Study: Most Kids in the U.S. are Gamers

According to a study released yesterday almost every kid in the U.S. is a gamer.

In total 97% of kids polled said they plkay video games.
99% of boys games
94% of girls games (oh look we’re catching up!)

Parents Fail to Follow ESRB Ratings

Again, we find that parents could work on being more vigilant when it comes to monitoring the games their children play. Three-quarters of parents who were surveyed said they “always” or “sometimes” check the ratings on their kids’ games. And yet, half of boys surveyed said a game rated M or AO was among one of their favorite games. Parents can make some inroads here by not buying mature games for their children.

Games are Inherently Social

In a previous post, I discussed how games have a social history and continue to be a way for people to stay in touch with friends and to meet new people. The findings of the study reinforce this idea.

Nearly two-thirds play video games to socialize face-to-face with friends and family, while just over a quarter said they play with Internet friends. “It shows that gamers are social people,” says Amanda Lenhart, a senior researcher at Pew who led the report on the survey. “They communicate just as much. They spend time face-to-face, just as much as other kids. They e-mail and text.”

Women are Becoming a Massive Market

The next generation of gamers will likely include a larger block of women. As people become more aware of our presence I expect companies to take more steps to reach out to female players. Will we see more trite girly games that insult our intelligence? Or will we see games that consider both men and women in the game development process?

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