sonycowboy
Member
Courtesy of NPD.
For the console folks, 360 is understandably #1 for online gaming, and a very interesting nugget is that only 3% of folks own more than one next-gen system. That's obviously going to grow substantially over time, but one of the big outstanding questions is how much? Last gen was great for this statistic because PS2 was a must have, Nintendo was required for their IP, and Xbox was the choice for the best graphics and online play. This generation with less exclusivity, a larger percentage of casual gaming, and no console that's likely going to be "absolutely required" at this point, the multiple console owner percentage is one that bears watching. (IMO)
For the console folks, 360 is understandably #1 for online gaming, and a very interesting nugget is that only 3% of folks own more than one next-gen system. That's obviously going to grow substantially over time, but one of the big outstanding questions is how much? Last gen was great for this statistic because PS2 was a must have, Nintendo was required for their IP, and Xbox was the choice for the best graphics and online play. This generation with less exclusivity, a larger percentage of casual gaming, and no console that's likely going to be "absolutely required" at this point, the multiple console owner percentage is one that bears watching. (IMO)
The NPD Group said:AN all-time high of 72 Percent of the U.S. population reports that they play video games
Number of Online Gamers also up Relative to Total U.S. Population-
40 Percent in 2007 to 42 Percent in 2008
PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, April 2, 2008 According to The NPD Groups recently released report, "Online Gaming 2008, which analyzes the online gaming landscape and focuses specifically on consumers behavior, time and money spent in this market, overall participation in gaming rose in 2007 over 2006, from 64 percent of the population to 72 percent of the population. Of these, more than half say they play games online.
The PC platform continues to be the driving force in online gaming, with 90 percent of online gamers stating they use a PC to play games online, 19 percent claiming they use a video game system (console or portable) and 3 percent claiming they use a cell phone.
Four out of 10 online gamers are ages 2-17, driven heavily by kids ages 6-12. Kids ages 2 to 12 are driving more than 25 percent of online gaming, while 18-24 year olds only represent 10 percent of online gaming.
Among those who use a video game system for online gaming, Xbox 360 is the top system used, with 50 percent stating they play games online via that system. On average, Xbox 360 owners spend the most time per week using their 360s to play games online, followed by PC and PS3 owners using these respective systems for online game play.
According to the report, 13 percent of online gamers spend 20 hours or more per week on online gaming. Per platform, 33 percent of portable online gamers, 29 percent of console online gamers and 13 percent of PC online gamers are in this heaviest online gaming group.
At this point in the lifecycle of todays video game consoles, multiple console ownership is low, with only 3 percent reporting that they own two of the three next-gen systems and only 2 percent claiming to own all three systems.
Despite the buzz in the industry regarding online gaming, it is still relatively small compared to offline gaming, said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. There is still a large, untapped market for gaming in general and online gaming in particular.
Methodology
Data was collected via an online survey of 20,240 NPD Consumer Panel members ages 2 and older. Respondents age 2-12 were captured via surrogate reporting whereby the female parent (age 21-55) brings her child to computer to answer questions, either with or without parents assistance. In order to qualify as an online gamer, respondents had to use one or more of the following systems to play games online: Nintendo DS/DS Lite handheld system, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Sony PSP handheld system, Xbox, Xbox 360 or PC. Gamers overall (whether online or offline) were included in the study as well. Fieldwork was conducted from January 11 February 5, 2008.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,600 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, contact us or visit http://www.npd.com/