ QUOTE ]
The set I got came with the console, 2 controllers, the zapper, Mario, and Duck Hunt. It cost $99.99 at the time. Which, in 1980s dollars, wasn't as cheap as that sounds today.

Kevinroc

11-05-2006, 12:52 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Soulblazer said:
Probably because the people that started playing NES games never stopped playing games....

[/ QUOTE ]

I know I haven't stopped playing video games and I started with the NES.

Arcturus

11-05-2006, 12:55 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Javan said:
In the NES era, the average gamer age was a pre-teen or teenager. Today, the average gamer age is in the twenties, and some people are known to play video games beyond age 30. Why is the average gamer age is higher now?

[/ QUOTE ]

Out of curiosity, where are you getting these statistics?

Njr Scrawl

11-05-2006, 01:39 PM

Older gamers buy consoles & games to share with kids as a family thing, whereas before home video games were seen as kiddie stuff.

Also, like everyone wants to have a theatre quality movies playable in their house, they all want arcade quality games in their house.

Games for home consoles are now as good as arcade, & the more sophisticated ones are like interactive movies sometimes.

Consignia

11-05-2006, 02:47 PM

[ QUOTE ]
johnny said:Overall though, the 20 year old gamer thing is true in the US (and Japan too pretty much) but not really here in the UK. Gaming still doesn't have anywhere near the mainstream appeal like it does elsewhere in the world.

[/ QUOTE ]

I completely disagree. I know loads of people who 20 year old and over who play video games. If anything, the UK is pretty strongly mainstream with stuff like PES.

Johnny

11-05-2006, 02:57 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Consignia said:
[ QUOTE ]
johnny said:Overall though, the 20 year old gamer thing is true in the US (and Japan too pretty much) but not really here in the UK. Gaming still doesn't have anywhere near the mainstream appeal like it does elsewhere in the world.

[/ QUOTE ]

I completely disagree. I know loads of people who 20 year old and over who play video games. If anything, the UK is pretty strongly mainstream with stuff like PES.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah but any games that are known here are mostly EA Sports games/movie tie-ins that are advertised quite a bit. I'm talking more about your average game that more causal gamers won't really know or seek out.
What I'm saying is that gaming here is still considered very geeky and sad unless you're playing FIFA 07, Pro Evo 6 or the latest Need for Speed game. It's considered the same way in the US, yes, but not on the same level.
I'm not saying the over-20 UK gamer doesn't exist but based solely on going into GAME or Gamestop on a weekend, generally it's the under 20s who make up the vast amount of people.

ColoradoJim

11-05-2006, 03:14 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Zanza said:

quick question to some of the older gamers on here, do you guys remember how much the original NES cost when it came out? i think i was just getting in gr 1 or 2 so i didn't buy it myself but, was curious as to how much it cost. i'm talking about the one with Duck Hunt and stuff /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I also paid $99.99 for my NES with 2 controllers, zapper with duck hunt, and of course the Super Mario Bros cart. It was not the super deluxe package which included that robot thing.

When we got the original Oddessy system with the screen overlays, (which we still have) I think we paid $100 for the system but the package included a lot of game cartridges, two different screen overlay sizes to fit two different TVs, a light gun shaped like a rifle, and two controllers with dial type controls. No scoring as it was the first Oddessy system. I'd guess we got it in the 1972-1974 period. No idea how that translates to today's dollars but it has to be at least $300 or more in today's money.

When I bought the SNES, I think I paid $149.99 or $139.99 for it as I'm sure that I waited for at least one price drop before getting the system. I think it may originally retailed for $179.99 or something similar to that. It did sell for cheaper than the Genesis. It came with at least one controller, maybe two and the Mario game.

Looking over the console releases over the years, I would say that probably the SNES and Genesis offered the most for the money at the time for the launch window period.

11-05-2006, 07:05 PM

I'm 32 and I've been playing games since the Atari 2600. My second console was Colecovision. I've never stopped. I'll always play. It's my favorite hobby by a mile.

Zorak

11-05-2006, 07:42 PM

I've been playing video games since around 1980. My first console was the Atari 2600. I'm in my 30's now and I'm still playing games. I figure as long as I still enjoy it, why should I stop? Hobbies don't have an expiration date.

joelgundam01

11-05-2006, 09:31 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Arcturus said:
[ QUOTE ]
Javan said:
In the NES era, the average gamer age was a pre-teen or teenager. Today, the average gamer age is in the twenties, and some people are known to play video games beyond age 30. Why is the average gamer age is higher now?

[/ QUOTE ]

Out of curiosity, where are you getting these statistics?

[/ QUOTE ]

Apparently, not from the ESA (http://www.theesa.com/facts/top_10_facts.php). /images/graemlins/happy.gif

Like several others have said, it's because the previous generation is still playing them.

Personally, I think video games are becoming a new entertainment medium, similar to music, TV, and movies. Lately, many people in there 20s, 30s, 40s, and even 50s are starting to get into video games now, because they have evolved so much over the years.

dunno001

11-05-2006, 10:43 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Lamhirh of the Stars said:
[ QUOTE ]
Zanza said:
quick question to some of the older gamers on here, do you guys remember how much the original NES cost when it came out?

[/ QUOTE ]
The set I got came with the console, 2 controllers, the zapper, Mario, and Duck Hunt. It cost $99.99 at the time. Which, in 1980s dollars, wasn't as cheap as that sounds today.

[/ QUOTE ]

Right, that was the most common set. There was also a set that came with the Power Pad, and added Track Meet to the cartridge, which went for $149.99. I don't have firm pricing schematics on the robot set, but something in me thinks it was around $199.99 with the system.

For those who were late, there was the Challenge Set, which initially came with 2 controllers, but was later scaled back to 1, had Mario 3, and went for $89.99. Or, for $49.99, there was the Control Set, with 1 controller and no game. (By this point, the zapper accessory was already dead, and could be found for $5 fairly easily.)

11-05-2006, 11:52 PM

I started playing video games during the NES days. Even today I still like playing them. I'm older than I was back then. So yeah I'm part of the "I just got older" group. Although granted some were playing before the NES days, but go figure since some systems predate the NES.

Lego

11-06-2006, 12:43 AM

I to started with a NES. From their I went to a Gensis, Game Gear, Gameboy, N64, Dreamcast, and now the PS2. I loved my N64, and I have thirty or so games for it. As long as they keep putting out games that interest me, I can see myself gaming far into my 20's and 30's(I'm 20 right now).

Johnny

11-06-2006, 10:54 AM

[ QUOTE ]
dejr8bud said:
I've never stopped. I'll always play. It's my favorite hobby by a mile.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, same with me. I started out with some Atari (my first gaming memories are playing Space Invaders and Operation Wolf) then movied on to a Commodore 64. In those early years it almost seemed like my parents were forcing games onto me (not that I'm complaining!). Interestingly, I used to get 2-3 C64 games each week as they cost about £1 each and so even at 5 or 6 years old, had a huge collection. I would definitely say that is part of the reason I buy so many games even today.
From there it was a NES then a Megadrive (having my dad know a MD importer/renter was great as I got games early, cheaply and even free /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif) and the rest is history /images/graemlins/happy.gif
It's been a part of me since I can remember and I just now consider it a part of life more than a hobby.